The Inkaterra family wishes you a merry Christmas and a 2024 filled with joy and prosperity.

We bid farewell to a rewarding year full of landmark achievements. Inkaterra’s organic tea cultivated in Machu Picchu was awarded the Gold Medal at the prestigious 6th Teas of the World Awards in Paris, and Peru won its first-ever October Big Day after registering 1,382 bird species. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s citizen science app, eBird, confirmed Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel as one of the most biodiversity-rich hotspots in the world with 298 species, including Peru’s iconic Andean cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruviana).

Raising awareness of the transformative impact of ecotourism, Inkaterra also championed Machu Picchu as a leading destination for native orchids. We opened a successful exhibition at Gardens by the Bay (Singapore) and hosted the Scientific Conference on Andean Orchids for the first time ever in Peru. During this event, we announced the upcoming book Machu Picchu: An Orchid Symphony – an unprecedented publication that will feature 430 orchid species.

We wish to thank each one of you for your unconditional support as our travelers will always be our greatest source of inspiration. In 2024, Inkaterra encourages you to fulfill your dreams and explore the wonders of Peru – from the evergreen Amazon rainforest and the majestic heights of Machu Picchu, to the legendary fishing mecca of Cabo Blanco.

-José Koechlin, Inkaterra Founder and CEO.

Cultural entrepreneur Ingrid Yrivarren presented her new book Tengo el Orgullo, featuring one hundred inspiring stories of Peruvians who through talent and perseverance, have excelled in the worlds of sports, fashion, business, science and the arts. According to writer Santiago Roncagliolo: “All Peruvians win when they win. Through them, all of us discover that it is possible to change our fate.”

Inkaterra founder and CEO José Koechlin is one of the Peruvian patriots featured in the book alongside figures including Nobel prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa, opera singer Juan Diego Flórez and Olympic athlete Gladys Tejeda. José’s profile details his life and pioneering vision of sustainable travel. The book highlights childhood memories when he first visited Machu Picchu and the Peruvian Amazon in Jesuit missions organized by his school, to his coproductions of Werner Herzog’s cult classics Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972) and Fitzcarraldo (1982) to showcase the Peruvian landscapes through film.

These experiences share an insight into the creation of Inkaterra, acknowledged by United Nations as the world’s first Climate Positive hotel brand. Inkaterra places scientific research and biodiversity conservation at the very core of its business model and has won multiple awards as a result. “During the mid-seventies, when no one spoke about biodiversity and the word ‘ecotourism’ did not appear in the dictionary, a young Peruvian adventurer laid the groundwork for a profitable industry as a means for sustainable development: conservation tourism”, Ingrid writes. “Joe’s life mission is to educate travelers on culture and the environment in Peru, one of the world’s seventeen megadiverse countries.”

The international exhibition, ‘Orchids of Machu Picchu,’ located in the emblematic Cloud Forest dome of Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, has welcomed 745,000 visitors to-date.

“It is the most successful event showcasing Machu Picchu’s unique biodiversity, and we expect to attract over one million attendants before closing on February 2024,” said Inkaterra founder José Koechlin.

In this exhibition, produced in collaboration with Gardens by the Bay and the Embassy of Peru in Singapore, Inkaterra exhibits a special collection of 87 native orchid flowers from Machu Picchu, preserved in acrylic.

This is the first time that this precious collection – which captures the intricate beauty and delicate details of the flowers of Peru – has been exhibited abroad. It is presented together with a scale model of the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary and other species and hybrids of Peruvian descent cultivated in Gardens by the Bay.

The floral display is inspired by the Inca Trail. It features a replica of the Inti Punku (Sun Gate) and a selection of emblematic artifacts from Peru's ancient cultures, reproduced by the Peruvian artist Edi Mérida. Visitors can step back in time and walk the same path traveled by a 15th-century Inca emperor on his pilgrimage, amidst a plethora of orchids rarely seen in this part of the world.

The production of ‘Orchids of Machu Picchu’ had the invaluable sponsorship of PSA Marine, Olam Food Ingredients (OFI), and KLM Airlines. Click here to book your visit to ‘Orchids of Machu Picchu’ in Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.

Inkaterra is proud to announce an updated deluxe edition of its widely-acclaimed book on native orchids, Machu Picchu: An Orchid Symphony. The book is an unprecedented scientific statement on one of Machu Picchu’s most astonishing manifestations of life and features 430 native orchids – the greatest number of species native to one given region.

Curated by Inkaterra Asociación biologist Benjamín Collantes, the 500-page coffee table book includes photographs in 35mm format for each orchid species in full bloom. This is an extraordinary accomplishment as some of these rare flowers only blossom for a few hours every year.

To be released in 2024, Machu Picchu: An Orchid Symphony comprises a blooming calendar and essays on fascinating subjects, such as Machu Picchu’s ecology and natural pollination. Among the 430 orchids described in Machu Picchu: An Orchid Symphony, readers will find the 28 species new to science described by fellow researchers of Inkaterra Asociación.

By purchasing ‘Machu Picchu: An Orchid Symphony,’ you will become a supporter of Inkaterra Asociación’s environmental conservation strategy for Machu Picchu. This initiative has successfully certified Machu Picchu as the First Carbon Neutral Wonder of the World, achieved through ecosystem restoration and an innovative waste management plan aimed at enhancing the circular economy.

Click here to pre-order the limited edition of Machu Picchu: An Orchid Symphony.