the Aracari Blog

Click on image to read the rest of the aricle

Choquequirao has appeared in our blog in the past, and it is only relevant to bring it up one more time as we noticed its appearance in the latest Conde Nast Traveler.  Aracari has finally answered the hard question of how to bridge the gap between trekking and a fair-deal to those supporting us with their services, and so far so good. At Aracari we can arrange a trek to Choquequirao which is considered the most difficult of our treks. It is ideal for those wanting to get that “undiscovered” feeling.

Celebrating the beauty of Chachapoyas

Poised on the brink of mass exposure, Chachapoyas, a swathe of dense cloud forest in the Andes of Northeastern Peru, holds a special place in our hearts.

Just 100 miles or a four hour car journey north of Arequipa, Peru, lies a stunning natural phenomenon, the Colca Canyon, the deepest canyons in the world. This is home of the Andean condor and a rich, fertile land where centuries of agriculture on pre-Inca terraces sustain the traditional villages that dot this magical landscape. It is also home to one the people closest to our hearts, Mother Antonia, who has run a soup kitchen for over 30 years in the Valley. Now this and the many charms of the Colca Valley have been embraced by the Orient Express Hotel Group, which opens the first luxury hotel in the area this April.

Amidst the doom and gloom of environmental predictions there are always elements of light shining through. Environmental scientist Oliver Whaley is one such enlightened individual. Based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew near London, Oliver and his team are dedicated to a three-year project supported by the UK Darwin Initiative to save the last few remnants of the Huarango forest on the south coast of Peru, on the edge of the Atacama Desert. Felled for charcoal or to make way for agriculture, this destruction is opening the door to spreading desertification.

This month we are celebrating! The restoration of Casa Prado, a dilapidated 17th Century house of major historic, architectural and artistic importance in the centre of Lima, has been given a significant boost by being named, as part of the Lima entry, as one of the top 100 endangered sites 2008 by the World Monuments Fund, more commonly known as the “World Monuments Watch”.