TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Awards have recently released the 2018 list of the top museums in the world. Lima’s Museo Larco has been recognized as the best museum in South America and one of the twenty best in the world. Aracari spoke with Andres Alvaréz Calderón, the president of Museo Larco, about the meaning of this recognition and the challenges ahead. “This seal of excellence makes us review our entire system to make sure we deliver an experience that fits the expectation of thousands of TripAdvisor readers who in many cases plan their Peru trips around a visit to the Museum, named the third tourist attraction in Peru after Machu Picchu and Cusco’s historic center." About Museo Larco: The Best Museum in South America Museo Larco was founded in 1926 by archaeologist Rafael Larco Hoyle. Its focus is on ancient Peru, exhibiting a collection of 45,000 pieces and 5000 years of history. The Museum occupies an old mansion from the 18th century that was built on top of a pre-Columbian pyramid from the 7th century. Museo Larco is specially known for its erotic pottery collection, its open archives and exquisite gardens. “Museums are built to keep the best of humanity for the rest of humanity. This is why the preservation of our collections is as crucial as the continuous research and communication around them. Each piece contains information that is of extreme value for humanity”, affirms Alvarez Calderon. “A Museum would not be anything without the public and this recognition is the proof of that. This is why we are very focused on experiences that merge the past with the present through the five senses expressed, aside from our collection, in beautiful gardens and world-class delicious Peruvian food.” Connecting with the Past “If there is one crucial aspect of the Museo Larco
TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Awards have recently released the 2018 list of the top museums in the world. Lima’s Museo Larco has been recognized as the best museum in South America and one of the twenty best in the world. Aracari spoke with Andres Alvaréz Calderón, the president of Museo Larco, about…
Emily Shaw has created two holistic programs for 2019 that combine the best detox practices with plant-based kitchen skills using Peruvian ingredients and super foods such as coca leaves and powder, quinoa, kiwicha, maca, lucuma and corn, among many others. A chic beach retreat takes place in boutique hotel KiChic in Mancora, on Peru's Northern coast, from June 21-28 2019. Later in the year, board a luxury river cruise with Delfin Amazon Cruises for a jungle retreat from October 6-13 2019. Luxury Peru holistic retreat Emily lived in Lima from 2006 until 2014. In 2011, she went to India to study the Ayurvedic system of Panchakarma, the oldest known system of detoxification. Upon her return she created a 7-day home detox programme with this new knowledge and all the amazing healing ingredients she had been working with and learning about from the Peruvian Amazon. “Peru is one of the most diverse countries I have ever been to and is extraordinarily rich in natural medicine and culture,” affirms Emily, whose brand Amaveda is the fusion between Amazonia and Ayurveda. Transformational Travel with Emily Shaw of Amaveda Emily has a culinary background and a lot of experience moving around Peru and connecting with the local culture, “Every place I went, I would start at the local market exploring unknown foods and medicine. I love to discover regional plants and their benefits for the people within that region. For example, when I first started spending time in the jungle I would always see the young girls eating this bright orange, almost neon coloured fruit. I then learned that this is aguaje, a palm fruit that hosts an extremely high amount of beta-carotene and produces a very rare and remarkable cosmetic oil. Beta-carotene and its breakdown Retinol (Vitamin A) are two of the most important antioxidants known to
Emily Shaw has created two holistic programs for 2019 that combine the best detox practices with plant-based kitchen skills using Peruvian ingredients and super foods such as coca leaves and powder, quinoa, kiwicha, maca, lucuma and corn, among many others. A chic beach retreat takes place in boutique hotel KiChic…
Hacienda La Caravedo Imagine getting to the heart of Pisco, Peru’s national drink? Four hours south of Lima is Ica, a fertile land where succulent grapes are distilled to produce Pisco at Hacienda La Caravedo, one of the top places to stay in the area. The oldest working distillery in the Americas 48 hectares of green vineyards in the middle of Peru’s coastal desert surround the hacienda and the oldest working distillery in the Americas founded in 1684. Master Distiller Johnny Schuler developed the signature drinks named after the hacienda: La Caravedo Torontel and La Caravedo Quebranta. Every bottle is made with eight pounds of only the finest, estate-grown, single expression grapes. The spirit is distilled to 8o proof and is unaged, unaltered, and made with no additional flavors or additives– not even water. It is rested in concrete containers for a minimum of six months to allow the flavors and aromas to reach their peak before bottling. The tour of the distillery includes experiencing a gravity-fed distillation to gently extract the flavor of the grapes, a wooden usillo to press the grapes, and a state-of-the-art facility using small batch copper pot stills dedicated to environmental stewardship. Luxury Bungalow Accommodation at Hacienda La Caravedo The hacienda’s warm hospitality, five luxurious bungalows equipped with a private terrace and a kitchenette and a pool amidst spectacular gardens, are the perfect set up for an authentic experience around the traditions of the Southern Coast of Peru, a place usually known only for the Nazca lines, Paracas National Reserve and Ballestas Islands. Central to this tradition is the Peruvian Paso Horse Show where traditional music offers the background while horses appear attired in fine handmade leather decorations ridden by ‘chalans’ elegantly dressed in impeccable white linen, wide brimmed straw hats and white ponchos. The spectacle
Hacienda La Caravedo Imagine getting to the heart of Pisco, Peru’s national drink? Four hours south of Lima is Ica, a fertile land where succulent grapes are distilled to produce Pisco at Hacienda La Caravedo, one of the top places to stay in the area. The oldest working distillery in…
