Hey, you orchid lovers Peru is home of 3000 orchid species.
The greatest diversity of species is found in the High Amazon
Jungle located between 500 and 3,600 m.a.s.l. Peru surpasses
the number of native species found in Colombia and Ecuador,
countries that are known because of their orchid variety. 

Orchids were highly prized by the Inca and pre-Inca cultures as
is described in ancient records. Check out our orchid page for
all the locations and genera pictures in each area. 

http://culturalexpeditions.com/orchids.html

Machu Picchu Sanctuary

The estimates for diversity within the sanctuary reach 200 species.
Among the species that can be found (take a walk in the crossroad
Ollantaytambo Machu Picchu) are Aa, Epidendrum, Masdevallia,
Maxillaria, Oncidium, Odontoglossum, Phagminpedium and the Sobralia.

Tambopata Candamo Reserved Zone

Orchids studies do not show significant diversity but do include some
interesting species of the genera Cataseum, Mormodes, Psychopsis
Only by request:

Huascaran National Park

The National Park has High Andean species that have been studied
recently. One of the most representative species is the Masdevalia
amabilis, which grows in rocky mountain slopes. Other genera

are: Aa, Altenasteinia, Epidendrum, Stelis and Trichocerus.

Land of Orchids (also Chachapoyas is possible, beautiful, but remote)

The watershed of the Mayo river (Department of San Martin) is known
as the land of orchids. There are great numbers such as Anguloa,
Brassia, Cataseum, Cattleya, Bollea, Coryanthes, Lycaste, Masdevallia

and many more. The most representative is the Cattleya, locally
known as "Golondrina".

Loreto and Ucayali (beautiful, but remote)

Amazon lowlands have not much diversity. The great attractions are the
species of the genus: Caryanthes, Gongora, Maxillaria, Mormodes
and Cataseum. 

Podocarpus Forests in Cajamarca

The high Amazon jungle is known for the podocarpus forests, the forest
with the highest number of orchids. Many are quite exotic varieties such
as the Masdevalia setacea, Masdevalia glandulosa and Lycaste

denninginia.

The Valley of Orchids (beautiful, not far away from Lima)

The Valley of Chanchamayo (Department of Junin) is a fantastic place
for orchid funds, although nowadays highly depredated. The zone
requires immediate protected area status.The Masdevallia can reach
up to 30cm. The Pschopsis sanderae, known as the royal butterfly,
is a rare endemic species. The majority of genera in Peru are
found in this valley.

Cusco is a Great Destination for Family Trips.

However, it is time to start considering Cusco as an option
for a family vacation. The charm of Cusco that attracts adults
is also appealing to children. 

Cusco has many activities for kids. There are many
alternatives to have fun with your children in Cusco.

Just outside of Cusco there is an archaeological complex
called Sacsahuamán. There, you will find natural rock
formations that are used as slides in many different
sizes and shapes. You can also hire horses to go to the
Zona X to see mysterious caves. Have coffee in a place
filled with toys. In the city of Cusco there is a place called
Yanapay that has a children’s village made with money made
in the restaurant. Everywhere there are tiny tables and
chairs for the kids, as well as desserts, games and books.

Good cuisine for kids. While walking around Cusco, you will
come across a Bembos, which is located right across from
the Main Square. It offers children’s menus which include
surprises inside. In the town of San Blas, the Pacha Papa is
a cozy restaurant that serves pizza and has a big patio that
is always warmed by its stoves and ovens where all kinds
of delicious plates are cooked. Many times a harpist will
play while you eat.

The Sacred Valley is great for kids. The fresh air of
Urubamba Valley and its open spaces are wonderful for
children. The circular terraces of Moray are a great source
of fun for children where they can run around as much as
they please and climb up and down, all with a magnificent
view of the mountain range in the background. Nearby Moray,
only 20 minutes away by car, is Chinchero. There you can
participate in textile workshops, where the local women perform
interactive demonstrations of the process of spinning and dyeing
of the fabrics. Chinchero textiles are known for being the most
beautiful in the area and for maintaining their ancient techniques.
Check out our website
http://culturalexpeditions.com/history_peru_textiles.html

Another great place to bring kids are the salt mines of Maras
where kids will be fascinated by walking the slabs of natural salt.
For feeding your kids, Wallpa Wasi is a cozy countryside
restaurant that serves grilled chicken buffet-style and has a big

yard with trampolines and games for children. An additional
option is to spend the afternoon at Wayra, which is a countryside
center of the Sol y Luna hotel which offers different hands-on

experiences for the visitors of the valley, most of which are
dedicated exclusively to children. The concept of Wayra is to
teach young kids the art and culture of the place’s settlers
through ceramic and textile workshops. They also offer
horseback rides and mountain bicycle excursions of the valley.

Low Phone Bills when in Peru

If you have a need to keep in contact with your business or for personal reasons while in Peru here is how you keep your phone bill low.

Have your regular American landline and mobile numbers forwarded to Skype. If you happen to be at your computer, you receive the calls, in Peru at absolutely no cost. If you leave your computer to enjoy yourself, or just unplug for a while, Skype will automatically re-forward your incoming calls to a prepaid Peruvian mobile phone — which costs $20.

In Peru you pay nothing to receive calls (in most countries outside of the United States, incoming calls do not count as billable minutes, only outgoing calls). You do have to pay Skype the long distance rate for calling a Peruvian cell phone from the United States. That runs $0.30 per minute. But, some of the time you would be happy to pay $0.30 per minute. Yet, for nonemergency calls, you simply tell the caller that you will call them back when you get back to your hotel or home — which costs nothing if done via Skype.

So, for:

$30 cost of Skype per year

$20 cost of disposable Peruvian prepaid mobile phone

$10-$50 Total costs of long distance for forwarded calls to Peru in a month you could live and work in Peru indefinitely.