Tourism in Peru over the past couple of decades has seen immense progress and growth, but with any development, the positive results are inevitably shadowed by accompanying negative effects. Looking at tourism in Peru, we could certainly sing an anthem, celebrating the many advances in infrastructure, management, quality of service and of course, the revenue that it has generated for the Peruvian economy. However, there is always room for improvement, and in Peru, some of these improvements, if not made, could be decisive, as struggles to increase sustainability, reduce environmental impact and manage major tourist destinations threaten the future of tourism in the country. Is it possible that without making changes, a decade from now we could be singing a requiem, mourning the demise of Peruvian tourism? This is precisely the topic that Aracari founder Marisol Mosquera tackled in a talk she was invited to give by the Anglo-Peruvian Society at the Peruvian Embassy in London on Wednesday evening titled, as one might expect, “Peruvian Tourism: Anthem or Requiem?”. The Anglo-Peruvian Society, founded in 1961, aims to, “advance the education of the people of Great Britain about Peru, its people, history, language and literature, its institutions, folklore and culture and its intellectual, artistic, and economic life”. The society meets regularly and hosts events that feature a myriad of aspects of Peruvian culture and society while also fundraising for charities located in Peru. Given that Marisol has nearly two decades worth of experience in as a Peru travel specialist, she was well primed for such a discussion of the good, the bad and the ugly in the current state of tourism. What follows is an abridged version of excerpts from Marisol’s talk, which was, by all accounts, a great success. Special acknowledgment is due to Maria Eugenia de Aliaga, Kurt Holle and Roger Valencia
Tourism in Peru over the past couple of decades has seen immense progress and growth, but with any development, the positive results are inevitably shadowed by accompanying negative effects. Looking at tourism in Peru, we could certainly sing an anthem, celebrating the many advances in infrastructure, management, quality of service…
Much like Tutankhamen in Egypt, the Lord of Sipan was a mummy discovered with immense quantities of precious metals and stones in his tomb. Sipán, in the Lambayeque valley in Peru, is famed for its rich tombs revealed by archaeologists. The Lord of Sipan's tomb - discovered in 1987 - is also known as 'Huaca Rajada' and its tomb and artifacts - since stored in the impressive Royal Tombs Museum - are a highlight of the Moche Route in northern Peru. The Lord of Sipan The burial platform served as a mausoleum for a succession of Moche lords, accompanied to the afterlife by a stunning selection of burial offerings. The pieces that the lord was buried with are of exquisite quality, with intricately designed earrings, masks, necklaces, bracelets and all sorts of ornaments crafted of gold, silver, copper and semi-precious stones. These take on beautiful forms representing animals, spiders and ghostly faces. All photos are sourced here, all pieces are property of the Museo Tumbas Reales in Lambayeque. The Moche Culture Due to the high quality of burial items, it is believed that the Lord of Sipan - or Señor de Sipán - was an important ruler of the Moche culture around 250AD. The Moche culture was one of the most important cultures in northern Peru, and they inhabited the coastal region from around 100AD-700AD, a millennia before the Incas. Discovering the tomb of the Lord of Sipan The tomb of the Lord was discovered in 1987 by a team led by the archaeologist Walter Alva. In a recent visit to northern Peru, Cristina of Aracari met Walter in person. She was most impressed with his work and his passion for Archaeology and how Walter has helped his discoveries and others like it to foster economic development in the region. The tomb
Much like Tutankhamen in Egypt, the Lord of Sipan was a mummy discovered with immense quantities of precious metals and stones in his tomb. Sipán, in the Lambayeque valley in Peru, is famed for its rich tombs revealed by archaeologists. The Lord of Sipan’s tomb – discovered in 1987 – is…
Over two decades Aracari has built a reputation for recruiting the highest caliber specialists. The program of events we have designed for this October and November is an extremely rare opportunity to engage with some of the esteemed specialists’ Aracari collaborates with – without the need to travel to Peru, Bolivia or the Galapagos. Below you’ll find details of all the topics our experts will be covering in this series. Each conversation will be hosted online via Zoom, and please note you will need to register for each talk in advance by clicking on the links below. For those with special interests in travel and Peruvian culture, these talks really are not be missed, and we look forward to welcoming you to our series. Events & Dates ROYAL ESTATES OF THE INCAS THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER 2020 12:30 LIMA TIME ( 13:30 EDT / 19:30 CEST ) Peter Frost, Archaeologist & National Geographic Expedition Leader. Machu Picchu was the personal property of an emperor, simply the most famous of many spectacular ruined palaces which survive to astound us in the former Inca heartland. These royal estates were enormous, combining multiple political, religious and economic functions – and they were also extraordinary works of landscape art and architecture, built amidst scenic mountain terrain which can still take our breath away. Peter Frost takes a look at some of these places and contemplates their role and meaning in the mighty Inca empire. Peter has been exploring the Amazonian Andes for over 35 years, for which he’s published several notable books. Among other National Geographic Society expeditions, in 2001 and 2002 he led a group into the remote region of Vilcabamba, discovering the previously unknown Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina. WATCH NOW THE MAGIC OF QUINOA THURSDAY 29 OCTOBER 2020 12:30 LIMA TIME ( 12:30 EST / 18:30 CET )
Over two decades Aracari has built a reputation for recruiting the highest caliber specialists. The program of events we have designed for this October and November is an extremely rare opportunity to engage with some of the esteemed specialists’ Aracari collaborates with – without the need to travel to Peru, Bolivia…
Sometimes everything comes together on a trip – the people, the landscapes, the timing – to make you fall in love with travel again. This year, that feeling came to me in Northern Peru. It had been a long time in the planning. Northern Peru is remote, logistically difficult and very much off the beaten tourist trail. It is hard to get around, with no internal flights and long, arduous road journeys, and there are few good places to stay. In love with Northern Peru Make the effort for a trip to northern Peru though, and the rewards are extraordinary: stunning mountain landscapes, vast deserts, misty cloud forests and three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. First though, came the real challenge: persuading anyone to come with me. I had been before, so knew what was in store. I had marvelled at the empty pre-Columbian archaeological sites, gazed at the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca, the highest tropical mountain range in the world, and delighted at the hummingbirds and vast waterfalls at Chachapoyas. But, until recently, I’d never recommended the area to upscale international travellers. Real luxury is yet to reach this part of Peru, but what it lacks in top-end hotels it more than makes up for in barely any tourists. While Southern Peru is suffering from overtourism, the north is blissfully empty. And recent improvements in accommodation, coupled with our local connections, meant it was time to give it a shot. After some gentle persuasion, a few loyal friends and Aracari clients agreed to join me. Our group was very small, just eight very different people, all close to Aracari and all second or third time visitors to Peru. But I was a little worried as they didn’t know each other and had to trust me, parting with their money
Sometimes everything comes together on a trip – the people, the landscapes, the timing – to make you fall in love with travel again. This year, that feeling came to me in Northern Peru. It had been a long time in the planning. Northern Peru is remote, logistically difficult and very…