In this story we want to explain Inca Trail alternatives we have explored. A way to tell you our adventure firsthand. Let's go! One of the great joys of my job is that I get to travel with my sixteen year-old son. This time the journey was a full three-day, two-night camping trek exploring a new potential route that could be an alternative route to the Inca Trail. My son and I, joined by four Aracari colleagues: Marcella, Liz, Alexandra and Mark, met the team composed of our guide Sergio; Jessica and Monica who were in charge of the kitchen; Renato and his horse; and a team of seven strong men who were the muleteers ready to carry our personal luggage and all the equipment needed for such an adventure. The meeting point was the Qamicancha community by the Silke River, not far from Ollantaytambo north of Cusco. Our destination: some the beautiful Andean lakes and mountains with altitudes as high as 4650m/15255ft above sea level. Aracari’s Alternative to the Inca Trail One of the most scenic and beautiful treks to Machu Picchu DAY 1 started with a light walk through the agricultural fields of the nearby communities starting to climb a few hills where we were delighted to see the first bromeliads, wild orchids and native flora and water, water everywhere coming from very high in the mountains. After hours of beautiful changing landscapes, we reached the first clearing where we had our first meal of the trip. Lunch was served beautifully in a tent that had been set up for us. We were greeted with a hot towel to clean our hands and the very much needed mate the coca, the Inca’s traditional drink to cope with the altitude. After the hearty delicious hot lunch, we had a few more hours until
In this story we want to explain Inca Trail alternatives we have explored. A way to tell you our adventure firsthand. Let’s go! One of the great joys of my job is that I get to travel with my sixteen year-old son. This time the journey was a full three-day, two-night…
This time in August 2019 I will be leading Aracari’s second Founder trip, a group trip to Northern Peru. Founder trips are generally the opportunity to showcase the best kept secrets and some of the less known areas in the Andes as well connect to people and their stories the way Aracari knows how to do best. 2019 Northern Peru group trip We will be embarking on a journey to some of the most interesting and lesser-known destinations in northern Peru, an area of numerous and varied attractions, both natural and man-made. The pre-Inca archaeological site of Caral, dating back to before 2000 B.C and the seat of the oldest civilization in the Americas; the Cordillera Blanca, the highest tropical mountain range in the world with numerous snowcapped peaks over 5000 metres (16,404ft) —including Huascaran, Peru’s highest mountain—, and Gocta, one of the world’s tallest waterfalls nestled in the cloud forest of Chachapoyas, are part of the list. Friends of the Aracari family, archaeologists, naturalists and lodge owners, will host us and tell us their untapped secrets. And of course along the way we will be tasting the highlights of one of Peru’s hubs of culinary delights. Connecting with Peruvian Pre-Columbian Cultures We will start our journey overland from Lima and travel 182 km (113mi) to the Supe Valley along the desert coast until we reach Caral. From Caral, which lies at sea level, we leave the desert behind and drive 326 km (202mi) towards the Andes where we will spend three nights in two lovely mountain Lodges, owned by our friends Charlie and Mariana Good. On the way to the Cordillera, we will spend a few hours visiting Chavin de Huantar (1200 BC), the most ancient and interesting pre-Columbian holy pilgrimage site in the Andes. From the high mountains we will take
This time in August 2019 I will be leading Aracari’s second Founder trip, a group trip to Northern Peru. Founder trips are generally the opportunity to showcase the best kept secrets and some of the less known areas in the Andes as well connect to people and their stories the…
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…
