Nicola in Peru and Atacama: Mountain Lodges of Peru, Gocta Natura Reserve and Tierra Atacama
April is a great time to visit Peru. The rainy season in the Andes should be all but finished, leaving the mountains and valleys a fresh vibrant green, with atmospheric dark clouds appearing in the sky only occasionally. The peak tourist season is yet to land, and the nights are not so cold. My trip also happened to coincide nicely with Emotions Travel Show in Lima, where I caught up with familiar faces and got to make new friends.
Mountain Lodges of Peru kindly hosted me on the Upper Sacred Valley and Lares Adventure itinerary so I could re-familiarize myself with the lodges, the communities, trails and cultural experiences. The scenery of the Lares area is simply breathtaking with expansive wide, carved out valleys, characterised by small holdings and villages dotted on the slopes as well as faint lines of Inca trails taking hikers and corn-carrying harvesters from one place to another.
The two MLP properties on this route are Lamay Lodge in the Sacred Valley and Huacahuasi Lodge, high up in the Andes. Lamay offers very comfortable accommodation in a spacious hotel, surrounded by pristine gardens (featuring a lovely hot tub), and Huacahuasi, set above the village of the same name, offering views from the rooms, and open-plan dining area, of the incredible valley and mountains. Each of these rooms also has a small tub with hot water for guests to enjoy the view from! The lodges act as bases from where guests take remote hiking trails or are taken on experiences, curated to immerse the traveller in the rich traditions and cultures of weaving, farming and ceremony of this region.
During our time on the adventure, some of group took to the paths and some opted for activities – for example cooking classes and walking through the village and learning about a local women’s weaving cooperative, all the time learning from the locals about the difficulties they face living so remotely, but also about what they’ve been able to achieve and develop with the help of the NGO Yanapana; a project MLP set up with the vision of poverty alleviation in the area through community interaction and development.
Another activity took us to the village of Huilloc to learn about the ceremonies locals perform when hoping for richer crops, or more numerous herds, which involved ancestral traditions using coca leaves, fruits, trinkets and teas. It was a gentle and humbling experience. We continued onto hilltop Inca site of Pumamarka for a short tour, before hiking down a rocky trail overgrown with colourful wild flowers and more spectacular views, all the way to Ollantaytambo, ending the day by the large Inca stones of this fortress. The next day Machu Picchu would offer a wonderful end to the tour, and as we walked around among many other admirers and tourists, our heads were mostly filled with the enriching experience we’d had in the days before that led us here.
Next on my itinerary was a new Senderos partner; Gocta Natura Reserve in the Amazonas region of Northern Peru – located about an hour from the city of Chachapoyas. It had been around 12 years since I visited this region and I was so excited to return as it holds a special place in my heart for the wild mountains and valleys, fascinating pre-Inca archaeological sites, the warmth of the people and the remoteness which ensures you’re not encountering crowds of tourists at every turn. Amazonas is not actually within the Amazon Rainforest as you might imagine, but borders it – mainly covering the north eastern Andes with deep canyons, winding rivers, high altitude farmland and dense cloudforest, reaching towards the jungle – giving it the name the Eyebrow of the Jungle.
Gocta Natura Reserve is a small lodge of only 6 cabins set in amongst this cloudforest in a private reforested area (all planted by the founder and owner Rocio Florez and her team) and is on a slope which offers picture perfect views of the magnificent Gocta Falls in the distance. The trees are home to numerous of birds as well as night monkeys, and meals are taken on the deck under the stars which adds to the ambience when eating supremely fresh and carefully curated dishes on their fixed menu. The majority of their food comes from their own ‘huerta’, with the rest sourced from the local town of Cocachimba, making each dish quite unique but with gourmet flourishes (her son is the ‘head chef’, consulting from Australia where he is also head chef at a top Sydney restaurant!)
Our itinerary included hiking through the forest to the falls, on the way stopping to spot a full flock of Coq of the Rock birds, performing their strange dance at dawn and then we breakfasted near the thundering falls above us. We explored the pre-Inca Chacha archaeological sites of Yallape, Karajia and Kuelap with expert, personable and top-quality guides, as well as taking in some dramatic mountainous and river scenery on the drives to each place. Time at the lodge was sparse but we filled it with exploring all the winding paths Rocio had created through her forest down to the river, or dipping in the plunge pool or discovering the little nooks and crannies to observe the trees, plants and wildlife. Gocta Natura Reserve offers guests an opportunity to experience an area of Peru which is relatively unknown, with excellent service, rich nature, very comfortable lodgings and the warmth of wonderful local hospitality.
My trip also coincided nicely with the much-anticipated re-opening of Tierra Atacama – having been closed for a year for a full refurbishment and re-design. And so, for the last three nights of my trip I was treated wonderfully by kind staff and very knowledgeable guides at the hotel.
The new décor consists of wooden panelling and upholstery in different earthy shades, creating a warm and cosy atmosphere even in the large, open spaces. The speckled white marble underfoot, collected from local sources in northern Chile, makes for stunning walkways – leading to the main entrance and taking you to your rooms, that going from one place to another was a real pleasure. The picture-perfect view of Licancabur volcano through my Poniente room window was more impressive than I’d even hoped and never failed to amaze me when it was doused in pinks and purples from the sunset or when the sun was rising and peeking out from the northern slopes. The coffee and tea station at the back of the room was well used and I had wonderful views towards the west from the deck and bathroom.
The new suites, which are two Oriente rooms combined, features a hanging fire separating the living and bed spaces, with the bi-folding doors opening up to a private deck and plunge pool from where guests can see the mountains beyond the gardens. It is a thoughtfully designed space evoking calm and contemplation.
The entrance of the hotel leading to the bar, lounge and restaurant area has been elevated to a chic, elegant and sophisticated design, which combines so well with that signature Tierra feature of large floor to ceiling windows drawing the eye outside to the colourful wilderness of the Atacama desert. The menu had many fresh, innovative and delicious dishes and the spa had also been decked out with the new panelling and flooring, creating a comforting and mystical space.
Our activities took us to diverse corners of the surrounding area – salt flats, deep red canyons, huge unspoiled sand dunes, hilltop rocky paths – either on foot, horseback or mountain e-bike – from where we could wander at the clear, deep blue sky against the vibrant sand and rock which characterises this area.
It was a trip of landscape extremes and rich culture – with high altitude hikes to thick cloud forest and ancient historical sites, and the dry stark deserts of Lima and Atacama – offering some of the best landscapes you could hope for.
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