This month Aracari is proud to announce it's support of Valle Sagrado Verde, a community project to reforest the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Since the first humans arrived in the Sacred Valley, some 5000 - 7000 years ago, this enchanting land has been intensively managed for grazing, agriculture, and construction. The region remains one of the most picturesque in Peru, yet one can only imagine how awe-inspiring a trek through this land would have been before civilization arrived, a truly green Sacred Valley. By committing to plant 3500 trees through the Valle Sagrado Verde project, we want to help restore the environment and habitats of the Sacred Valley, to ensure today's generations can benefit from the land in a way that doesn't undermine its future enjoyment. Marisol Mosquera, Aracari Founder, says "Many of the volunteers of the Valle Sagrado Verde project, who will physically help to plant the trees, are Aracari friends and partners who in normal (pre-covid) times would have earned a living from local tourism. The impact of the pandemic means these people have found new ways to support their communities. Reforestation not only helps restore local habitats and wildlife but also reduces the risks of landslides and flooding, in addition to soaking up greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere." We are just one partner of the Valle Sagrado Verde project. Achieving our vision will take many more supporters to become involved. That's why we're committing to plant an additional 10 trees per group that books any kind of travel with Aracari. It's just one way that travelers with Aracari can have peace of mind their journeys are responsible. To learn more about all the projects that we support, please view our sustainable travel page. The Valle Sagrado Verde project's website also contains further information about the remarkable
This month Aracari is proud to announce it’s support of Valle Sagrado Verde, a community project to reforest the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Since the first humans arrived in the Sacred Valley, some 5000 – 7000 years ago, this enchanting land has been intensively managed for grazing, agriculture, and…
Pandemic Tales From Peru: Angie Pelosi Whilst international travel remains largely restricted, Aracari is still bringing you inspiring tales of people and culture from Peru, Bolivia, and the Galapagos. Last month, Aracari spoke with Peruvian Chef, Penélope Alzamora, about pandemic initiatives that are supporting those working in Lima’s world-famous gastronomy and hospitality sectors. This month we're talking to another inspiring woman about how the Pandemic has effected people from some of Peru's poorest communities. Specifically, single mothers living in the Lima district of Callao, which until recently was considered too dangerous for tourists to visit. You may recall a story Aracari published back in April about how a project called Callao Monumental, combined tourism and urban art, to help rejuvenate the Callao community. However with less tourism than before it seems new rejuvenation initiatives are required, which is why we decided to get back in touch with our friend Angie Pelosi one of the founders of Callao Monumental. Over the years Angie has frequently gifted her time, in aid of giving Aracari travelers the most authentic experience of Lima's modern and urban arts scene. AT: Angie, tell us what's happened since we last spoke back in April? AP: Sadly, I lost my job, as did 90% of the workers at FUGAZ [the organization that ran the Callao Monumental project]. The project gave local people an outlet for their creativity and opportunity to become creative entrepreneurs. Guided urban art tours and tourism, in general, created income streams for this community, but now the pandemic has put a stop on that and I fear people in the community are becoming less able to take care of themselves. Unemployment has risen and in the worst cases, some people are going hungry. AT: What are you doing now then? How have you adjusted? AP: Alongside a group of volunteers and friends from FUGAZ, I have set up
Pandemic Tales From Peru: Angie Pelosi Whilst international travel remains largely restricted, Aracari is still bringing you inspiring tales of people and culture from Peru, Bolivia, and the Galapagos. Last month, Aracari spoke with Peruvian Chef, Penélope Alzamora, about pandemic initiatives that are supporting those working in Lima’s world-famous gastronomy and hospitality sectors. This…
Pandemic Tales from Peru: Penélope Alzamora Whilst international travel remains largely restricted, Aracari is still bringing you inspiring tales of people and culture from Peru, Bolivia, and the Galapagos. This month Aracari spoke with Peruvian Chef, Penélope Alzamora, our close friend and associate who for many years has looked after Aracari’s VIP guests on culinary experiences and cooking classes in Lima. In recent months she has witnessed first-hand how Lima's world-famous food scene has been affected by the global pandemic, whilst simultaneously observing the values that triumph in adversity. Peru's Food Culture "To understand food is to understand culture", declares Penélope. Undoubtedly, Peruvian food reflects the melting pot of cultures that the country is. Before we delve into the effects of the pandemic, it’s important to understand how the gastronomy of Peru came to be; "First there was the Incas, who harvested quinoa, amaranth, cacao ... then the Spanish, who brought with them ingredients like tomato, onion, peppers ... the African population, who cooked with chilies, pulses, offal ... and the Japanese, who fished the ocean and even introduced our modern way of preparing Ceviche." New Andean Cuisine Contemporary Peruvian cuisine, the dishes served up in some of Lima's best restaurants, is a (re)discovery of the native ingredients and exotic flavors found across Peru - an area that features 28 of the UN's 32 recognized climates in the world. This diversity of environments is reflected in the array of cooking ingredients and produce to be found in markets across Peru. It was whilst touring the food markets in Peru for the TV series, Aventura Culinaria, that Penélope’s former business partner, Chef Gastón Acurio (Astrid y Gastón), saw the opportunity to put Peru on the gastronomic map of the world. Penélope says "No person has been more influential in creating this
Pandemic Tales from Peru: Penélope Alzamora Whilst international travel remains largely restricted, Aracari is still bringing you inspiring tales of people and culture from Peru, Bolivia, and the Galapagos. This month Aracari spoke with Peruvian Chef, Penélope Alzamora, our close friend and associate who for many years has looked after…
