The latest insights, reviews and travel stories from locally-based Peru travel agency Aracari, the destination specialists in luxury travel Peru, Bolivia and Galapagos.
At the turn of every new year, the team here at Aracari dedicate hours to curating their travel hotlist for the year ahead. Using our insider knowledge – the product of 25 years’ experience in luxury travel – our experts seek out other industry trailblazers who are pioneering new and innovative ways to experience our region. The criteria for making it onto our travel hotlist is of course very stringent. Marisol and her team continuously pose questions around sustainability, authenticity, and purposeful travel – ensuring that those who make it onto our shortlist do in fact adhere to Aracari’s own core values. And that’s not forgetting the most important criteria of all – you, our guests. From hotels to hikes, from superyachts to superfood restaurants – every entry has been chosen because we believe they are aligned perfectly with the astute Aracari traveler. Destinations and experiences you will want to earmark, assign travel time to, and visit over the next 12 months. So – before you begin to pen your own bucket list for 2022, let us gift ours to you. A shortlist of the very best happenings in luxury travel, and let’s just say – it looks set to be a very happy New Year indeed… 1. Hotel CIRQA, Arequipa The year-round sunny climate of Arequipa makes it the perfect destination for those seeking sunshine alongside some of Peru’s finest culture and cuisine. And this year, our travel hotlist features the perfect base from which to explore the white city. Hotel CIRQA is a beautiful boutique hotel that captures the city’s unique history and architectural style. Opening its doors in 2019, just before the pandemic took hold of international travel, the property was never really afforded the grand opening it deserves! You’ll find just eleven rooms, housed in a
At the turn of every new year, the team here at Aracari dedicate hours to curating their travel hotlist for the year ahead. Using our insider knowledge – the product of 25 years’ experience in luxury travel – our experts seek out other industry trailblazers who are pioneering new and…
After traveling to Peru with Aracari, many of our guests often return home with precious keepsakes – handmade mementos of a special adventure to treasure forever. Of course, that isn’t uncommon for vaccinations to Peru with so much to see and do in the country, however what is unique to Aracari, is our unrivalled connections to the indigenous design and Peru arts and crafts. Our quarter century worth of experience makes it possible to connect our guests to some of the most authentic, and ancient craft practices in the Andean world. Whether that’s traditional weaving in the mountains of the Sacred Valley, or the contemporary pottery work of the Northern coastline. With our privileged access and insight, guests can trace the length and breadth of crafts in Peru discovering genuine collectables they won’t find anywhere else. So, at this festive time of year – we wanted to impart some of our knowledge with you. To show you where to find the very best native crafts in Peru, traversing through desert and coast, mountain and jungle. Think of it as your gift guide to Peru, and the perfect accompanying reading for a browse through Aracari Shop. Showing you what to buy from where during this special season of giving. For exquisite jewellery – follow the coastline Peru’s 1300-mile coastline is awash with must-see destinations. From the white sands of Mancora, home to some of the most luxurious beach houses in all of Peru, to the rich biodiversity of the Ballestas Islands, to the port city of Pisco, the founding home of Peru’s most famous tipple. All of this makes for an incredible vacation along Peru’s coast – but what you’ll also find here is the inspiration behind some of the country’s most prominent jewellery makers. The tradition goes back generations,
After traveling to Peru with Aracari, many of our guests often return home with precious keepsakes – handmade mementos of a special adventure to treasure forever. Of course, that isn’t uncommon for vaccinations to Peru with so much to see and do in the country, however what is unique to…
The allure of Galapagos Island travel has for generations, appealed to the intrepid explorer within all of us. Scattered 1000 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador, these 35 volcanic islands and the unique wildlife that lives here, are a source of deep fascination, making a vacation to the Galapagos Islands a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Yet as well as being part of their appeal, the remote location of the Galapagos means its destination that requires careful planning. For over a quarter-century, Aracari has been at the forefront of luxury Galapagos Island travel. Our experience means that from the best time to visit the Galapagos Islands, to the most recommended hotels, we have the knowledge and contacts to connect you to the perfect Galapagos Island trip. A new era of Galapagos Island travel It’s because of our world-renowned expertise, that when one of our long-standing partners in the region launches a new way to experience the Archipelago, we are one of the first to know. And this latest announcement from Aqua Expeditions, is one that has us head-over-heels for where luxury Galapagos Island travel is headed in 2022. The Galapagos Islands’ first superyacht experience In a ground-breaking new venture, Aqua Expeditions will become the first tour operator to charter a superyacht to cruise the Galapagos Islands. The Aqua Mare will take an iconic trip to the Galapagos Islands to new heights. And quite literally too, its soaring scale and space is 50 metres of the finest Italian craftsmanship. On board, seven large suites, a sun deck, beach club and outdoor dining area, all feature custom interiors designed exclusively by celebrated yacht designer François Zuretti. Finished with immaculate attention to detail, the Aqua Mare makes for the ultimate luxury retreat from which to explore the dramatic volcanic landscape of the Galapagos. Carefully
The allure of Galapagos Island travel has for generations, appealed to the intrepid explorer within all of us. Scattered 1000 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador, these 35 volcanic islands and the unique wildlife that lives here, are a source of deep fascination, making a vacation to the Galapagos Islands…
