Recent Sightings at Inkaterra

At Inkaterra a key part of our ethos is striving for excellence in geotourism and conservation and this includes educating ourselves and our guests. It is for this reason that we revel in catching a glimpse of the local flora and fauna that call Inkaterra home, and the last month has proven terrifically exciting for sightings.

An exhilarating sighting took place on September 17th when Explorer Guide, Lili Gutierrez, and two teammates were having lunch in the staff dining room at Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica, when they spotted four Pygmy Marmosets enjoying their own lunch simultaneously! Munching on the delicious bark of an Ubos tree, the Pygmies seemed unaware that they had an audience. The Pygmy Marmoset is the smallest monkey of the New World, often found close to waterways inhabiting the tropical lowlands of forests in the Western Amazon.

PYGMY MARMOSET Lili G. - Inkaterra Explorer Guides

PYGMY MARMOSET
Lili G. – Inkaterra Explorer Guides

It was during a tour of Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción, when Explorer Guide Plinio with eight of our guests, stumbled across a group of Red Howler Monkeys. Amongst some of the largest monkey species in Latin America, Red Howler Monkeys are famous for their loud howls can travel up to three miles through dense rainforest.

RED HOWLER MONKEY Plinio A. - Inkaterra Explorer Guide

RED HOWLER MONKEY
Plinio A. – Inkaterra Explorer Guide

Plinio and a group of guests were meandering around beautiful oxbow-shaped Lake Sandoval, when they came across two bickering Giant River Otters. The otters were embroiled in a duel for a fish, which was taking place not far from the group’s canoe, providing the optimum arena to witness these creatures in a natural exchange. Fish is their principal food source so it is no surprise that on this occasion they were fighting for their lunch. Giant River Otters are included in Appendix I of the Convention International Trade of Endangered Species since 1973 so are an extremely exciting spot.

GIANT RIVER OTTER Plinio A. - Inkaterra Explorer Guide

GIANT RIVER OTTER
Plinio A. – Inkaterra Explorer Guide

A group of guests were on their way back from the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway with an Explorer Guide in late September when they spotted a herd of Capybara Ronsoco resting on the river bank, basking in the late afternoon sun. The largest and heaviest rodent of the caved family, the Capybara Ronsoco is a highly social animal living in groups of around 10-20 individuals.

CAPYBARA RONSOCO Plinio A. - Inkaterra Explorer Guide

CAPYBARA RONSOCO
Plinio A. – Inkaterra Explorer Guide

The biodiversity surrounding the Inkaterra properties never ceases to astound us and we are always enthused upon beholding new creatures.

Inkaterra's Luxury Properties Acknowledged In Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2017

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, with over 300,000 readers voting for their favourite hotel brands.

flyer_reader_choice_awards_2017_2In an awards scheme that is brimming with hotels and cities of character, we are thrilled to announce that all five of our luxury properties have been included within three of Conde Nast Traveler’s prestigious categories: Best Hotels in the World, Top Hotels in South America and Top Resorts in South America. Not only are we extremely pleased to be acknowledged by Conde Nast Traveler, but we would also truly grateful to those of you who took the time to vote for us, thank you all!

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The categories are as follows:

The Best Hotels in the World and Top Hotels in South America

We are delighted to inform you that both Inkaterra La Casona and Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel have been included in both of the above categories.

Inkaterra La Casona, our first boutique and Relais & Châteaux property in Cusco, has been recognised as fourteenth place in Best Hotels in the World and second place in Top Hotels in South America. Throughout the property, from the furnishings to excursions, our continuous aim is for guests to feel completely immersed in the culture and history of the surrounding area.

Built on the training grounds of an elite Incan army, the very roots of the property are infused with tradition. This is reflected in the presence of colonial furniture, handmade textiles and original murals all of which celebrate Cusco’s rich heritage.

