'Authentic' Inkaterra takes prize at 2016 Tatler Travel Awards in London

November 30, 2015 inkaterrahotels Leave a comment

We are delighted and extremely proud to announce that Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba was awarded the prize for best Authentic Adventure at the Tatler Travel Awards 2016 last week. Taking place at London’s iconic Lanesborough Hotel, the evening was hosted by Tatler’s Travel Editor, Francisca Kellet, and TV personality, Claudia Winkleman.

Designed to celebrate the best hotels both in the UK and around the world, the awards consisted of eight categories, recognising hotels for their design, family offerings and style. We are delighted to have been included in the selection of these eight esteemed properties and Inkaterra’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Liza Masias was present at the ceremony to collect the award on behalf of Inkaterra.

With authentic adventure at the heart of the Inkaterra experience, the newly opened Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba offers a range of eco-excursions while celebrating all things local. From the hotel architecture, inspired by the country state home designs of the region to the unique ‘Earth to Table’ concept, which transports ingredients and produce from the Inkaterra eco farm to the restaurant, guests can enjoy an experience that is both truly local and authentic .

“It doesn’t get any more authentic than this. You can yomp through the mountains spying hawks and hummingbirds. You can learn about Inca astronomy or stare at 1000-year-old fabrics and armour that belonged to actual conquistadors,” says the 2016 Tatler Travel Guide.

Awards & Accolades, Uncategorized

José Koechlin wins Contribution to Experiential Travel at the 2015 PURE Awards

November 20, 2015 inkaterrahotels Leave a comment

We’re delighted to announce that our founder and CEO, José Koechlin, has won the Contribution to Experiential Travel at the 2015 PURE Life Experience awards.

Designed to reward those who have re-imagined the role of high end, experiential travel, the award showcases the founders of organisations who have positively impacted conservation efforts and increased experiential offerings.

The past 40 years have seen José enhance scientific research, conservation and sustainability efforts, sponsoring flora and fauna inventories and defining areas of influence: from the heart of theAmazon rainforest, to Machu Picchu cloud forest, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco and the Cabo Blanco coastline.

From eco projects, to eco-friendly activities, the award recognises our native orchid collection, the largest in the world, Andean Bear Rescue Project and incredible Inkaterra canopy walkway, swinging in the heart of the vibrant Amazonian treetops.

Having trained 4,000 locals and annually catering for 100,000 travellers, José’s efforts in ecotourism continue to encourage the next generation of conservationists.

20.11.2015

Experiences

Cusco: The Birthplace of the Incan Empire

November 13, 2015 inkaterrahotels Leave a comment

When visiting Inkaterra La Casona, explorers can walk through the culture steeped streets of Cusco, following in the footsteps once taken by the ancient Incan civilisation, who used the historic city as their military centre. Cusco was the capital and birthplace of the Inca Empire, where the emperor, or Sapa Inca – divine son of the sun, overlooked his kingdom.

Arising in the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th Century, the Incas reigned a large portion of Western South American, centered on the Andean mountain ranges, including Ecuador, Bolivia, northwest Argentina, north and central Chile, and southern Columbia, before the last Inca stronghold was conquered by the Spanish in 1572.

With Inkaterra La Casona ideally located on the cobbled streets of Cusco, on the original Inca settlement, colonial monuments, including the Qorikancha Temple, Sacsayhuaman and San Blas, are but a stones throw away. Landmarks a little further out of the city can also be explored, such as Puca Pucará, Qenko and Tambomachay.

Puca Pucará, located seven kilometers northeast of the city, its Quechua name meaning ‘red strength’, was a military construction composed of elevated terraces, inner patios, watch towers, high walls and stairways. Q’enko, which means “labyrinth”, is an Incan temple with underground galleries and small canals made of rocks in zigzag form, while Tambomachay was one of the favourite baths of the royal Incas, formed by a set of stone structures, aqueducts, waterfalls, springs and thermal sources.

Inkaterra La Casona preserves the culture and traditions of the ancient civilisation through the intricate decoration, pieces of colonial furniture, murals, traditional colours and stone reflecting the patina of several eras. The attention to traditional detail means guests of the hotel will experience the tranquility and repose once offered to illustrious travellers who visited in earlier times.

After the death of the Sapa Inca, civil war broke out in the Inca Empire. After five years of warfare, and eventually crowning a new Sapa Inca, the Spanish invaded in 1532, and by 1535, the Inca Empire was gone. What still remains are some of the most finely worked stone structures from any ancient civilisation, and a city steeped in history, waiting to be discovered by guests of Inkaterra La Casona.

