Thanks to the preference of our travelers, five hotels (Inkaterra La Casona, Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción & Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica) have been nominated for the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2024. In addition, Inkaterra, which was named as third best in the World’s Best Hotel Brands in 2019, has been nominated again as best hotel brand.

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The discovery of Sarcoglottis wernerherzogii (Spiranthinae), a new species of orchid from the Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, reaffirms Peru as one of the places with the greatest diversity of orchids in the world.

Characterized by flowers that look like dragon heads, which bloom once a year around September or October, Sarcoglottis wernerherzogii is named as such in homage to the legendary filmmaker and writer Werner Herzog (Munich, 1942), whose masterpieces Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972) and Fitzcarraldo (1982) reveal the natural magnificence of Machu Picchu and the Peruvian Amazon, in both of which films the peruvian co-producer was José Koechlin, founder and CEO of Inkaterra.

“Peru is the landscape of my soul,” the director has previously declared. His life and work are portrayed in the recent documentary Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer (2022), now available on Amazon Prime.

Sarcoglottis wernerherzogii is not only a new species for science, but also a new genus for Machu Picchu. The description was written by biologists Benjamín Collantes (Inkaterra), José Edquén (Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University of Amazonas), Feliciano Incahuamán (Ministry of Culture) and Dr. Gerardo Salazar (National Autonomous University of Mexico), the species has been published in the special edition of the Lankesteriana magazine of Costa Rica, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Lankester Botanical Garden.

This week, the international exhibition Orchids of Machu Picchu reached 1,071,530 attendees – a record that makes it the most visited exhibition about Peru.

Orchids of Machu Picchu is on display at Singapore's Gardens by the Bay, one of Southeast Asia's most iconic natural parks. Produced by the Embassy of Peru in Singapore in alliance with Inkaterra as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, Orchids of Machu Picchu is an unprecedented initiative to highlight the cultural and natural heritage of Peru.

In this exhibition, Inkaterra showcases its special collection of 87 orchid flowers native to Machu Picchu, preserved in acrylic through an exceptional technique, maintaining their natural shape and color. This is the first time that this beautiful display – which captures the intricate beauty and delicate details of Peruvian flowers – has been presented abroad. It is exhibited accompanied by a scale model of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu and other species and hybrids of Peruvian descent, grown in Gardens by the Bay.

“With the support of Inkaterra and Mr. Felix Loh, General Director of Gardens by the Bay, we bring Orchids of Machu Picchu, a unique experience to share the greatness of the biodiversity of Machu Picchu,” said Carlos Vásquez, Ambassador of Peru in Singapore and appointed SOM Chair for APEC 2024, at the opening of the exhibition on August 18. A ceremony attended by several Singapore authorities, including Ms. Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.

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

“Orchids are one of the most extraordinary manifestations of mega biodiversity in Machu Picchu,” said José Koechlin, founder and president of Inkaterra. “At the heart of the cloud forest, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel is home to the world's largest collection of native orchids in their habitat, according to the American Orchid Society. A genetic bank with 372 native species, including 26 species new to science described by fellow researchers of Inkaterra Asociación,” he said.

Biologist Benjamín Collantes, leading orchid researcher at Inkaterra Asociación who described several of the 26 species new to science found at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, is the curator of the selection presented at Gardens by the Bay, which can be visited until February 18, 2024.

In an interview with Singapore's The Straits Times, Gardens by the Bay biologist Dr Shawn Tay comments: “We want to show how the Incas revered orchids in their natural environment and beauty. We hope that this collaboration with Inkaterra and the Embassy of Peru will educate visitors about the need to conserve orchid species around the world and especially in cloud forests.”

Orchids of Machu Picchu had the invaluable sponsorship of PSA Marine, Olam Food Ingredients (OFI), and KLM Airlines.

With a total of 1,879 species of birds, Peru was crowned the world leader with the greatest diversity of birds on the planet, as confirmed by the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP).

This great achievement, which occurs shortly after Peru won the October Big Day for the first time, was confirmed after the publication of the recent Bulletin of the Union of Ornithologists of Peru (UNOP). In this special edition, the registration of 19 new species for the official list of Peruvian birds was confirmed. “It is a long-term work that has not only allowed Peru to position itself for its great biodiversity,” declared the president of the UNOP, Fernando Angulo. “There is much more to do, so it is important to develop a strategy as a country to continue recording the diversity of birds in Peru and therefore increasing it.”

The Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Juan Carlos Mathews, declared that bird watching represents about 25% of tourism in Peru, and that it can generate a great impact on local and national development.

Pioneering regenerative tourism, Inkaterra has contributed to the development of birdwatching in Peru. Since 1978, Inkaterra produces flora and fauna inventories to determine the baseline in its areas of influence. A total of 903 bird species have been recorded in the Inkaterra areas, a number almost equivalent to the bird count in all of Costa Rica. Likewise, Inkaterra has organized four editions of the international World Birding Rally championship.

“For five decades, Inkaterra has deployed efforts that contribute to this extraordinary achievement, which confirms Peru as a world leader in bird diversity,” said its president, José Koechlin. “At Inkaterra, we believe that bird tourism is a great strategy for the conservation of natural environments, as well as for improving the quality of life in local populations.”