Designed to bring guests closer to nature, these eco-conscious experiences in Peru and Chile are part of the rapidly expanding eco-tourism movement happening in South America and around the world.
Belmond Debuts Eco-Escape
This month, Belmond expanded its Peru portfolio with the debut of Belmond Las Casitas in Colca Canyon. The 20-room hotel located in the Arequipa region of Southern Peru features individual casitas nestled in the property’s lush gardens, each with its own private terrace with a heated plunge pool and sweeping views across the canyon. Amenities include the Samay Spa, which offers treatments using natural ingredients from the hotel’s organic garden and an onsite restaurant that also uses ingredients from the garden in local Peruvian specialty dishes. For an up-close view of the breathtaking Colca Canyon, guests can arrange trekking, cycling, fishing and horseback riding excursions through Belmond Las Casitas, as well as the chance to view the flight of the Andean Condors in their natural environment. For more information, call (800) 237-1236 or visit belmond.com.
El MaPi Organic Spa
Inkaterra, a Peru-based hotel group specializing in sustainable tourism, has unveiled a new organic spa at El MaPi in Machu Picchu Pueblo. The new Spa del Bosque is located on the top floor of the property with panoramic views of the village and the surrounding cloud forest and features four private treatment rooms, a pine sauna, hydro massage showers, a heated plunge pool and a hydration zone.
Keeping the preservation of the surrounding environment top of mind, Inkaterra only uses products in its treatments that are 100 percent organic, derived from botanical extracts, as well as Andean herbs and grains, and grown in the property’s organic farms and orchards. Services include a Special MaPi Therapy, which combines a leg treatment, a relaxing massage, a cranial massage with Inca techniques, and a lymphatic drainage; a Relaxation therapy, which includes both a body and a cranial massage to rest the body and mind; and a Deep Tissue Massage designed to reduce stress by stretching overworked muscles. Rates at El MaPi start at $220 per night. For more information, visit inkaterra.com/byinkaterra/el-mapi-hotel.
Eco-Touring in Chile’s Wine Country
Multi-sport specialists South Expeditions have announced the development of its 2-passenger pedal- and electric-powered hybrid vehicle, the southmobile, which will debut on wine tours of Chile’s Colchagua Valley this fall. The roadsters will take travelers on guided winery-to-winery culture tours of central Chile, 80 miles south of Santiago, where the country’s finest red wines—mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, and Syrah—are made. The region has grown to become one of the most important wine regions in the world and vineyards are located a short distance from each other, allowing guests plenty of opportunities to stop and appreciate the local culture by interacting with locals.
The southmobile is part of a 4-day itinerary, which will depart from Santiago and includes a visit to Bodegas RE in Casablanca Valley and Pablo Neruda’s house (Isla Negra), before heading to the Colchagua region. Commercial trips will begin in December 2017 and bookings can be made commencing in July with prices starting from $1,998 pp. For more information, visit southexpeditions.com.
