Potato Day with food festival

Peru’s central Junin region will feature a food festival and an exhibition of potato varieties to mark celebrations for the National Potato Day on May 30.

The festival, which is part of the activities promoted by authorities of Junin, will take place from May 22 to 30, the event’s main day.

Junin will also provide training workshops aimed at potato producers and people who participate in the festival will learn about the importance of this product in the daily diet of Peruvians.

The Peruvian government declared May 30 as Potato National Day. The day is intended to promote the potato, its diversity and increase its consumption.

Museums in Peru

Peru’s Ministry of Culture said Tuesday that more than fifty museums across the country will offer free admission from May 18 to 20, in celebration of International Museum Day.

The ministry administers over 50 museums throughout the country, including the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, Chavin National Museum, and Pukara Lithic Museum, among others.

The International Museum Day, which is celebrated worldwide each year on or about May 18, is an opportunity to celebrate the important role museums play in preserving our history, and encouraging an exploration of our future.

The Advisory Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) established International Museum Day in 1977 to encourage public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society.

This year the theme of the event is “Museums in a Changing World. New Challenges, New Inspirations.”

Lima Peru Virtual Tour 360º

Lima Virtual Tour: A trip through Lima, “City of the Kings”, will allow you to discover the different faces of this cosmopolitan city…its centuries of history, its modern buildings, its cultural wealth, its food, as well as its people and pulsating energy. http://tours.peru.travel/Lima/index_ing.php

Taste the delicious Gastronomy Peru

Also, Machu Picchu and Lima are competing for the award of “Leading Destination”, Jorge Chávez for the “Leading Airport” and PromPerú for the “Leading Travel Agency”.

Peru Luxury in Tambopata

Inkaterra, Peru’s leading provider of luxury and sustainable hospitality, has won the 2012 award for Conservation at this year‟s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are organized by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and the 2012 winners were announced this week at the WTTC‟s Global Summit in Tokyo.

“This is wonderful news for the entire team at Inkaterra; we are honored to have won such a prestigious and highly regarded award. It is a testament to 37 years of hard work, dedication and determination to always be at the forefront of conservation and sustainable tourism,” says José Koechlin, CEO of Inkaterra.

The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are one of the world’s highest accolades in the travel & tourism industry and are aimed at recognizing the best-of-the-best in sustainable tourism worldwide. All applicants go through a rigorous process that includes site visits, and winners are chosen by an international team of 15-20 judges, representing a wide range of professional backgrounds and expertise in the travel & tourism industry.

Inkaterra is a Peruvian organization that celebrates 37 years of experience in sustainable tourism initiatives. It focuses on preserving and rescuing Peru‟s geography, nature, customs and cultures and sharing them with the world and has an alliance with the NGO Inkaterra Association (ITA) through which the company‟s profits are invested in research, conservation, educational and social development programs.

Inkaterra currently operates Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, named by Travel+Leisure magazine as one of the “World‟s Best Hotels” for 2010; Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, located on the Madre de Dios River, in Southern Peruvian Amazon rainforest, and a pioneer of conservation and sustainability in Peru; Inkaterra La Casona, a 11-suite boutique hotel in the historic city of Cusco, first and only Relais & Châteaux hotel in Peru; and two newly launched boutique hotels El MaPi in Machu Picchu pueblo and Hacienda Concepcion in the Amazon, under the affordable brand byInkaterra.

Era: Late Archaic Period (3000-1500 BC)
Location: Supe Valley, 158 km north of the city of Lima

Caral is one of 18 settlements identified in the valley. Covering an area of around 65 hectares, the city features a series of complexes such as the Great Pyramid, the Amphitheater Pyramid and the Residential Quarters of the Elite.

Caral, the oldest city in America

The wind gusts powerfully over the sands Caral, the oldest city in the Americas. A living force that the ancient inhabitants allegedly tried to reproduce in their flutes. Crafted from condor and pelican bones, the first 32 flutes found at the archaeological site represented one of the biggest surprises produced at Caral. In 2001, researchers held the Archaeo-Musicological Research Workshop for the Flutes of Caral, in a bid to reproduce the sound of each one of them, just as the ancient dwellers might have heard them in 3000 BC.