For more information, visit www.inkaterra.com

10.11.15

Nature & Wildlife, Uncategorized

Madre de Dios

November 5, 2015 inkaterrahotels Leave a comment

Madre de Dios, located in the south east of Peru, is a low-lying Amazon playground of the fauna and flora that dance along the riverbank. Situated on the border of Bolivia and Brazil, the river spans an incredible 655km. Not only is it a reserve for tropical birds, but it is also a place of refuge for an abundance of endangered species including the black caiman, a variety of different monkeys: howler monkey, squirrel monkey, titi monkeys, the capybara or tapir, the largest rodent in the world, the aguti and giant otters.

Flickr Image Courtesy of Filipe Fortes http://bit.ly/1NxTmsQ

Due to the area’s remoteness, the nearest road is from the Peruvian cities of Puerto Maldonado, the capital of Madre de Dios, and Cusco, 510km away in the Cusco Region. For those looking to “commute”, sailing the wide rivers is the best way to travel from town to town, meandering down stream to the sound of the soothing water and songs of tropical bird. Inkaterra embraces the magical location and offers guests the opportunity to experience the enchanting and peaceful side of the rainforest with a 45 minute boat trip along the river.

Inkaterra supports the conservation of the Madre de Dios region and promotes ecotourism for the local area, especially with the properties Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica and neighbouring Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción, nestled between the Madre de Dios river’s shores and the Tambopata National Reserve. Since being founded in 1978, Inkaterra Asociación has been researching and fostering the study of the animals in the Inkaterra Ecological Reserve, in the low Madre de Dios region. As a result, they have registered an astounding 150 amphibian and reptile species in the area.

Flickr Images courtesy of Lufonz http://bit.ly/208mf5P

Both properties provide nature enthusiasts with access to one of the world’s most remote and extraordinary tropical environments. Bird watchers (twitchers) are exposed to more than 540 bird species of bird that play mischievously among the dense rainforest, including tanagers, toucans and colourful macaws.

Flickr Image courtesy of Emmanuel DYAN http://bit.ly/1kLEhuk

With its winding and mile wide rivers the Madre de Dios is a tourist attraction and a paradise for biodiversity. For more information, please click here.

27.10.15

Awards & Accolades, Uncategorized

José Koechlin Nominated for Contribution to Experiential Travel At 2015 PURE Awards

November 2, 2015 inkaterrahotels Leave a comment

José Koechlin Nominated for Contribution to Experiential Travel At 2015 PURE Awards.

We’re delighted to announce that our founder and CEO, José Koechlin, has been shortlisted in the 2015 PURE Life Experiences Awards for his commitment to ecotourism and sustainable development over the past 40 years.

Designed to reward true mavericks, who have re-imagined the role of high end, experiential travel, the award showcases the founders of organisations who have positively impacted conservation efforts and increased experiential offerings.

Wiki Image Courtesy of http://bit.ly/1MkmZhA

Here at Inkaterra we’re extremely proud of Mr Koechlin’s innovative and inspirational ideas which are the basis by which the organisation was founded 40 years ago. Pioneering ecotourism in Peru, Mr Koechlin’s efforts have directly influenced the development of the eco-friendly experiential travel movement, setting new standards for the travel industry at large.

Our key ethos is based on a holistic approach to eco-tourism, showcased by Mr Koechlin’s dedication to enhancing scientific research, conservation and sustainability. The principle areas of Inkaterra influence include the Amazon Rainforest, Machu Picchu Cloud Forest, Sacred Valley, Cusco and Cabo Blanco and Mr Koechlin has sponsored flora and fauna inventories in each with the world’s largest native orchid collection (372 species) located at our Inkaterra Macchu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

Mr Koechlin’s efforts also include wildlife initiatives, and as I’m sure many of you will be aware of, the Andean Bear Rescue Centre at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, was set up to rescue bears that have been negatively affected by human impact and reintroduces them into their natural habitat. Mr Koechlin’s commitment to culture and biodiversity is furthered by his employment of over 4,000 locals in the region, thereby training the next generation of local conservationists.

For those of you that have visited us, you will have experienced some of the eco-friendly activities on offer at each of our properties. Our aim is to further educate our visitors on eco-tourism and we offer a total of 14 fun, family friendly excursions with varying degrees of difficulty and duration. Each of the excursions include experiential elements that allow our guests to actively be involved in the conservation efforts as well as learning about them at the same time.

We are proud of Mr Koechlin’s nomination for Contribution to Experiential Travel, an accolade that he truly deserves for his pioneering efforts towards eco-tourism in Peru.

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Monthly Archives: November 2015

'Authentic' Inkaterra takes prize at 2016 Tatler Travel Awards in London

José Koechlin wins Contribution to Experiential Travel at the 2015 PURE Awards

Cusco: The Birthplace of the Incan Empire

Madre de Dios

José Koechlin Nominated for Contribution to Experiential Travel At 2015 PURE Awards

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