How do you materialise what it is to visit Peru or Bolivia? Can one distil the essence of a place or a people into something tangible? To showcase cultures, communities, and customs without physically crossing borders? So that a global audience can travel to the heart of a destination, without going anywhere at all. At Aracari, these are the questions we have spent the last 18 months probing deeply, let us tell you why. Our connections to leading artists, artisans and designers spans distance and decades. As a top travel company in Peru, we have spent decades fine tuning unique travel experiences in Peru and Bolivia. To our delight, it has meant that when our guests leave us, they do so with a deep and meaningful connection to the countries they have visited. Those memories last a lifetime – but many of our clients anchor their treasured experiences to something tangible too – a token to be displayed at home, shared with friends and family. It might be a painting, woven textiles, a carving or, perhaps pottery, authentic art and design that gives a true vision of Perú and Bolivia, away from the usual folkloric trinkets and souvenirs. From North to South, East to West, we intertwine our tailormade travel itineraries across Peru and Bolivia with experiences that hinge on our longstanding relationships with some of the Latin America’s leading creative visionaries. Our privileged access allows Aracari guests to get closer to the essence of Perú and Bolivia, and to return home with a real talisman of indigenous craft and culture. A new era of tangible travel: Andean luxury handpicked by Aracari. Yet we believe that in this new age, physical journeys shouldn’t be the only way to experience purposeful travel in our region. Instead, more people should
How do you materialise what it is to visit Peru or Bolivia? Can one distil the essence of a place or a people into something tangible? To showcase cultures, communities, and customs without physically crossing borders? So that a global audience can travel to the heart of a destination, without…
Longevity. In today’s competitive climate, longevity is a hard commodity to come by for a business, particularly a travel company – when with each passing year a new travel trend emerges. To have staying power in this industry, one needs both the confidence to adopt new consumer demands and commitment to staying true to founding principles. It’s a tricky tightrope to walk, but one we think we’ve managed. And why? Because this September, Aracari is celebrating 25 years – a quarter-century – in business. In 1996, Marisol Mosquera founded Aracari as the first travel company to offer sustainable, luxury travel experiences in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and The Galapagos. ‘It is fun to think that I had no idea what I was doing when I started Aracari’ says Marisol, ‘I just loved exploring and I wanted to work in an industry where the line between work and play faded, to have a sense of purpose and dance to the beat of my own drum.’ Fast forward 25 years and we are still proud to call ourselves pioneers, an ethos that runs through everything we do. Marisol has gone on to be recognized as one of the world’s top travel experts by both Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, and as a brand, we continue to lead the way for purposeful, personalized, and extraordinary travel in our region. ‘I think there is something special about building something where the aim is to promote our culture and communities and sharing that vision with the world’, comments Marisol. ‘Finding hidden attractions and unveiling them to our guests, encountering savants and master craftspeople, and being able to create a market for them to share indigenous knowledge with grateful and appreciative travelers has been deeply fulfilling.’ Reflecting on the last 25 years, Marisol says, ‘it’s
Longevity. In today’s competitive climate, longevity is a hard commodity to come by for a business, particularly a travel company – when with each passing year a new travel trend emerges. To have staying power in this industry, one needs both the confidence to adopt new consumer demands and commitment…
At Aracari, we have spent the last 25 years’ fostering meaningful relationships with local suppliers, responsible hotels, indigenous communities and environmental initiatives. That’s because as a leading, luxury travel agent –regenerative, conscious and sustainable travel in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Galapagos has always been inherent to what we offer our guests. Designing unforgettable travel experiences that intertwine a luxurious vacation to Peru with what truly matters: protecting our fragile region and the people who live here. Stories of Sustainability The pandemic gave us time to really take stock of what our partners are doing to wholeheartedly embrace sustainable travel. Marisol and her team wanted to truly unearth all the different projects, initiatives and grassroots organizations that Aracari’s partners are supporting. The purpose of doing so was to ensure that as a luxury travel company, we are always facilitating authentic, sustainable tourism for our guests traveling to Peru and beyond. Once we reached out to our partners, many of whom are long-time friends of Marisol – we discovered stories even more incredible than we could have imagined. So, from ingenious ways of transforming organic waste into fertilizer in the Amazon rainforest, to a Special Needs and Scholarship program for disadvantaged children in the Sacred Valley – we are proud to bring you five of our favorite sustainability stories. Titilaka Titilaka is located on the south-eastern shore of Lake Titicaca in Peru on a tranquil private peninsula shared only with a local indigenous Aymara community. Over the years, the Titilaka team have worked hard to support the locals who live here. They employ over three-quarters of their staff from the local villages and have created social programs to help vulnerable women and the elderly. This deep-rooted care for the community has meant that guests who visit the property have
At Aracari, we have spent the last 25 years’ fostering meaningful relationships with local suppliers, responsible hotels, indigenous communities and environmental initiatives. That’s because as a leading, luxury travel agent –regenerative, conscious and sustainable travel in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Galapagos has always been inherent to what we offer…
