February 27, 2023/ Activities / 0 Comments

Machu Picchu is open again – when are you coming?

“The announcement that Machu Picchu, the country’s most popular tourism site and one of South America’s bucket-list destinations, is to reopen is as sweet as pan-pipe music to tour firms” – The Telegraph

 

After a brief closure due to local protests, we are happy to share the news that the iconic Inca city of Machu Picchu is open again.

Hiram Bingham and Inca Rail trains have resumed operations, allowing visitors to travel from the Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes, the village below Machu Picchu, once again.

Sol y Luna owner, Petit Miribel, was among the first visitors back at Machu Picchu. She took the train from the Sacred Valley to spend the day exploring the ancient ruins.

From Sol y Luna to Machu Picchu

Travel as a force for good

The past few months have seen cancellations or postponements, however those who have travelled have received the best care and attention at Sol y Luna.

“I travelled to Peru and stayed at Sol y Luna from Jan 9-11,” wrote guest Shar Gupta. “We were so lucky to have this beautiful property to ourselves. The gardens are gorgeous, the views are spectacular, and the service is exceptional. I celebrated my 50th birthday there, and the staff provided me with an amazing meal and took into consideration our food restrictions.”

Time to relax by the pool back at Hotel Sol y Luna, Relais & Chateaux

“We were so lucky to have this beautiful property to ourselves” – Shar Gupta

The Guptas had to change their plans at the last moment, but our team helped them arrange everything.

“We then found ourselves in a situation where our flights were cancelled due to the political unrest… We requested to go back to Sol Y Luna because, to us, that was home. We wanted to be in familiar, peaceful, and safe surroundings. Malo, the assistant manager there, was so kind and helpful with making the arrangements for our stay at the last min. He even took time out of his day to show us around the city. He patiently answered all of our questions and went above and beyond what was needed. He even followed up the next day to see if we safely made it to our next destination.”

Now, thankfully, the political unrest has calmed down. We just need tourism to return.

Regenerative tourism

Hotel Sol y Luna employs local people and cares for children living in extreme poverty

At the heart of Hotel Sol y Luna is the Sol y Luna Foundation. The hotel was founded to create a source of income via tourism for the Sol y Luna School, a school where education is open to everyone, but the reality of in the Sacred Valley is that poverty is widespread and 90% of the children educated at Sol y Luna come from situations of extreme poverty.

The foundation was established in 1996 and over the years has grown according to the needs of the families it supports. Today it includes a special needs care, an orphanage and also a further education programme.

“This property also benefits a local school next door,” says guest Star Gupta, “where they do charity work for the locals. Seeing the work that Alana and Sol y Luna are doing to help the community adds to the magical atmosphere of the property.”

Train ride to Machu Picchu

We will finish with this short film showing a day trip from Sol y Luna to Machu Picchu.

Some inspiration for your upcoming trip…

Hotel Sol y Luna is a Relais & Chateaux property with 43 individual casitas dotted around mature gardens. There is a ranch on site, a spa, large swimming pool and two restaurants.

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Peruvian Paso – the fifth gait  
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Footprint

The name Footprint originally came from our newsletter and we decided to use it for the Sol y Luna blog as well. Footprint fits well with the concept of Sol y Luna: our hotel was founded to support the local community. Leave footprints of kindness wherever you go.

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