Peru Discovery – Conclusion

photo by Teresa Weedin

We awoke at four o’clock to a very light rain and are hopeful that it will not be too much to keep the parrots from descending upon the clay lick this morning. 
Read more »

Peru Discovery – Chapter 7

For several folks in our group, today is the beginning of the second phase of our Peru Discovery adventure.  After seeing the country’s desert coast and high Andean Mountains, we are off to the Amazon River basin of Southeastern Peru.
Read more »

Peru Discovery – Chapter 6

Fuchsia boliviana

Blue-necked Tananger

Peru Discovery – Chapter 5

Sobralia setigera

Sudamerlycaste heynderyexii

For several travelers in our group, today is the day we’ve been looking forward to since we first signed up for this trip.  Today we will receive a guided tour of the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel grounds to see the hundreds of orchid plants and flowers being tended by the staff.

Since 1975, Inkaterra has been using profits from sustainable tourism projects to fund rescue and preservation of Peru’s cultural and natural resources.  The Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel opened in the early 1990’s and was envisioned as a village in a botanical setting.  Located adjacent to the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary, the hotel grounds are home to some 370 plus species of orchids.  The sanctuary covers over 80,000 acres and spans a number of different biological life zones – the largest zone being the cloud forest.
Read more »

Peru Discovery – Chapter 4

I have wanted to visit Machu Picchu since I first glimpsed a photo of it in my 4th grade geography text book.  Today, along with the rest of our tireless group, I would get that opportunity.
Read more »

Peru Discovery – Chapter 3

After a quick breakfast at our hotel, our adventurous group of travelers loaded a bus and began a day of exploration of the Urubamba Sacred Valley. 

Read more »

Peru Discovery – Chapter 2

Our second day of discovery began with a flight to Cusco, the historical capital of the Inca Empire.   We had time to rest and adjust to the high altitude (over 11,000 feet) before meeting our guide Carlos Seminario (a Cusco native) and beginning a tour of the city. 
Read more »

Peru Discovery

In mid-February a group of Denver Botanic Gardens supporters and I began an exciting journey to Peru, spending time in each of the three major climate zones – the coastal desert, mountainous Andes highlands, and the rainforest of eastern Peru.  Over the next several weeks, I will present highlights from this trip, sponsored by Denver Botanic Gardens and Reefs to Rockies Travel.
Read more »