Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year |
The Consulate General of
Peru in Denver wishes you a very special holiday season and new and
unforgettable adventures in Peru for the coming year.
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New Tourist Circuit
at Machu Picchu |
Tourists are for the
first time able to explore the terraces, drains, steps and Inca Chambers
of Huayna Picchu Mountain in the Machu Picchu Sanctuary. Huayna Picchu is
the tall mountain at the back of the traditional picture of Machu Picchu.
Tourists are required to register in the hut at the beginning of the path.
There are carved Incan stairs all the way up. Huayna Picchu rises to 2,667
meters (8,860 feet). Once visitors are at the top, they are rewarded with
spectacular views of Machu Picchu as well as the surrounding countryside
and interesting archaeological finds.
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The top of the mountain was once used for
worship or as a temple area, where huge blocks of finely carved stones
were once used as part of worship. On the top of the mountain, there are
numerous terraces, small buildings, carved rocks, passageways and tunnels,
all done with remarkable skill. The pathway to the top is also dotted with
various archaeological remains. One of the most interesting areas to visit
is the Temple of the Moon. Getting there takes 2.5 hours. Excursions only
leave until 1 pm.
Huayna Picchu provides visitors with a way to enhance
their visit to Machu Picchu and to learn more about the Incas.
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New Hotels
in Casa Andina Chain |
Last week the Casa Andina
hotel chain opened a new bed and breakfast in Cusco. ‘Casa Andina Catedral’
has 32 rooms and is located on Santa Catalina Street. With this new
addition, Casa Andina has completed 3 hotels in Cusco. Their next project,
a Private Collection hotel on Suasi Island, Lake Titicaca, will be
inaugurated in March 2005. Work on their first lodge in the Amazon will
also start in 2005.
http://www.casa-andina.com
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New Hotel
from Libertador Chain in the Sacred Valley |
A new hotel from the Libertador chain was inaugurated in Yanahuara, Sacred
Valley. It is located one hour from Cusco. It is surrounded by a beautiful
landscape and has colonial architecture with modern comforts.
http://www.libertador.com.pe
The World Tourism Organization (WTO) announced that world tourism is
recovering, showing an average growth rate of 12% in 2004. The good news
is even better for Peru, which is showing an average growth rate of 17.4%
in 2004, compared with an expansion of 4% in 2003.
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Modern
Canopy Walkway Inaugurated |
Inkaterra’s modern Canopy Walkway, which was mentioned in a previous
edition of Explore Peru, was inaugurated last week. The Canopy Walkway,
the most modern in South America, is located at Inkaterra’s Lodge and
Private Reserve “Reserva Amazonica”, one hour from Puerto Maldonado on the
Madre de Dios River. This new Walkway is 345 meters long with 7 hanging
bridges, 6 observation platforms, and 2 vertical towers. It allows
visitors to view orchids, primates, and birds.
One hundred percent of the economic benefits of this project will finance
conservation projects and social development programs in Madre de Dios
Department.
Inkaterra's Canopy
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Cusco
Protects Tourists with Modern Surveillance |
Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, and one of the most
important tourist destinations in South America, is keeping visitors safe
with a state-of-the-art video surveillance system. The new cameras have
been strategically placed in the city in order to make Cusco a safer
destination for tourists.
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Community
of South American Nations Formed |
The Community of South American
Nations was established on December 9, 2004 in Cusco. The goals of the
alliance are: that the 360 million citizens of South American Nations will
have a common currency, a common passport, a parliament, a political
constitution, and the capacity to present one solid front in globalization
negotiations. The Declaration of Cusco is the starting point for more
concrete forms of integration in South America. It was suscribed by: Peru,
Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Brasil, Chile, Surinam, Guyana, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Bolivia and Mexico. A first step to test how this new alliance
could function was the endorsement of the economic and financial plan to
build an inter-oceanic highway from the southern part of Brazil to Peru.
Construction will begin in 2005 and the new highway will eventually be
1,200 kilometers long.
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Exhibition of Northeastern
Treasures |
From December 28, 2004 through January
30, 2005, the exhibit “Tesoros Nororientales” (Northeastern Treasures),
sponsored by ‘Banco Continental’ and the Natural History Museum of the
‘Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego’. Visitors will have the opportunity
to see, through photographs, the plants that have been discovered in
recent years. The photographs of these newly discovered plants are on
display in the ‘Casa Emancipacion’ in Trujillo (Banco Continental). The
exhibit is part of the anniversary celebrations of the independence of
Trujillo. Through the photographs, visitors can admire and discover plants
that provide food, plants with healing properties, orchids, and new
scientific species. Collections of mammals, snails, insects, minerals,
birds, reptiles, and fish are also part of the exhibit.
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