Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s annual survey invites readers to rank and vote for their “all-time favorite hotels, cruises, and resorts, as well as the countries, cities, and islands you escaped to.”

Cusco’s Inkaterra La Casona, first Relais & Châteaux property in Peru, and Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, tucked away in the Andean cloud forest at the foot of one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, are listed in the ‘Hotels’ category.

Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, built amid the lush mountains of the Sacred Valley, appear in the ‘Resorts’ category, along with Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica (an eco-luxury lodge inspired by the Ese’Eja culture) and Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción, located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest near majestic Lake Sandoval.

“The Inkaterra family is deeply thankful to our guest who vote for us,” says Inkaterra founder José Koechlin. “It is a celebration of our 50th anniversary, since we pioneered ecotourism in Peru, placing scientific research, biodiversity conservation and sustainability at the very core of our business.”

We invite you to vote for Inkaterra until Monday 30 June 2025, and results will be released on Wednesday 1 October 2025.

If you are visiting Sydney, don’t miss the chance to experience the Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru exhibit at the Australian Museum through Sunday 11 May 2025.

An extraordinary multi-sensory experience, Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru features over 130 stunning artifacts from Lima’s Larco Museum, including exquisite jewelry, funerary objects from royal tombs and one of the most impressive gold collections to tour the globe. These priceless treasures illuminate the artistic brilliance and cultural sophistication of ancient Peru, offering fascinating insights into the daily lives, spiritual beliefs and extraordinary achievements of these millenary civilizations.

Using a combination of state-of-the-art projections, video and priceless artifacts, this immersive experience brings the grandeur of Peru’s fascinating history to life. Furthermore, the exhibition also features Machu Picchu and the Spirit of the Condor, the first-ever VR showcase of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Peru, and winner of the ‘Best Use of VR’ category at the 12th annual Lumière Awards.

The largest exhibition to showcase Peru’s cultural legacy and extraordinary biodiversity, this extraordinary show is produced by Neon Global – the makers of Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs and Pompeii: The Exhibition – in partnership with Adventure World, LATAM Airlines, and Promperu.

“Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru is the most innovative way to inspire travelers from all around the world to explore our many wonders”, says Inkaterra CEO and exhibition partner José Koechlin.

Tickets to Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru are available here.

Microsoft news portal MSN highlighted Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in its ‘Top 10 Eco-Lodges You’ll Never Want to Leave” listing. “Just a stone's throw away from the legendary Machu Picchu, this eco-lodge is a tribute to local culture and the environment,” writes Peter Leborah. “Its adobe-style structures and lush gardens are a magnet for native wildlife. Guests can delve into the mysteries of ancient ruins or wander through the cloud forest. Inkaterra's dedication to sustainability is evident in its use of local materials and support for community projects.”

Recently named one of Travel+Leisure magazine’s Favorite Hotels and Resorts in the World, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel is a pioneering case of regenerative tourism. Its grounds were originally used for grazing and tea production. Restoring the Andean cloud forest with native flora enabled Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel to restore the cycle of life and enhance one of the world’s most biodiversity-rich environments within a city’s limits.

The property’s lush gardens are home to 311 bird species registered by eBird, 111 butterfly species, as well as the world’s largest native orchid collection - according to the American Orchid Society, with 372 species. Additionally, the organic tea produced in the hotel grounds won the gold medal at the 2023 Annual Teas of the World Awards in Paris, as well as two silver medals in the 2024 edition.

“Eco-tourism in Peru is a booming industry, contributing over $1 billion annually, and lodges like Inkaterra play a pivotal role in this economic surge,” concludes Leborah.

Since 1978, Inkaterra has produced scientific research as a basis for nature conservation, education, and the wellbeing of local communities. That year marked the beginning of biodiversity studies in the areas surrounding the Cusco Amazónico lodge (now Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica), with the goal of measuring the positive impact of ecotourism on natural environments. Led by Dr. Ted Papenfuss, a team of researchers from California’s Berkeley University conducted a three-year inventory of vertebrate specimens. This research was key in demonstrating the extraordinary levels of flora and fauna found at the Inkaterra property, confirming the Amazonian forest of Madre de Dios as one of the most biodiverse regions on our planet.

In 1989, Inkaterra undertook the BIOTROP Project - another historic inventory - led by herpetologist William Duellman and funded by the National Geographic Society. The results were published in the 2005 book Cusco Amazónico: The Lives of Amphibians and Reptiles in an Amazonian Rainforest which Cornell University described as “the baseline against which all future studies of Amazonian amphibians and reptiles (and even other organisms) will be compared.”

Accompanied by part of Aguirre's production team, including Jorge Enrique Seoane and Gustavo Cerf, Joe built the first cabanas of the Cusco Amazónico lodge, using only axes and machetes to minimize the impact on the environment. The architectural style and use of native materials were inspired by the Ese'Eja culture. However, Joe recalls that the services were far from the luxury standards for which Inkaterra is known today: to cater its first clients—a group from the Banque Nationale de Paris—army mattresses were borrowed and arrived an hour before the passengers' arrival. Each traveler had to bring their own pillow, and towels and blankets were distributed at check-in. The showers were outdoors, and a canoe served as a washbasin. It was all part of the adventure for those who dared to explore the Peruvian jungle back in the mid-seventies.

“Know your stock!” said Inkaterra founder José Koechlin in a 2017 interview with Forbes magazine. “As many companies undertake stock control every year, eco-lodges have the opportunity to create flora and fauna inventories, assisting in the study of biodiversity.”