PERU
The spirit of reciprocity ("Ayni") was cemented by training and hiring locals from each community to become invaluable members of our lodge staff.
Mountain Lodges of Peru offers unique lodge-to-lodge adventures and cultural immersions in the Andean Highlands to Machu Picchu and beyond. When MLP founder, Enrique Umbert Sr., began exploring the Salkantay Trail, he realized the importance of building relationships with the remote communities along the route. After all, this region had been their home for multiple generations, and out of respect for their patrimonial heritage, Enrique sought out community leaders to establish a meaningful spirit of reciprocity and personal connection.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
When building their lodges, the MLP team took great care to protect the landscape and rich natural resources of their cherished lands. Each lodge was designed to blend seamlessly into its unique environment, and all materials were transported, by only man or mule, from approved sources to the building sites. To this day, they continue their sustainability efforts through multiple environmental and agricultural initiatives, alongside their NGO, Yanapana Peru.
SOCIAL INCLUSION
The spirit of reciprocity was cemented by training and hiring locals from each community to become invaluable members of the MLP lodge staff. The goal: include their Andean neighbours and promote their future economic success as their partners in a climate of historically-established social unbalance. MLP subsequent social initiatives have and continue to include childhood education, access to professional medical care, family counseling, and the empowerment of Andean women in the social and economic landscape of modern-day Cusco.
GIVING BACK – YANAPANA PERU NGO
In 2006 Mountain Lodges of Peru sponsored the creation of Yanapana Peru, a non-profit organization dedicated to social and environmental responsibility and improvement. A strong belief in empowering Andean communities led to their teaming up with the local people of Huacahuasi, a remote hamlet in the Sacred Valley, to build the Huacahuasi Lodge. Not only are the members of this community active investors in the property, but they also provided them with the hospitality training necessary to join the MLP lodge team.
