As Inkaterra marks its 50th anniversary, we are celebrating the opening of Inkaterra Cabo Blanco, our eighth property and first-ever hotel on Peru’s Pacific coast, in one of South America’s most legendary locations. In the 1950s, Cabo Blanco became world-renowned for its record-breaking sport fishing, including the historic 1,560-pound/707-kilo black marlin (Istiompax indica) landed in August 1953, as well as for Nobel Prize–winning author Ernest Hemingway, who was drawn to these extraordinary waters in April 1956.

The opening has garnered significant international attention. Vogue included Inkaterra Cabo Blanco among sixteen international luxury hotels set to open in 2026, highlighting its location “in a former fishing village in northwestern Peru” and its proposal for nature-sensitive tourism. The publication emphasizes how the project blends coastal landscapes, cultural storytelling, and conscious hospitality, appealing to travelers seeking less obvious destinations rich in history. Vogue also notes experiences linked to the legendary Miss Texas yacht, used when filming the adaptation of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.

Robb Report likewise named Inkaterra Cabo Blanco among the most anticipated luxury hotel openings of 2026, noting that Inkaterra “has been earning plaudits for its resource-aware luxury lodges in Peru for more than 50 years.” The publication underscores the brand’s expansion beyond its iconic destinations—such as Machu Picchu and Cusco—to the northern coastline of Cabo Blanco, long associated with world records for giant marlin fishing that remain unbroken to this day.

From Europe, Le Figaro portrays Inkaterra as a pioneer of sustainable hospitality in Peru, renowned for its properties in Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, and highlights its arrival in “one of South America’s most famous fishing sites,” closely associated with Hemingway. The newspaper emphasizes the site’s pristine natural setting and the hotel’s offering of a coastal retreat immersed in nature, ideal after Peru’s classic cultural itineraries.

Beyond the hotel itself, Inkaterra is advancing a comprehensive vision for Cabo Blanco that extends well beyond hospitality, aiming to restore the marine-coastal landscape of northern Peru. The initiative integrates science, culture, and tourism, and reestablish Cabo Blanco as an ecotourism development hub for the region, as well as a model for conservation in the Tropical Pacific. Inkaterra Cabo Blanco is based on four key pillars: high-quality ecological infrastructure; research and conservation initiatives led by Inkaterra Asociación; ecotourism experiences with strong local identity; and sustainable development strategies to support the resilience of coastal communities.

The project actively supports the artisanal fishing community, which was declared National Cultural Heritage of Peru in 2018 following an initiative led by Inkaterra Asociación. In addition, Inkaterra has restored the iconic Miss Texas yacht as a symbol of ocean recovery and a renewed relationship between culture, conservation, and tourism.

With Inkaterra Cabo Blanco, history meets the future—reviving a legendary destination as a model for ecotourism, conservation, and community-centered development in the Tropical Pacific.

In the Amazon rainforest of Madre de Dios, Inkaterra Asociación carries out continuous wildlife monitoring using camera traps, a key tool for studying the presence, distribution, and behavior of species in protected areas such as Inkaterra’s conservation concessions, as well as for assessing the overall health of the Amazonian ecosystems where we work.

The use of camera traps allows us to generate scientific information on a range of ecological factors, including wildlife abundance, species activity patterns, landscape connectivity, human pressure, and changes in land use. This data supports more informed decision-making for biodiversity conservation.

During the most recent field expedition conducted in the vicinity of one of the Brazil nut concessions, high-value wildlife records were obtained. Among the most significant findings was the documentation of a jaguar (Panthera onca), a rare event that highlights the conservation status of the surrounding environment. Another record captured a jaguar and its cub moving through the forest. As an apex predator, this feline requires large expanses of continuous forest, adequate prey availability, and low levels of human disturbance to reproduce. Its presence—and even more so that of a cub—is therefore a clear indicator of a healthy ecosystem.

Another particularly important record was that of the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis), often referred to as the “ghost dog” due to its elusive nature and the extreme difficulty of observing it in the wild. This species is one of the rarest and least-studied canids in South America. Classified as Near Threatened (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is highly sensitive to deforestation and typically inhabits well-preserved primary forests, underscoring the significance of these findings.

In addition, a group of white-lipped peccaries or wild Amazonian pigs (Tayassu pecari) was recorded—species that play a fundamental role in the dynamics of the Amazon forest. Moving in large herds, they disturb the soil, disperse seeds, and create microhabitats that promote natural forest regeneration, earning them recognition as true ecosystem engineers. This species is currently classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List.

This monitoring effort is part of the Camera Trap Wildlife Monitoring Program, implemented by Inkaterra Asociación in 2017 in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution. The program applies standardized scientific methodologies that allow for the generation of robust data comparable over time. Camera traps are installed in strategic wildlife corridors, following rigorous research protocols.

The activity was carried out by our field team together with interns from Inkaterra Asociación, as part of a sustained effort to strengthen scientific knowledge, support biodiversity conservation, and contribute to the sustainable management of Amazonian landscapes.

A remarkable wildlife sighting was recently recorded in the gardens of Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, located in the heart of Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Incas. The property has recently been recognized with two of the five Michelin Keys awarded to Inkaterra, in acknowledgment of its distinctive character, strong commitment to conservation and sustainability, and excellence in hospitality.

Travelers documented the presence of a family of tarucas, or Andean deer (Hippocamelus antisensis), a species rarely observed in the wild and currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

The taruca, a cervid native to the Andes, primarily inhabits high-altitude grasslands and holds deep cultural and ecological significance for local communities. Its appearance in the immediate surroundings of Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba is a clear indicator of the healthy ecosystem that envelops the property, where conservation practices and habitat restoration are actively promoted.

This sighting highlights the extraordinary biodiversity of the Sacred Valley and underscores the importance of conserving landscapes that serve as natural refuges for emblematic Andean species. The presence of tarucas so close to the hotel’s inhabited areas reflects a harmonious coexistence between the natural environment and human activities guided by principles of sustainability.

Within the framework of FITUR Madrid, one of the world’s most important tourism gatherings, José Koechlin, founder of Inkaterra and President of the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR), took part in a meaningful ceremony that featured planting a Peruvian pepper tree or molle (Schinus molle) in the gardens of the Plaza del Mundial de Fútbol 82, opposite Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

The event, held on January 23, was attended by officials from the Embassy of Peru in Spain, diplomats from the Consulate General of Peru in Madrid, representatives of the Madrid City Council, and members of the Peruvian community living in Spain.

Organized by CANATUR, the ceremony responded to the aspiration of the Peruvian community in Spain to pay tribute to the Peruvian national football team that competed in the 1982 World Cup, as well as to replace the original tree, which was brought down in January 2021 by Storm Filomena.

The Peruvian molle tree is an emblematic species of Peru’s Andean and coastal landscapes. Since pre-Hispanic times, it has been valued for its resilience, longevity, and deep cultural symbolism, often associated with protection, memory, and continuity. Its presence in public spaces serves as a living bridge between nature, history, and identity.

A privileged place to appreciate this species is Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, where the property is home to a molle forest within its gardens, seamlessly integrated into the landscape of the Sacred Valley. These trees form part of the natural environment that Inkaterra protects and highlights, offering travelers a direct connection to native flora and the cultural heritage of the Andes.

José Koechlin’s participation at FITUR Madrid and in this symbolic ceremony a underscores Inkaterra’scommitment to the international promotion of Peru, as well as to a vision of tourism that integrates culture, nature, and identity.