More than just culture: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in Peru
Peru offers a myriad of highlights for visitors. The best known of them all is the mystic Machu Picchu. Almost 2,000 visitors trek to this ancient Inca city every day. It was built in the 15th century on almost 2,500 meters above sea level and was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1983.
But there is so much more to see… Who knew that Peru’s flora and fauna is as rich as its culture? There are 372 types of orchids, 108 species of butterflies, 16 different kinds of hummingbirds and you can sight spectacled bears, many medicinal plants and exciting birds that chirp in the lush forest. You would be missing out if you didn’t spend some of your time here exploring nature.
And this is where Inkaterra comes in: in Aguas Calientes, the starting point for visits to the ancient Inca site, the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel offers a real haven of tranquility as well as the perfect place for nature excursions with knowledgeable guides. You can let the many cultural experiences sink in here while you stay in one of the 85 villas and houses and take advantage of the educational guided walks on offer. Many of them are included in the room rate and most of them are suitable for children as well. You can find lists of the different bird species on the hotel website to prepare for your bird watching trip, as well as hear their bird song online!
After all the excitement, relax with a soothing massage at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel’s „Unu Spa“ („Unu“ means „water“ in the language of the Incas). All products used are made from 100% natural ingredients and typically use extracts from local plants. We love the infusion of Inca culture in the treatments at the spa: there is the Andean-Sauna, a eucalyptus-scented hut with a natural spring water pool right next to it. The hot stone treatment with stones collected in the Andean river is fabulous, the stones are said to have mystical powers. And there is the Inca purification treatment with coca leaves that detoxify your body with vitamins and minerals as well as stimulating blood flow. All these treatments are truly unique and the natural scents of mint, mountain lime, orchids and eucalyptus will ease every kind of strain.
Inkaterra is much more than a hotel group: Inkaterra has been a eco-tourism pioneer in Peru since 1975 and was the first tourism organization to be declared carbon neutral. Inkaterra supports scientific research, strives to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems as well as improving education and economic growth in the local communities. The NGO „Inkaterra Asociación“ (ITA) undertakes ecological research projects on their hotel sites in Tambopata, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Urubamba and Cabo Blanco. Inkaterra offer intern scholarships too. In 2012, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel was the first hotel worldwide granted the international certificate for sustainable tourism from the CU Green Choice Sustainable Tourism Standard.
We will be writing about Inkaterra and their eco-tourism efforts as well as their amazing hotels over the next weeks. We have a super interesting interview with them waiting in the pipeline!
