Peter Lauffer Journeys

Discover Peru Way Aboard Adventurous & Luxurious Trains

Peter Lauffer — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:06:04 +0000

Uncover Peru aboard this fascinating 13 day Journey from 15 – 27 November 2012. The journey will bring you to most of Peru’s well known cultura sites as well to less visited areas.

Charming Hotels in Ecuador: Hotel Mansion Alcazar in Cuenca

Peter Lauffer — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:00:21 +0000

Cuenca is conceivably one of the most charming colonial cities in South America; hence, you should include a thorough visit when traveling in Ecuador. The Hotel Mansion Alcazar is an excellent base to discover the city of Cuenca. The hotel is situated on Bolivar 12-55 and Tarqui in the middle of Cuenca’s colonial center, only a few blocks away from the Plaza Calderon with its cathedral.

The Mansion Alcazar’s public areas are graciously decorated with traditional furniture; thus, these areas encourage to have a rest, drink an afternoon tea or have a chat with a fellow traveler. Mansion Alcazars exceptional gardens let brush aside that you are in the middle of Ecuador’s third largest city. Observe birds, and explore the Cuenca’s native flora during a walk around the superbly well kept gardens.

The guest rooms have all doors and windows to the main patio or to a corridor who leeds to the patio; consequently, the rooms have little direct daylight which is a characteristic for colonial buildings in Ecuador. The hotel staff is friendly and mindful making your hotel stay an excepcional experience. The hotel bar serves excellent Gin Tonic with fresh, sparkling Tonic water which is rarely found in Ecuador’s hotel bars. A small buffet breakfast is served in the hotel’s restaurant.

I recommend the Hotel Mansion Alcazar to all those travelers who seek an exclusive accommodation experience while visiting the beautiful city of Cuenca. If you plan just one nice hotel stay during your journey inEcuador, you should consider to stay overnight at the Hotel Mansion Alcazar in Cuenca.

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Charming Hotels in Ecuador: La Casona de la Ronda in Quito

Peter Lauffer — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:56:04 +0000

One of my favorite hotels in Quito is “La Casona de La Ronda” which is situated in Quito’s fantastic colonial neighborhood “La Ronda”. The small hotel is built around a large patio that characterizes most historical buildings in colonial Quito. The hotel has 22 cozy guest rooms, of which all have a private shower and toilet. The fabulous hanging garden acts as an eye-catcher in the contemporary second courtyard where hotel guests are enjoying the afternoon tea, reading a book or are socializing with other hotel guests. The buffet style American breakfast is the speciality of the house, offering many local ingredients for the curious traveler to try.

“La Casona de la Ronda” is an excellent choice for those travelers who are seeking a genuine hotel experience in Quito with an outstanding personalized service. Staying at “La Casona de la Ronda” means being part of a traditional Quito neighborhood, moreover, being in walking distance to many of Quito’s finest museums, historical sites, restaurants and bars. “La Casona de la Ronda” is unquestionably a gem among Quito’s hotels; hence, it is especially recommended for them who seek unconventional experiences while traveling.

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Ecuador’s Flowering Plants – Blooming Beauty Beyond Belief

Peter Lauffer — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:43:19 +0000

“Ecuador’s Flowering Plants – Blooming Beauty Beyond Belief” is the theme of the tour I am planning from 11-20 January 2013. I am organizing this tour for the 3rd time together with Donna Dawson from www.gardeningtours.com for flower and garden enthusiasts.

Some say that Ecuador’s National Flower is the rose, other say it is the Orchid, which ever it is, my guests get access to Ecuador’s finest rose, and orchid farms; moreover, they will learn about the international flower trade and learn about general trends in the flower industry.

The Andean highlands in the Quito ara have a spring-like climate all year round; and for this reason, many flowers are in bloom during most parts of the year. We visit important private and public gardens during the tour where the creators and owners show the group personally around their properties.

In Ecuador exist 3’800 species of Orchids; hence, the Orchids will be an important factor of the tour. Party will meet Ecuador’s leading Orchid experts and visit South Americas largest Orchid farm near Cuenca; furthermore we will visit Ecuador’s best botanical gardens.

Ecuador’s flora represents 10% of the worldwide plant species; therefore this tour gives an excellent introduction to the plant diversity in this part in the world. Furthermore, Ecuador has an rich pre-colonial and colonial history; as a result, it has many historical buildings and historical site to visit.

Those interested in the tour please visit www.gardeningtours.com for more details about the tour.

Lima – Huancayo Railway – A True Railway Experience

Peter Lauffer — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:11:20 +0000

Peru isn’t famous for its railways, but nevertheless, there exist very interesting railway lines who propose extraordinary means of travel in some scenic parts of the country. Best known is perhaps the train from Cusco to Aguas Calentes near Machu Picchu or Andes Explorer from Cusco to Puno near the Titicaca Lake. Another fantastic, but mostly unknown railway journey goes from Lima, up to the Mantaro Valley, to Huancayo. On the Lima – Huancayo line run only 2 passenger trains per month in each direction. The trip is so organized, that between the journey Lima – Huancayo and Huancayo – Lima are 2 days that can be spent in Huancayo exploring the Mantaro Valley. The main characteristic of this train journey is the altitude difference Between Lima at 150 m a.s.l. and Galeras at 4781 m.a.s.l.. The Galeras train station was considered the highest railway station in the world before the Quinghai – Tibet train started its operation in 2006. The train tracks from Lima to Huancayo pass over spectacular bridges and wind up the mountain on switch-backs. On the journey from Lima to Huancayo is a nurse on the train and oxygen is available for those who encounter altitude problems. The train has carriages in Touristico (1st. class) and Classico (2nd class). The journey takes abut 12 hours in each direction, food is included in the fare and the “Turistico Class” has a bar carriage where the traveler can enjoy a Pisco Sour or a “Mate de Coca”. In Huancayo can it be difficult to find good accommodation for the days when the train runs, for this reason is it important to book the hotel rooms well in advance.

I am planning to organize a tour where we travel on various Peruvian trains in November. If you wold be interested to be part of such a journey please contact me.

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