DESTINATIONS
PERU | SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL SELLING TIPS
SHERWIN ARENDS touring product and
commercial manager, Incredible Journeys
E Visit the G Adventures and Planeterra community projects to get to know local communities, traditions and customs.
E Remember to bring your passport with you to Machu Picchu because you will need it to enter the site.
ABOVE: The ancient citadel of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes PICTURE: Andrew McQuarrie
It’s a unique style of weaving you won’t learn in books, explains our guide, and offers an insight into the area’s traditional crafts. One of the weavers, 38-year-old Ayde Qquerar Torres,
says every item sold helps the families improve their lives. Before the co-operative was set up, many buildings in the area were unfinished and parents could not afford to send their children to school. Now, increasing numbers of young people are finishing school and going on to university. Poon Tip is keenly aware of the changes, even since his last visit five years ago. “I get a bit emotional about it,” he says, sweeping an arm around the grounds and nodding to the new buildings. “This has a special place in my heart because of the women and how well they’ve taken to the coaching and running their business.”
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
It might be cheating to swap the four-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu for a journey by train and bus, but the hair-raising ascent feels every bit as heroic as getting there on foot. As the bus climbs higher and higher, twisting round the mist-shrouded mountains, we become increasingly convinced we will tumble to an extraordinarily scenic demise – so by the time the famous citadel is within sight, the views have taken on a deeper significance. “Sixty per cent of the time it’s cloudy up here, so you can’t see anything,” says guide Leo Ccoyo, who animatedly explains the history of the ‘Lost City of
travelweekly.co.uk Being in this job has
changed my life. We are passionate about our culture and want to share it
the Incas’. He should know, having had a brief stint as a porter – carrying up to 40kg along the Inca Trail, though a new rule now enforces a maximum of 20kg – followed by a decade as a freelance tour guide, including eight years with G Adventures. “Being in this job has changed my life,” says the 38-year-old, who comes from Pisac in the Sacred Valley. “You meet people from different countries and cultures. We’re passionate about our culture and want to share it.” The Sacred Valley region is a treasure trove for history
buffs and hikers alike – but as these enthusiastic guides and enterprising projects attest, it’s also a model for the power of tourism to have a positive impact on the places and people we encounter along the way.
TW BOOK IT
G Adventures offers an eight-day Machu Picchu Adventure from £1,319 (excluding flights) featuring highlights around Cusco and the Sacred Valley, including a scenic train ride to Machu Picchu.
gadventures.com
MICHELLE HYDE manager, Hays Travel in Lowestoft, Suffolk
E Match the right tour to the right traveller – there’s a tour itinerary to suit everyone.
E The local CEOs – aka ‘chief experience officers’ – are the best tour managers and guides I’ve ever come across.
E For every day you travel with G Adventures, the operator will grow a tree on your behalf in communities affected by climate change.
30 NOVEMBER 2023 53
E Spend at least five days in the Sacred Valley area to enjoy the beautiful scenery and varied activities.
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