Thinking about visiting the jungle? Peru has two options: The purely Amazonian jungle, located in the north of the country, in the Department of Iquitos, and another in Puerto Maldonado, southeast of the country.
Although both have spaces of virgin forest, each has something different to offer.
IQUITOS
Traveling to Iquitos to visit the jungle is an adventure. This city is only accessible by air or fluvial and has two distinctly different seasons: The rainy season, from late November to March, and the dry season, from April to mid-November.
Iquitos offers the opportunity to navigate the majestic Amazon and many of its well-known tributaries. Here you will find the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve.
Both, in
the city and in islands close to it, is possible to visit several Non-Governmental
Organizations ventures that seek to rescue wild animals from illegal sale and
reinsert them into their natural habitat. These include:
-CREA, the Amazonian Rescue Center.
Located in the same city and a few minutes from the Port of Nauta, CREA offers the opportunity to know closely the situation that live dozens of species commercialized illegally either for consumption or as pets.
In their facilities, they rest and recover waiting to be released, the famous Charapas turtles, spider monkeys, tigrillos and manatees.
-Monkey Island.
The island, located 30km from Iquitos, houses for more than 20 years a rescue center that keeps the monkeys free, waiting for them to reach the age needed to be reinserted in the jungle. Many of the monkeys that inhabit it have been rescued from houses and markets. They were captured very small, separated from their mothers, to be adopted as pets. On the island they check them daily, help them learn to get food for themselves, to manage themselves while keeping them healthy. Once they reach sexual maturity and their behavior becomes aggressive, they are returned to the jungle to continue their life in absolute freedom.
In Iquitos it is also possible to visit several native communities that share with the visitor their worldview and teach them that to live from nature and respect it at the same time is possible.
In Iquitos inhabit the famous pink dolphin, otorongos, jaguars, turtles, sloths, the black lizard, manatees. Watching them is not that simple. Special trips to the virgin forest must be organized in many cases.
The lodging
offer is basically based on eco lodges designed to mimic the environment and
offer the visitor a different experience, connecting with their surroundings.
The city
offers several alternatives of accommodation, although none of luxury (there´s
only 1 5* hotel).
Here It is also possible to board several luxury cruises that offer packages of up to 7 days to tour the Amazon.
Recommended
minimum stay 3d/2n
Suitable
for traveling with children
Low
difficulty level
PUERTO MALDONADO
Like Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado has very well defined the rainy and dry seasons. Here are several natural reserves: Tambopata and the Manu are the best known. Within Tambopata, in addition, is the National Park Bahuaja and Sandoval Lake, making the observation of wild animals easier than in Iquitos as the action of nan on nature is widely controlled.
Giant
Otters, black lizards, Charapitas, tapirs, Colpas, monkeys of various species,
giant anteaters, jaguars, are some of the species that can be seen in the tours
offered by most lodges.
Here, the accommodation options operate under the All Inclusive mode: from transfers to and from the airport, to tours and food.
There are categories
of accommodation for all tastes and pockets.
The Inkaterra chain has opted for luxury accommodation without breaking the environment, building lodges with cabins that blend in perfectly with the surrounding rainforest.
There are also lodges for those looking for an experience more similar to Iquitos: few luxuries and lots of nature. One of the best known is the Sandoval Lake Lodge, the only located on the shores of the beautiful lake of the same name.
ALCHEMY DMC strives to keep pushing boundaries so we went looking for the best ceviche in town in the humble neighborhood of Rodrigo Bueno.
We were tipped off by renowned Peruvian chef Anthony Vázquez from La Mar Restaurant, who said the ceviche served in “Lo de Nachito” is the city’s best kept secret without a shadow of doubt.
We thoroughly enjoyed an amazing lunch and shared for a little while the culture, necessities and the everyday life of this area and its people. They welcomed us with their arms wide open.
It would be our pleasure to share these experiences with our alchemist friends, who are always ready for new challenges!
This time I’ll tell you about a must-see event full of alchemy that I attended in Mendoza: 10 Manos!
What is it about? 5 luxury world-known Argentine chefs formed a team years ago, and host this event once a year in different parts of the world (don’t forget to check where the 2020 edition of this must-see event will take place). The starring lineup of the “Dream Team”: Narda Lepes, Mauro Colagreco (no less than the first Argentine chef to be awarded a Michelin star for his famous restaurant, Mirazur, in France), Fernando Trocca, Germán Martitegui and Guido Tassi.
