Isolated Peru Police Station Attacked, Two Injured

At least two police officers were badly injured following an attack on a police station near Quillabamba in the Cusco region, allegedly perpetrated by drug traffickers of the coca-growing Apurimac and Ene river valley, or VRAE, authorities say. The attack occurred early Monday in the town of Pucyura, district of Vilcabamba, in Cusco’s La Convencion province, [...]

Rolling Stones Front Man Mick Jagger Arrives at Machu Picchu

British rock star Mick Jagger arrived at the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu on Thursday, as part of a trip to Peru that has included a sit-down with President Ollanta Humala and a visit to an eco-lodge in the jungle region of Madre de Dios. The front man for the Rolling Stones, Jagger travelled [...]

Cuzco, Madre de Dios and Arequipa lead human trafficking cases

Peru’s southern regions of Cusco, Madre de Dios and Arequipa have had the highest number of human trafficking cases so far this year, CNR news service reported, citing the Health ministry. So far this year, the ministry has rescued 229 people who were victims of human trafficking, the report says. Cusco had the most cases with 35, [...]

Celebrations for Machu Picchu anniversary ready to begin

Celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu are ready to begin on Saturday, the head of the commission responsible for organizing the festivities, Ricardo Vega, said. “We are all ready, even though there are always last minute logistical difficulties, but I think they can be overcome,” state news agency Andina reported Vega [...]

Cusco community defenders: planting hope to root out violence

By Annie Thériault— Where is the justice? In Peru, a nation still struggling to recover from a sordid 20-year cycle of terror, political uncertainty and corruption, this simple yet poignant question has become an almost daily litany. And for victims of intra-familiar or domestic violence – or every third woman in Peru – it has [...]

Machu Picchu rail line expected to be restored ahead of schedule

Train access to Peru’s sacred Inca citadel Machu Picchu is expected to be restored on March 29, three days ahead of schedule, the general manager of Peruvian rail firm Ferrocarril Transandino, or Fetransa, said Thursday. Fetransa General Manager Rómulo Guidin told state-run news agency Andina that travelers would be able to reach the 15th century [...]

Seven killed by flooding in Cusco region

Seven people were killed Wednesday when heavy rainfall flooded the Quitamayo river in Pisac, a town located in the Sacred Valley in Peru’s southern Cusco department. According to Radio Programas Peru, the people were employed by Construyendo Peru, a State-run national program which provides temporary work for the unemployed living in poverty. The employees were [...]

Cusco tourism office proposes alternative trail to Machu Picchu

An alternative hiking trail to Machu Picchu is being proposed by the head of Cusco’s Regional Office for Foreign Trade and Tourism, Víctor Hugo Pérez, to allow tourists access to the sacred Inca citadel earlier than expected. Pérez said that if the Piso de Valle trail is approved by the Machu Picchu Management Unit, UNM, the citadel could [...]

New train companies to compete on the Machu Picchu line

One new company, possibly two, will be competing with Peru Rail later this year, providing more railroad services on the highly-prized line to the pre-hispanic citadel of Machu Picchu, Peru’s key tourist attraction. The first company to be granted the license is Inca Rail, formed by the Peruvian company Grupo Crosland and Turistren of Colombia [...]

Potato Science for the Poor: UN conference held in Cusco

More than 90 of the world’s leading authorities on the potato met in Cusco this week to discuss sustainable potato-based systems, in a four-day conference sponsored by the International Potato Center, CIP, and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO. One of the expected outputs of the conference has been dubbed the “Cusco Challenge,” a [...]

Next Page »