Peru highlights holiday, 10 days

Environment

On our excursions to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu our qualified local guides will be able to describe how bygone civilisations adapted to use the natural resources to sustain a sophisticated agricultural system.

Our hotel in Machu Picchu, El Mapi, belongs to the Peruvian owned chain Inkaterra which is a pioneer in sustainable tourism and promotes scientific research for the conservation of ecosystems and Natural Resources funded by Ecotourism, as a replicable model for local communities; offering authentic experiences, capturing, disseminating and educating about the culture and nature of Peru. They aim to define and respect authentic cultural, social and environmental values, including: using environmentally friendly products and maintaining good communication with suppliers, using energy and water efficiently, and providing adequate waste treatment, developing continuous improvement in their management and process controls by minimizing negative impacts and providing experience in the formulation of standards and creation of protected areas.

During the included visit to Machu Picchu we follow and draw passengers attention to all the rules of the site to avoid the erosion or damage. These include ensuring that you do not take food onto the site but rather eat outside the grounds, do not approach the llamas and alpacas, do not climb on certain structures on the site or take walking poles with metal pointed ends, among other restrictions. We encourage you to take a moment of respite at the site to take in the views in all its beauty and splendour which in turn helps people to understand the important of the restrictions in place.

Community

One of our hotels, Pakaritampu in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, supports a local community project providing food for local people of limited income. Our aim is also to familiarise you intimately with the rich contemporary indigenous culture, introducing you to local bursting with produce and crafts. The Uros islanders, for example, depend largely on sales of their crafts to survive and we encourage you to make small purchases on your excursion on Lake Titicaca.

Our aim is to familiarise you intimately with a rich indigenous culture, introducing you to local markets bursting with produce and crafts, such as that at Pisac in the Sacred Valley and the indigenous market in La Paz. Our excursions to pre-Columbian and Spanish archaeological sites are designed to help you appreciate the value of this heritage and the need to conserve it; our local guides are recruited for their comprehensive knowledge.

One of our hotels, Pakaritampu in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, supports a local community project providing food for local people of limited income. Our aim is also to familiarise you intimately with the rich contemporary indigenous culture, introducing you to local bursting with produce and crafts. The Uros islanders, for example, depend largely on sales of their crafts to survive and we encourage you to make small purchases on your excursion on Lake Titicaca.

The El Mapi hotel used in Machu Picchu is part of the Inkaterra chain who respect authentic cultural values and invest in the local community by:

•Creating professional development opportunities and encourage the recruitment and training of local staff.
•Developing an ideal work environment providing better living conditions than those covered by labor law.
•Developing activities in accordance with current legislation, such as corporate, tax, labour, and the concepts of sustainable development.
•Developing contingency plans for natural, social or financial disasters.
•Encouraging the development of local communities, taking into consideration their environment and culture.
•Being a replicable business model of low initial cost and high positive impact on local populations

All our excursions to pre-Columbian and Spanish archaeological sites are designed to help you appreciate the value of this heritage and the need to conserve it.