Today, Dr. Ruth Shady, the head archaeologist in charge of the project, travels each weekend to Caral to continue with excavation work. Dr. Shady leaves the city and her office at the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology at the Cultural Center in Lima’s San Marcos University to continue with her investigation into the past.

For more information on the latest research, please contact e-mail: marqcecu@terra.com.pe or telephone (51-1) 427-8155.

Chronology:

1905. Max Uhle announces the first archaeological discoveries at Supe.

1941. Willey and Corbett carry out the first excavations in the area.

1970. Willey and Mosley note that the hillocks originally identified as natural formations are actually stepped pyramids. The same year, Feldman’s excavations indicate the site was a pre-ceramic settlement.

1994. Archaeological reconnaissance is carried out with backing from the National Culture Institute and the National Geographic Society, led by Dr. Ruth Shady. Research identifies 18 settlements, but work continues without knowing exactly what period they belong to.

1996. An excavation program gets underway at Caral, once again with backing from the National Geographic Society. The project chooses Caral as it is one of the largest and best-preserved settlements in the area. For the first time, researchers confirm Caral dates back to the pre-ceramic era.

1997. Excavation work continues, this time with backing from San Marcos University.

2000. Carbon 14 dating confirms the age of Caral.

2001. World Monuments Fund includes Caral on the world list of 100 monuments on the verge of disappearing.

Rally Dakar in Peru

Racing enthusiasts are set to flock to Peru in early 2013, with the news that Lima will host the start of the famous Dakar Rally on January 5, 2013.

According to website etravelblackboard.com, adventurous travellers from Australia who want to witness the start of this adrenalin-filled event are urged to organise their travel to Peru now, to ensure they catch the start of the world’s most exciting off-road rally.

PromPeru’s coordinator for Asia Pacific, Rosana Guinea, has encouraged Australians to book a trip to witness this event and experience the festival atmosphere first hand in Lima at the start of the race.

“Lima and Peru will come alive during the Dakar Rally next year and it is a fantastic time for visitors to experience the city. We are thrilled that Peru has been chosen as the host country to start this renowned race and this signifies that the country is able and equipped to host large scale events for the world to see.”

2013 marks the fifth year the race has been held in South America and the second year Peru has been on the race path.

The participants will race out of Lima and through Peru’s southern coast into Chile then onto Argentina.

Over a billion people from 190 countries are expected to watch as the race unravels.

According to Peru’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, José Luis Silva Martinot, Peru’s participation in the 2012 Dakar Rally generated over US$520 million directly and indirectly, with the most economic impact coming from hotels and petrol stations.

For those considering traveling to Peru, this will be the perfect timing to enjoy Peru’s coastline and desert region and discover the many attractions on offer.

From paragliding in Lima, nature watching off the Ballestas Islands and flying over the mysterious Nazca Lines to visiting the Pisco region of Ica and getting the heart racing while sand boarding and buggy riding over the dunes in Huacachina, Peru has many activities on offer. (Andina)

Machu Picchu tours Peru

Tourists can now book and pay for tickets to visit Peru’s leading attraction, Machu Picchu, from anywhere in the world thanks to an upgraded online booking system.

From the end of April tourists can now simply go here, reserve tickets, pay by VISA, print out tickets and go directly to the Historic Sanctuary.

Peru’s Tourism Board coordinator for Asia Pacific, Rosana Guinea comments: “Having an online booking portal where tourists anywhere in the world can plan trips to Machu Picchu does make it a lot easier. It also allows us to understand the visitor profile to Machu Picchu as we capture information such as nationality, age and gender.

“We also plan to develop this site further with more information and have other cultural tours and activities available to book,” she was quoted as saying on etravelblackboard.com.

Machu Picchu is on everyone’s wish list when booking a trip to Peru and 2011 is a very important year as it marks 100 years since American explorer Hiram Bingham rediscovered this lost city of the Incas for the world to see.

Welcome to Peru. This is my first post. Is a blog where i will read things about how visit Perú and about news.