Machu Picchu reopening celebrated with “Payment to the Earth” ceremony

The reopening of Machu Picchu Inca citadel, scheduled for Thursday, will be celebrated with a “Payment to the Earth” ceremony at the Explanade of the Koricancha Temple, located in the city of Cusco, south east of the country.

The event takes place at 20:00 hours (local time) and the organization is in charge of the Foreign Trade and Tourism Ministry and the Municipality of Cusco, Peru's Export and Tourism Promotion Board (PromPeru) reported.

Before these celebrations, they will screen images of the Imperial City and Machu Picchu in two big screens.

Then, the Inca and its entourage will appear accompanied by a group of musicians and dancers that will participate in the tribute to Pachamama Raymi or Mother Earth.

At the end they will exhibit fireworks and music bands will perform.

The reopening of Machu Picchu will represent a new stage in the recovery of tourism, started after the implementation of the campaign called “Cusco Pone.”

Machu Picchu, Amazon and Arequipa, best attractions of Peru, says The Telegraph

Machu Picchu, the Amazon River and Arequipa are the best attractions of Peru, according to an article published by British Telegraph and writen by Chris Moss, which offers a guide to the Andean country, ahead of this year's celebrations to mark the bicentenary of Latin America's fight for independence.

According to "Peru: a guide for beginners", the top six attractions are Machu Picchu (reopening in April, after recent floods), whether by train, trek or bus; Iquitos and the Upper Amazon river; and Arequipa, known as the ciudad blanca for its buildings made from pearly white volcanic material, and a Unesco World Heritage site.

Also the archaeological site of Chan Chan, including the ruins of the largest adobe city in the world; the high peaks of the Cordillera Blanca to see tropical glaciers and turquoise lakes on off-the-beaten-track hikes; and the mysterious, geometrical Nazca Lines, thought to have been etched into the stony desert as far back as 900BC.

For Chris Moss, Cusco is the best city of Peru because it has many impressive monasteries, churches and pre-Columbian buildings and is, as Che Guevara recorded in The Motorcycle Diaries, tangibly "the navel of the Inca world".

He also recommends tourists to buy a bottle of Peruvian pisco, the national firewater, and read Hugh Thomson's The White Rock, which deftly combines a history of the last days of the Incas with a gripping story about the search for lost cities buried in uncharted corners of the Sacred Valley.

Lima’s zoo: Showcasing wildlife of the coast, mountains and jungles of Peru

It’s only natural that Lima’s biggest zoo, Parque de la Leyendas or Legends Park, reflects the three geographic zones of the country: the coast, the mountainous sierra and the tropical selva, or jungle. Each region is rich in animals, birds and plants – the same spectacular variety, only on smaller scale, you’ll find on the territory of the zoo.

The entrance of the park is still partially under construction, but it is already an active business spot: souvenirs, water and snacks, soft toys, sunglasses and parasols are offered to the visitors who arrive to queue under the sun to get the tickets. Considering solid sun protection for those who plan to spend the whole day in the open air is a must: Lima’s sun touches your skin rather gently, but at the end of the day, to your surprise, you appear as red as a boiled shrimp. Once you get your adult ticket of 9 soles, you are ready to enter the Parque de la Leyendas wondering what kind of legends it may actually contain.

The park has historical treasures which you can see at the Earnest W. Middendorf Museum set within the zone of ancient settlements of the pre-Incaic Maranga culture. The large archeological complex has 52 excavations called huacas, which date back 700 years.

Yes, the Park of the Legends is a lot more than just a zoo: It is a big recreation complex with numerous museums, the Botanic Garden of 3.3 hectares displaying 1,800 varieties of plants, both native and from all over the world; well-kept gardens and lawns, ponds full of fish, and exquisite artificial waterfalls. The alleys are equipped with comfortable benches where you can take a rest and contemplate the beauty of nature. But most of all it’s a wonderful exhibition of the animal world.

Costa: Lively parrots, bats and armadillos

This zone is rich in birds representing 33 kinds of species. Families of parrots of all sizes are dressed in most wonderful combinations of red, blue, yellow, azure, green and orange. They are noisy things, fighters too – and watching them settle their conflicts as well as witnessing scenes of love and care, you have a clear picture of what their life in the nature is like.

A couple of modest brown birds attracted my special attention. Their cage had glass walls and was designed with a beautifully shaped rock covered with plants and a cascade forming a tiny pool below. The secret of these privileged conditions was revealed when I noticed a board near the cage: the lucky couple was adopted by one of the country’s major mobile operators.

