Staying in Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion – Blogpost by Brooke Burroughs

I’m sitting in the open, screened in cabana during our stay in Hacienda Concepcion, a short, 30 minute boat ride down the river from the Puerto Maldoranado airport in Peru. I love the room. It’s quiet, especially on our fourth day here, I decided to skip a second excursion to climb a 40 meter tower and walk through the jungle canopy on a rope suspension bridges. A rustle in the palms outside my screened in porch beckons my gaze. Small quizzical eyes peer toward me, as if even the animal wants to see my expression. All I’ve been asking for the past two days is to see some tamarin monkeys. And here are two skipping through the palm fronds and dense greenery, right outside my room. 

Moments like this…

…Are what I love about trips immersed in nature. The constant surprise, the unexpected, and the astonishment when it happens to you–as if nature herself is nudging you in the side and sharing an inside joke. I got you, girl. And even when it’s not expected, or that wish for an animal sighting doesn’t materialize, something else surprises me. The crazed, mohawk of the squawking quetzel bird, or the fact that I can finally conquer my fear of heights on the suspension bridge because when I look down, I only see trees. 

Going to Peru is a trip that’s been ten years in the making. Both my husband and I love vacations that have us immersed in wildlife, whether we’re staying in a canvas tent on the plains of the Serengeti or in a cabin in Costa Rica. And we missed the opportunity to go to a friend’s wedding in Peru ten years before because of work (I know, you can kick me too for it). But we are here. And there is so much to see.

Let’s talk about the food at Inkaterra

Like so many Central and South American countries, the food is fresh. Everything tastes as it’s just been plucked from the ground. And whether you’re vegan, gluten free, paleo, or a combination of all three, I think Peru has cuisine to offer you. One of my new favorites is tacu tacu, a bean and rice dish with a fried egg and plantains. Or there is the way they work magic with a salty cheese that reminds me of halloumi. 

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion Sustainable Travel Lodge

But that doesn’t distract from the main attraction, which is being immersed in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, taking twenty foot long canoes from the airport to the resort, or from the resort to a nearby lake where we take our chances to see endangered giant river otters playing in the tall grass, and catching fish in their surprisingly razor-like teeth. We were lucky to see these adorably huge versions of their North American cousins, very regular otters. Just as we were fortunate the night before to see capybara, the cutest and largest rodents you can imagine, resting on the banks after dark. What I’ve learned is that the longer you stay in nature, the more you see, the more you learn, and the more you get to experience. And Inkaterra is an excellent place to do that. 

Our last day

Native Tours recommended that we stay four nights and I’m so glad we did. It took two trips to the lake swimming with yellow bellied piranhas to see the river otters. On our last day there, getting on the canoes to go back to the airport, the tamarin monkeys made another surprise appearance, flying through the trees. The multicolored lizard I kept sneaking glances at made its most robust appearance on the third day. And in the canopy, we saw a mother sloth and its baby eating bright green leaves. 

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion Sustainable Travel Lodge (https://www.inkaterra.com/inkaterra/inkaterra-hacienda-concepcion/the-experience)

Not only that, although I loved our time in Cusco during the days that followed, there is something about being in nature, without television or cell phone service and the everyday distractions that bog our minds down, to reconnect with the thing we come from, to be immersed in a bright tropical landscape, to touch the waxy leaves of a fuchsia flower you’ve never seen, and to just marvel at the birds, mammals, and even the occasional scorpion that you happen across. It’s not only an opportunity to learn about the earth by walking through Inkaterra’s medicinal garden, but also to learn about ourselves and what’s inside as we disconnect and break, albeit briefly, from our highly connected, digititzed, social media infused world.

Brooke Burroughs is an award-winning author of fun love stories about women with a heart for adventure. Brooke lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, who she met on one of her own real-life adventures living in India. When she’s not writing, she conducts experiments in vegetarian cooking, performs with a Bollywood dance troupe, travels whenever she can, and is frequently seen at the dog park with her Great Dane which is often mistaken for a horse. For more information visit her website at www.brookeburroughs.com