“If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world” - Thomas Lovejoy, Biologist and Godfather of Biodiversity Celebrating the 2018 Year of the Bird This year nature lovers around the world join forces to celebrate the year of the bird and commit to protecting birds for the next hundred years. 2018 marks the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the most important bird-protection law ever passed. Birds are hunters and gatherers; they range in size from the tiny hummingbird to the ostrich that can weight up to 100 Kilos. Their feathers include all possible shades and tones. They have mastered the art of flying, having migrated since the beginning of time: birds were the first travelers. There are more than 10,000 species of birds alive today in every continent. Their incredible variety explains their importance for the preservation of ecosystems, providing provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services. Provisioning services refer to birds as commodities or sources of food for humans; regulating services include their roles as pollinators, controlling populations of pest species and dispersing seeds; supporting services are those that relate to processes such as nutrient cycling, soil formation, ecosystem engineering and even cleaning up; cultural services place birds as central in human society as expressed in art, religious and other leisure activities such as birdwatching. A collaborative effort The Year of the Bird is an initiative led by National Geographic, the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and BirdLife International joining forces with more than 100 other organizations and millions of people around the world. Participating organizations also include nonprofit and conservation groups, state and federal agencies, zoos, nature centers, and ornithological societies that are working together to raise the visibility of birds and inspire action through throughout
“If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world” – Thomas Lovejoy, Biologist and Godfather of Biodiversity Celebrating the 2018 Year of the Bird This year nature lovers around the world join forces to celebrate the year of the bird and…
Aracari's New Website & Branding We are back after a few months of silence with our monthly newsletter, which I know many of you have much enjoyed over the years. It is now called “Aracari News” and its content, much like it was before, intends to keep you abreast of interesting stories in our destinations, but in a more succinct, readable way. The essence of the Aracari message is unchanged but our image we hope reflects the changing times, the evolution of our destinations and the sophistication of our offerings. In our latest issue, I am delighted to share with you Aracari’s brand evolution in a bit of detail. This is new image that will carry the brand into the future, inspiring, connecting and celebrating local cultures in the Andes. We are very excited to invite you to visit our new website incorporating this new image. As loyal Aracari followers we would love to have your views and hear what you think. So please let us know your feedback! If you're not already signed up to our newsletter, you can do so by simply popping in your email on the bottom of our homepage. Aracari's New Look The new brand identity takes on the feathers of the original Aracari bird, which has been the inspiration from the beginning of the company since it was founded twenty-two years ago. The aracari is a highly intelligent and sociable toucan found in Central and South America. Aracaris are friendly and affectionate with humans, full of personality and loving toward everyone. The new brand is also inspired by the Apus, the spirits of the mountains that protect local people in the highlands. The colors selected for the new brand are drawn from Peru’s magnificent diversity: Pacific air, Peruvian yellow pepper, chicha morada corn, rocoto red pepper, the ruins of Caral and garua, the almost permanent drizzle that covers Lima and the Central Coast of Perú. Connect with us
Aracari’s New Website & Branding We are back after a few months of silence with our monthly newsletter, which I know many of you have much enjoyed over the years. It is now called “Aracari News” and its content, much like it was before, intends to keep you abreast of interesting…
Artisanal Fishing in Peru's Cabo Blanco, a village in the North of the country, is declared National Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture in Peru In the 1950s and 1960s, Cabo Blanco became an important fishing destination for the abundance and variety of species that came to this particular spot - where the cold waters of the Humboldt Current collide with the warm waters from the Pacific Equatorial Current - because of the surges of plankton which rushed to the surface. This small town in the North of Perú - close to the sunny beaches and five-star hotels of Mancora - became a glamorous meeting place for celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Paul Newman and Ernest Hemingway, among many others. Hemingway in Cabo Blanco In fact, Hemingway used the famous “Cabo Blanco Fishing Club” as the setting for the movie based on his novel, The Old Man and the Sea. He was seen fishing aboard his “Miss Texas” yacht during the day and parting at night and became famous in the village when he caught a 700-pound marlin. Later in 1953, Alfred Glassell Jr. caught the IGFA all tackle world record black marlin, weighing 1560 pounds. Fishing in Peru Gradually Cabo Blanco was forgotten as overfishing decimated the species that made the area known worldwide. This was mainly cause by overfishing anchovies who would prey on the plankton and they, in turn, were food for the Marlin, squid and swordfish. Anchovies provided cheap, nutritious animal feed for farm animals all over Britain, Europe and America - so commercial fishing escalated. Britain alone imported 135,000 tons of fishmeal from all over Peru in 2010. According to official data, the practice had devastating effects on some areas, like Cabo Blanco, where 41,000 tons of fish caught annually in 2000 declined
Artisanal Fishing in Peru’s Cabo Blanco, a village in the North of the country, is declared National Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture in Peru In the 1950s and 1960s, Cabo Blanco became an important fishing destination for the abundance and variety of species that came to this particular…
