South America Travel

Luxury hotel chain Orient Express have announced that they have opened Las Casitas de Colca hotel, in the Colca Canyon near Arequipa, Peru. The lodge has 21 bungalows (150 squared meters each) with under floor heating, a small pool and a 650 squared-meter spa. A total investemnet between $4.5-5 million.

Colca Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world after Peru's nearby Cotahuasi Canyon, is slowly being improved and more than 140,000 are expected to visit in 2008. The canyon is one of the best places in South America to see the Andean Condor, is home to dozens of hiking routes and unspoiled Andean villages, and a Thermal Bath complex.

The company also runs the Hiram Bingham luxury train(Cusco to Aguas Calientes), the Hotel Monasterio(Cusco), and the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (Aguas Caliente), and the Miraflores Park Hotel (Lima).