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INKATERRA www.inkaterra.com, Peru’s leading eco and adventure travel company, invites guests on a remarkable trip to learn about the marvels of the Peruvian rainforest from the moment they step off the plane when staying at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica. This jungle lodge, situated on the shores of the Madre de Dios River in Peru’s southern Amazon rainforest basin, has recently enhanced their facilities and services affording guests an exceptional experience, permitting them to come into even closer contact with the natural splendours of the rainforest.

Check in at the Butterfly House
Peru is home to over 3,700 species of butterflies, boasting the greatest number of worldwide. The Butterfly House provides a relaxing and pleasant check-in/out service for guests travelling between the nearby town Puerto Maldonado and downstream to the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Lodge. However, it is primarily both a butterfly garden and information centre offering guests an interactive experience with these fascinating colourful creatures. Here guests can learn all about these creatures, watch larvae being grown in the laboratory and observe the butterflies in their natural habitat whilst sipping a drink in the centre’s large garden.

Anaconda Walk
A 200 metre long wooden bridge has been built over the wetlands, known as Aguajales, close to the lodge to allow guests to journey through the marshlands to experience firsthand the biodiversity and wildlife in this fascinating ecosystem. The bridge consists of four sections and three platforms offering guests the opportunity to see a wide variety of flora and fauna species found in this area, such as the low foliage heliconia plants, renaco trees, two-toned Elachistochleis toads and Gonatodes lizards. For more information click here (opens as a pdf file).

Tambopata Suites
The ultimate rainforest retreat, with private plunge pool and terrace plus a hidden outdoor shower, where the mystique of the jungle can be embraced in elegant seclusion. A tall roof of fishtail palm tops four integrated rooms in these comfortable local Ese’ Eja-style wooden cabañas. The spacious bedroom has one king or two twin beds and the open plan bathroom comprises a complete set of homemade ecologically friendly toiletries. For guests looking for a long siesta, there is a screened lounge furnished with two hammocks as well as two comfortable chairs. Each suite is also equipped with umbrellas, flashlights, kerosene lamps and a central ceiling ventilator.

Founded in 1975, Inkaterra is Peru’s leading environmentally friendly operator and hotel developer which provides a variety of quality and highly sustainable travel experiences. Brainchild of Jose Koechlin, Inkaterra is Peru’s leader in conservation with more than 30 years experience in developing sustainable tourism initiatives.

Inkaterra conceived and operates a number of luxury travel accommodations in Peru: Inkaterra Machu Picchu and its villa, in the Cloud Forest of Cusco, Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica in the Tambopata Rain Forest on the banks of the Madre de Dios River, near Cusco and Inkaterra Urubamba Villas, luxury private homes in The Sacred Valley of the Incas. New openings include boutique hotels in Cusco, The Lake Titicaca and Lima, (end of 2007, beginning of 2008).

Inkaterra Machu Picchu is a tranquil fusion of opulent comfort, excellent cuisine, Incan style and construction, a mélange of tropical gardens, plantations, natural beauty, mysticism and conservation – and is home to both the world’s largest collection of native orchids visible in their natural habitat, (372 species), and the world’s largest concentration of wild hummingbird species (18). Visitors to the Inkaterra Machu Picchu are able to transform a customary exploration of the extraordinary ruins of Machu Picchu with an authentic encounter with the “Inca Experience.” Its Villa portrayes traditional Andean colonial style integrated with nature, but offers the best accommodation in the region, including a private garden overlooking the orchid trail, private massage, organic bathroom amenities, heated plunge pool and butler service

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica is a complex on the shores of the Madre de Dios River that permits visitors to come into close contact with the natural splendors of the rainforest. It blends cosy accommodations with warm hospitality, a dedication to conservation and the opportunity to discover magnificent naturally camouflaged indigenous wildlife in the jungle and at the research centre run by Inkaterra.

The four private Andean-style Inkaterra Urubamba Villas, built of adobe and exquisitely decorated with local crafts and antiques, are situated in a quaint hamlet in the astonishing Sacred Valley of the Incas, between the enigmatic City of Cusco and the world’s heritage site of Machu Picchu. The four villas offer our guests a luxury of living in a private home with own maid service.

Inkaterra is currently engaged in the renovation of a magnificent mansion in the heart of Cusco, originally the residence of several legendary “conquistadores” of the Incan empire. Once renovations are completed, the house will become Inkaterra’s fourth hotel facility – a boutique hotel underscoring the house’s historic heritage, Inca craftsmanship and post-modern design. Two more hotels are expected to open, one on a peninsula dominating the Lake Titicaca and the other in the bohemian district of Barranco, in Lima (end of 2007, beginning of 2008).

Inkaterra Experiences create memories that will resonate for a lifetime! The one of a kind itineraries and excursions are flexible, well managed and offer guests special treatment and exquisite attention to detail. Inkaterra products and services are guaranteed, combined with first hand knowledge of the local nature and communities in remote Peru. Inkaterra Experiences include luxury and exploration, mystery and discovery through carefully packaged trips and customised itineraries.

Inkaterra is devoted to conservation and to the improvement of both the ecology and the lives of Peru’s indigenous people by its concentration on sustainable tourism. Inkaterra has been recognised as a world leader in sustainable tourism and receives support from the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group and the United Nations’ Global Environmental Facility.

FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL TRAVEL COMPANY IN PERU
In April 2007, Inkaterra became Peru’s first carbon-neutral travel organisation. Inkaterra acknowledges that all travel generates unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions that affect global warming. Specialising in eco-friendly boutique hotels near the famous ruins of Machu Picchu, the mystical Sacred Valley and in the Peruvian Amazon, Inkaterra caters to 45,000 visitors per year. Since developing the first eco-lodge in the southern Peruvian rainforest in 1975, Inkaterra has continued to integrate sustainable business practices into all aspects of its operations. Through its conservation programmes, for example, Inkaterra protects 30,000 acres of Amazon forest, which contributes to global carbon fixing.

The Inkaterra Association is a non-profit institution created to promote the conservation of Peru’s natural environment and its cultural and archeological resources. It develops scientific, technological, social and cultural research designed to manage and protect the biodiversity of Peru’s Andes and Amazon Rainforest. The Inkaterra Association is allied with ACEER, sponsored by the National Geographic Society, and its chairman, Jose Koechlin, serves on the board of Conservation International.

To find out more visit Inkaterra’s website.