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Eight travel agents recently toured Peru, from the depths of the Amazon jungle to the heights of Machu Picchu, with Intrepid Travel to learn what responsible small group adventure tourism really means. Madeleine Barber reports
I’m facing one of my worst fears: standing in complete darkness surrounded by creepy crawlies, reptiles and other unidentifiable creatures. My skin is tingling with sweat and my ears are roaring from the deafening hum of the jungle – yet, I’m thrilled.
This is the night walk at Nape Lodge in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest during which I – and the travel agents I’m exploring with – have switched off our torches briefly to take in the sounds and smells of this unfamiliar setting.
So far we’ve spotted grasshoppers, stick insects, an anole lizard and a raft of arachnoids, including a new species of discoid spider, a family of tarantulas and a Brazilian Wandering Spider, which our jungle guide Eddie tells us is more deadly than a black widow.
Because we’re on a TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes fam trip with Intrepid Travel, and because we’re learning how to be truly responsible travellers, not a single creature has been handled.
By the end of our stay at Nape Lodge, we’re amazed at how easy it is to see and interact with wild animals in a sustainable way. We’ve watched brightly coloured parrots and macaws feed off the Tambopata riverbanks, seen saddle-back tamarin and spider monkeys play with their peers, and spotted a pair of endangered giant river otters. We learn observing wildlife in its natural habitat is 10 times as thrilling as seeing it behind the bars of a zoo.
“You need to send the right type of people here,” advises Adam Patchon, a Not Just Travel agent participating in the trip. “This destination is for adventurous people looking for an experience-rich holiday; it’s rustic, there’s basic accommodation and facilities, but the experience far outweighs that – coming to the Amazon has blown my mind.”
Watch the video to see some of the agents’ highlights and top takeaways:
It’s not just nature this trip is operating in harmony with, it’s also running in accordance with socially responsible guidelines. Nape Lodge, for example, is an eco-lodge with a medicinal garden attraction and many available excursions all owned and run by the Ese Eja indigenous group, which means all proceeds go back into and support the growth of this Amazonian community.
Alejandrina Vega, the vastly knowledgeable Intrepid Travel guide accompanying us all the way from Lima and Cusco to the Amazon, Machu Picchu and back again, is herself Quechuan and from the Andean highlands. Her heritage and the language she speaks allows us to visit and interact with the Andean community of Amaru, located in a residential area near the off-the- beaten-track village of Pisac in the Sacred Valley.
Ale emphasises “remember we are responsible travellers”, a phrase that’s become very familiar to us during the trip, as she explains we must ask the Quechuan women we’re about to meet if it’s OK to take a photo of them before aiming the camera.
In a hillside courtyard we hear how these giggly Quechuan women dye alpaca wool with natural colourings such as cauliflower and purple corn (a Peruvian staple food), tentatively practise basic introductions in the native language and taste the national delicacy; guinea pig, served with potatoes and corn.
Before we say “tupananchis kama”, which is “see you soon” in Quechuan, many of us purchase our new friends’ handmade hats, alpaca wool scarves and colourful bags to support them in their business endeavours.
Supporting businesswomen in developing countries such as Peru is a fantastic way to travel responsibly and features heavily on all Intrepid Travel’s small group adventures. During our time in Cusco, we dine on fresh quinoa mango salad and grilled alpaca at Mama Seledonia, which is owned by a master chef who opened this eponymous restaurant to support single mothers after she was discriminated against by her male boss for this reason years ago.
To date, Seledonia has hired more than 60 single mothers from Cusco and the surrounding area and now owns a handful of establishments. Seeing a delighted smile on this entrepreneur’s face as I tell her in very broken Spanish how delicious her recipes are reminds me why Intrepid has brought us here to Peru: “to create a positive change through the joy of travel”.
But it’s not just us travellers that experience joy from responsible travel, the people we encounter along the way feel it too.
Trees please
One tree will be planted in the Sacred Valley for every customer visiting Peru with Intrepid Travel, thanks to the operator’s partnership with Pachamama Raymi
No llama drama
Lots of Peruvians own llamas and alpacas and like to pose with them for photographs, but visitors should always ensure the animal is owned by a farmer and free to roam before handing over tips (twigs and grass in its wool is a good indicator of this)
Sam Little, Hays Travel, recommends Machu Picchu to different types of client:
“Intrepid Travel offers different ways to visit Machu Picchu. If you have active customers who want to do the treks, they can do the Inca Trail or the Inca Quarry Trail, while those who don’t have as much mobility [or time] can take The 360 Machu Picchu Train, like we did.”
Nape Lodge, Puerto Maldonado: Owned and run by the indigenous community of Ese Eja, all proceeds from Nape Lodge go back into the local economy. Rooms here only have three walls to fully immerse guests in the jungle, while the showers run water from the Tambopata River and a cheeky free-to-roam tapir named Chamuco is known for making friends with visitors.
San Agustin Plaza Hotel, Cusco: This centrally located hotel is just a five-minute walk from the main square, Plaza de Armas of Cusco, as well as Artesanias Llancaqmaki, which is a fair-trade-focused market filled with sellers offering Peruvian rugs, alpaca- wool clothing, ceramics, jewellery and other handicrafts (ensure visitors take a tote and refuse plastic carrier bags here).
Antigua Miraflores Hotel, Lima: This stylish stay in the heart of Lima’s Miraflores district provides water dispensers for guests to fill up their reusable water bottles, drinkable water in rooms, biodegradable miniatures in bathrooms and encourages the reuse of towels. Choose a Colonial room for an authentic Peruvian ambiance in the oldest part of the hotel.
Intrepid Travel’s nine-day Premium Peru tour visits Lima, the Amazon jungle, Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. Based on 4 December departure and including flights with Latam Airlines/Iberia, it costs £3,850pp. intrepidtravel.com