More hands joined in, like Tato Giovannoni´s, with his perfect cocktails, and as bonus: all wines from winery Zuccardi Piedra Infinita, among others.
Obviously, all of them care a lot about my rating in the COQUERA
guide, so I’ll award them 4 shoes and a glass of wine (EXCELLENT Plus!), and here
is the reason why:
It was like stepping them down and
right back up from the premium chef category pedestal: Down, because we saw
them in action as plain regular people just cooking and hosting us with the
same care and intimacy you would expect from your own friends when having you at
their home. And then, back up to the top, with the warmth and quality of
service truly worthy of the podium.
The environment in such a winery, with its owners as our luxury hosts, added even more magic to the event. And right at the foot of the Andes.
The menu featured chef Martitegui’s tamales with two types of corn and partridge leg; chef Tassi’s blood sausage with fresh beans; Colagreco’s shredded and pressed lamb confit, with sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, dates and mashed quince on the side, and another dish of persimmon with Armagnac whipped cream; chef Narda Lepes’ squash tempura with aioli; and chef Martitegui’s kid goat tacos wrapped in lettuce leaves.
Spectacular live music by duet Mariano Dalla Torre and Gustavo Bruno.
Over one hundred guests, gastronomic icons, journalists, wine experts and special—not to say shameless—guests, like me. My conclusion: gastronomy, cocktails and premium wines combined in a luxury environment. If you are a hearty eater, add this event to your bucket list!
As every place we attend with ALCHEMY DMC, this event turned every single element into gold!
ESTA VEZ LES COMPARTO UN EVENTO IMPERDIBLE Y CON VERDADERA ALQUIMIA AL QUE ASISTI EN MENDOZA: DIEZ MANOS!
De qué se trata: 5 chefs argentinos muy reconocidos en el mundo entero, formaron este equipo hace años, celebrando este evento una vez al año en distintas partes del globo (así que estén atentos a ver dónde se hace este imperdible en su edición 2020). Les paso el listado del “Dream Team”: Narda Lepes, Mauro Colagreco (nada menos que el primer argentino en obtener su primer estrella Michelin por su famoso restaurante Mirazur en Francia), Fernando Trocca, Germán Martitegui y Guido Tassi.
A ellos se sumaron más manos como Tato Giovannoni, con su impecable coctelería, y todos los vinos de Bodega Zuccardi Piedra Infinita, entre otros.
Es obvio que a todos ellos les re importa mi calificación en la GUIA COQUERA, así que les entrego 4 zapatos y una copa de vino (EXCELENTE MÁS UN PLUS). Van mis motivos:
Fue bajar y volver a subir a un pedestal a chefs Premium: bajarlos porque vimos amigos cocinando, en acción, atendiéndonos a nosotros con el mismo esmero que uno espera de un amigo que te recibe en su casa; subirlos porque la calidad y calidez de todo lo que hicieron bien les merece el podio.
Porque el ambiente en semejante bodega, donde estaban sus dueños como host de lujo logró todavía más magia. Y todo al pie de la Cordillera de los Andes.
Un poco del menú: tamal con dos tipos de maíz y pata de perdiz, de Martitegui; de Tassi, morcilla con porotos frescos; de Colagreco, cordero confitado, desmenuzado y prensado, con batata, cebollas caramelizadas, dátiles y puré de membrillos y otro plato de caqui con crema chantilly Armagnac y nueces caramelizadas; tempura de calabaza con alioli de Narda Lepes, y un taco de chivo envuelto en hoja de lechuga, de Martitegui también.
Spectacular live music by duet Mariano Dalla Torre and Gustavo Bruno.
Música en vivo espectacular con el dúo Mariano Dalla Torre y
Gustavo Bruno.
Más de cien invitados: referentes gastronómicos,
periodistas, enólogos, invitados especiales, y caraduras, o como los quieran
llamar, como yo.
Conclusión: gastronomía, coctelería y vinos Premium en un
ambiente de lujo. A los amantes del buen comer anoten este evento en su
bucketlist! Como todo lo que vivimos con ALCHEMY DMC este evento transformó
cada elemento en Oro!
Miroslava is a dreamer and entrepreneur, she loves to explore and discover new places, cultures and customs. That is the reason why she is in Argentina today working as an administrative assistant at ALCHEMY DMC. She is characterized for being a happy, empathic, proactive person who works in an organized and responsible way.
