Resident grazing alpaca one of many Peruvian touches

Northern Peru’s Tambo Sapalanchan hotel has a permanent resident that will help remind guests just which part of the world they’re in. The hotel, found by the community of Lamud and in the province of Amazonas, is home to a resident alpaca named Spartaco, with alpacas being close relatives of llamas, which are often viewed as being iconic of the Andean nation.

But hotel owner Paul Darc Murazzi cautions that while guests are generally intrigued when they spot Spartaco, it’s best to put some distance between themselves and the furry creature.

“Well, tourists always love to see them, but you can’t get too close because they’re not very sociable,” he cautions of Spartaco, who grazes on hotel grounds.

Llamas and their close relatives are known for often spitting at people who venture close to them, a way of cautioning those people to keep their distance. Darc Murazzi says Spartaco isn’t the only Peruvian touch that Tambo Sapalanchan guests will find.

“It’s a hotel with a lot of art, not just Peruvian,” he adds. “People always tell us it looks like a museum. The food we serve is international and fused with local products, but we also serve certain typical dishes such as lomo saltado, trout in various options, chaufa rice with cecina, and Alfredo noodles with cecina, but the menu is subject to prior coordination. In addition to that, we have a vegetable garden, and the vast majority of the dishes are made with our own products, while some are purchased from neighboring communities, thus helping the local people.