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New York - December 18, 2012: Peru's first official bird race, the Birding Rally Challenge, recently wrapped up after six successful days of non-stop birdwatching.
Organized by Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR) along with Inkaterra Asociación (ITA) and Promperu, The Birding Rally Challenge saw 24 world-renowned experts go head-to-head in a competition to find as many bird species as possible in the Amazon Basin. The six-day rally started at Tambopata in the Amazon rainforest, traveled up the Andes, over the South Interoceanic Highway and finished in the cloud forest of Machu Picchu. There were a total of six teams from five different countries (U.S., UK, Brazil, South Africa and Spain), and 649 of the 700 species that can be found in the area were spotted. Many of the birds spotted had never been seen before by participants.
The teams stayed at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica in the rainforest and Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in Machu Picchu and followed Inkaterra's specialist birding routes throughout the challenge.
The winning team - nicknamed the "Tigrisomas" - was from Louisiana State University and identified 493 species in total.
"This event was a tremendous occasion for both Peru and Inkaterra, enabling visitors to see the country's vast wildlife in a unique and exciting way. Peru has more than 1,800 species of birds - 20 percent of the world's total - of which 120 are endemic," says Jose Koechlin, CEO/Founder and Chairman of Inkaterra Hotels. "We are thrilled that the rally was such a success, and are already looking forward to the next one."
Plans are in the works for a second Birding Rally Challenge; the Peruvian Vice Minister of Tourism recently announced the next one will take place in the northern lowlands of Peru next year.
To learn more about Inkaterra, visit: www.inkaterra.com.
ABOUT INKATERRA:
Inkaterra is a Peruvian organization that celebrates 37 years of experience in sustainable tourism initiatives. It focuses on preserving and rescuing Peru's geography, nature, customs and cultures and sharing them with the world. Since 2011 Inkaterra holds the Rainforest Alliance Verification in Sustainable Tourism, and the company is also winner of the Relais & Châteaux 2013 Environment Trophy, the 2012 Tourism
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