Walking through the alleys of costa surrounded with typical plants of this region, you’ll see penguins diving into a pool, a deer, two kinds of armadillos with their impressive impregnable shells, a tiny bat whose main activity is eating fruit at night and hiding in the daylight (though I did manage to see the animal), a chinchilla with its big ears and a gorgeous grey fur-coat, a white rabbit, a hypnotizing sleek python and many more. And it’s just the beginning of your journey.

PromPeru proposes tourist attractions to enjoy during Holy Week

The Holy Week is a time for meditation and religious fervor, but it can also be a good reason to enjoy a long holiday visiting some attractive destinations in the 25 regions of Peru.

For this occasion, PromPeru has created its website “Semana Santa 2010” (Holy Week 2010) where one can find information about places, tourist destinations, accommodation, routes, services, among other interesting information that will help travelers.

As for Peru's Tourist Information and Assistance Service (Iperu) will offer tourist information to all national and foreign travelers through its offices located in many departments of Peru.

ABOUT EARTH HOUR

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the, Sydney Harbour Bridge, The CN Tower in Toronto, The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.
Earth Hour - Chile

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm (local time) and is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet. So sign up now and let’s make 2010 the biggest Earth Hour yet!.

It’s Showtime! Show the world what can be done.
Earth Hour - Light Writing
Earth Hour by WWF

Earth Hour is organized by WWF. With almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries, it’s one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.
Earth Hour timeline

Turn back the clock on Earth Hour and discover why, how, where and when it all started.
Why get involved?

Put simply, because our future depends on it!
Earth Hour - Lima Group

Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of climate change issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice on the future of our planet and working together to create a sustainable low carbon future for our planet.
The future can be bright

New economic modelling indicates the world has just five years to initiate a low carbon industrial revolution before runaway climate change becomes almost inevitable. But it can be done, and the long term benefits will be enormous.

So now's the time to take a stand and give world leaders the mandate they need to make the right climate deal.

Peru announces Machu Picchu reopening in April

PromPeru today surprised ITB in Berlin by announcing the re-opening of the vital rail link to the ruins of Machu Picchu.

The line was severely damaged in heavy rains and floods which hit the country in January and eroded railway tracks between Cuzco, Ollantaytambo and the Inca citadel.

Following the successful completion of track repairs ahead of schedule, it has been confirmed that, weather permitting, PeruRail will recommence its Vistadome train service to Aguas Calientes , the station for Machu Picchu Pueblo, on March 29.

The Inca Citadel of Machu Picchu will reopen to tourists on April 1, travelmole.com reports.

Initially train services will operate between Pisacucho, a station beyond Ollantaytambo, and Aguas Calientes, with a replacement bus service from Wanchaq Station in Cuzco bringing passengers by road to Pisacucho.

The train journey will take 1 hour 20 minutes and the drive approximately 2 hours 30 minutes.

It is estimated that it will be possible to make the entire journey from Poroy station in Cuzco to Machu Picchu by rail from July 2010, subject to favourable weather conditions.

PeruRail also operates a backpacker service and the luxury Hiram Bingham train between Cuzco and Machu Picchu.

The backpacker train will resume at the end of April and the Hiram Bingham will be back in operation at the end of June.

Tourists from Chile, US, France, Spain the most loyal to Peru

Tourists from Chile, the United States, France and Spain are the most loyal to Peru, with visits increasing last year despite the international financial crisis that hit this activity worldwide, stated Tuesday Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur).

“While tourism decreased worldwide last year, the arrival of tourists from Chile, the US, France and Spain kept increasing, since they regard Peru as an unmissable destination worth visiting,” said Deputy Tourism Minister, Mara Seminario.

She highlighted that during the global financial crisis, South American tourists preferred a closer destination and visited Machu Picchu, one of the new world’s seven wonders.

Besides, Spanish and French tourists decided to continue with their plans of visiting Peruvian destinations because they praise culture value.

According to a Mincetur’s report based on the data from Peruvian General Directorate of Immigration and Naturalization (Digemin), Peru received last year 2 million 23,967 foreign tourists, a 3.9% growth.

Suggested Peru Tours

Discovery Channel launches adventure-travel tour brand

The Discovery Channel has launched a new brand of tours and trips called Discovery Adventures featuring Peru as one of the most attractive destinations.

The brand offers trips to destinations including Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, the Amazon, the Galápagos, India, Thailand, Cambodia, China, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Alaska and the U.S. Southwest.

Itineraries range from cruises and safaris to exploring the ancient civilizations of the Incas, the Egyptians and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Tour themes tie in with places featured on Discovery Channel programs such as Man vs. Wild, Out of Egypt, Discovery Atlas, Dirty Jobs and Into the Unknown With Josh Bernstein.

Participants have opportunities to explore ruins and historic sites, as well as to do volunteer work in the destinations and experience local cultures. All trips are suitable for families.