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We are equally pleased that our property Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, nestled in the cloud forest, has been awarded fifteenth place in Best Hotels in the World and third place in Top Hotels in South America. A luxurious haven for those wanting to explore the Machu Picchu area, the proximity to the ancient citadel Machu Picchu is a key attraction for our guests, but a private tour of the site is not the only excursion on offer for our guests to enjoy. We are particularly proud of our Andean Spectacled Bear Programme whereupon guests are welcome to visit the real Paddington Bears and support a cause dear to the heart of Peru.

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Top resorts in South America

Our luxury eco-lodge in the heart of the Amazon, Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica, has been awarded sixth place and we are delighted that our adventure seeking visitors have taken the time to vote for us. As those of you have stayed with us will know, waking up at Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica is a truly unique experience, instantly being enveloped in the sights, smells and sounds of the rainforest.

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In close footsteps of its neighbour, our second Amazon property, Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción was awarded seventh place. Consisting of 19 private cabanas perched majestically on stilts, and a six room casa grande complete with a rustic thatched roof, our guests are once again engulfed in the heart of the rainforest.

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And last, but by no means least, we are delighted that our Sacred Valley property, Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba has been awarded eleventh place in this prestigious category. Since opening in 2015, the property has gone from strength to strength and is celebrated for its tranquility, both in the interior and the surrounding area, that has made it a popular haven for our guests

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Once again, thank you to everyone who voted for us in the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Awards – we are thrilled and can’t wait to welcome new and familiar faces

Inkagrammers of Autumn (…so far)

Enjoying a truly unique experience is best caught on camera, always allowing you to replay the memories. With the rise of Instagram collecting moments has never been easier. With over 600 million users it is no surprise that we flock to Instagram for inspiration, easily rivalling the 175 million users on Pinterest, also a favoured platform for the wanderlust-bucket-list. Here at Inkaterra we love to see our guests capture and create their personal online scrapbooks and Instagram is perfect platform to proudly post them.

Part of our Inkaterra journey is going on yours whether it’s on site or on social. We’ve chosen a select few of your Inka-gram moments this month.

screen-shot-2017-10-13-at-16-17-07What a stunning shot by @ryanjdsouza. Showing a new perspective of the Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba land, swaddled in the evening.

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A snapshot of our carefully crafted interiors at Inkaterra La Casona. @ponycai shows us a glimpse of the cultural and traditional Incan furnishings.

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A wonderful landscape shot of one of the many breathtaking views in the Sacred Valley. @chriszelzel

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@kristinahader’s french toast at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel definitely does the delicious dish justice.

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A morning view from one of the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica cabanas captured by @greefy13. We think every morning should look this picture perfect

From Cusco to the Amazon make sure you keep tagging us (@inkaterrahotels) in your Inka-grams. Head over to our Instagram and check out our hotels, offerings, sightings and memories made by you.

Inkaterra Celebrates World Sustainable Tourism Day

The 27th of September marked World Sustainable Tourism Day, an annual commemoration that highlights the contribution the tourism industry can make in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainability is the key ethos behind the Inkaterra brand and so we celebrated World Tourism Day in true Inkaterra style, deep in the Amazon Rainforest at Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción.

On the morning of the 27th September, a group of Puerto Maldonado’s 5th Grade Primary school students arrived by boat at Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción.

Students arrive at Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción

Students arrive at Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción

They were met by our expert Inkaterra Explorer-Guide, Alan Huisa, who gave a talk on Inkaterra and the importance of sustainability.  The pupils then took part in an exciting competition whereby they each created a banner for World Sustainable Tourism Day. A prize was subsequently awarded to the student who drew up the most imaginative banner.

Competition of Banners

Competition of Banners

Alan then took the group on a trip on the motorized canoe for a lovely ride along the Madre Dios River towards our Inkaterra Canopy Walkway.

Walking along the Canopy Walkway

Walking along the Canopy Walkway

Here at Inkaterra we strongly believe in the importance of educating the future generation on sustainability, World Sustainable Tourism Day was a great opportunity to bring together the pupils from the local school and educate them on the importance of eco-tourism.