A taste of Peru: gastronomic wonder

Welcome to Peru, upon your arrival you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Overnight at selected hotel at Lima.

Morning Gastronomic tour: Stimulate your taste buds with a gastronomic tour exploring Lima´s food flavors and colors. Begin in the vibrant Miraflores market, which is a popular choice by local chefs for its wonderful variety of fresh produce from the coast, the Andes and the jungle. Learn about Peru’s food diversity that is reflected in the colorful assortment of vegetables, fruits, fish and condiments. Drop in at a local ‘jugueria’ to sample a juice made with exotic local fruits: chirimoya, lucuma, guanabana or passion fruit. The choice is yours!

Then, head to San Isidro to visit the El Olivar, a park with ancient olive trees, brought from Seville in the 16th century and its nice surrounding chalets from the 1920s. Try a Limenian specialty ‘pan con chicharron’, a sandwich served with sliced fried pork and sweet potato. Afterwards, visit the artistic quarter in Barranco and stroll past charming old houses where sculptors, writers and poets reside. End your tour with a ‘picarones’ tasting and try the Peruvian tradition of eating these sweet potatoes/pumpkin doughnuts that are served with flavored syrup - a popular dessert since colonial times.

Dinner at La Huaca: In the evening you will be transferred to Huaca Pucllana. This restaurant is set in the archaeological complex Huaca Pucllana. The main dining room, featuring a mix of rustic colonial and minimalist décor, is a cozy place to dine. Still, the best spot for superb views of the pyramid is surely the covered terrace.

Overnight at selected hotel at Lima.

Included: Breakfast and dinner.

At proper time you will be transferred to the airport to take the flight to Cusco.

Sacred Valley Tour & Misminay Community visit: Your guide will meet you at the airport in Cusco to start your journey to your hotel in the Sacred Valley, in route you will visit to the charming community of Chinchero. You will join a local weaving family in their courtyard for an overview of the Andean weaving process. Chinchero is renowned for the production of textiles done on backstrap looms. You watch as wool is carded, spun, and dyed and learn about the different techniques used to create belts, ponchos and shawls.

Later you continue to the age-old terraced salt mines in Maras covering the whole of the hillside. The dominant color is an intense white that burns like snow on a sunny day - an impressive sight for any visitor. Salt was extracted from these mines from Inca times and the same method has been used ever since - all work is done by hand. You then head to Moray. The circular terraces hidden among the hills are like a Greek amphitheater. Surrounded by an impressive backdrop of snow-covered mountains, Moray was used as an open-air agricultural lab for adapting crops to different environmental conditions.

Then, you will visit the Andean community of Misminay near Maras. A warm welcome with traditional dance and music awaits you.

Peruvian dishes are not complete without herbs and usually, spicy salsa is served with every meal. Today you will learn how to prepare Uchucuta salsa. To do so you need to roll up your sleeves, as the first step is to crush chili and herbs with a huge stone. The women of the community will show you how to mix up all the ingredients to get the delicious but spicy salsa that is an absolute must-try.

Overnight at selected hotel at Sacred Valley.

Included: Breakfast and lunch.

Start off by exploring the small, charming village of Lamay near Pisac, Lamay’s main source of income comes from agriculture: farming various native products of the region such as potatoes, corn, quinoa, tarwi, and beans as well as guinea pigs. You´ll stroll through the village and stop at a local chicheria, where your host will introduce you to the “chicha”, the traditional corn beer produced here since Inca times. Continuing, you will be invited to the home of a small guinea pig farm. The guinea pig is one of the main dishes in the area, mainly consumed during important festivities.

Then, continue to the vibrant Pisaq market in the Sacred Valley. Originally, a place where people from remote communities used to barter their products, Pisaq has evolved to one of South America's most famous souvenir markets. Make sure to sample some 'empanadas' baked in traditional clay ovens.

Lunch at Hacienda Sarapampa

Afterwards, continue to Hacienda Sarapampa where you will enjoy a quintessential lunch - a charming farm in the Sacred Valley growing Giant White Corn. Toasted corn has been a common snack in Peru before the Inca times. In fact, a new study reveals the ancient Peruvian man was preparing corn-based foods up to 6,700 years ago. And at Sarampampa you’ll have the chance to learn how the Incas developed this extra-large variety and about its relevance for the local economy. Ancestral techniques are still in use at Sarapampa to produce chewy kernels highly valued as unique source of health benefits. Savor then a delicious 3-course lunch made with local produce and techniques used since colonial times.

Beer tasting: End your tour in the Sacred Valley with a one-hour brewery tour, which includes six sample tastings at the micro-brewery of ‘Cerveceria del Valle Sagrado’. The company began as an initiative by three young entrepreneurs, two Americans and one Peruvian. ‘Cerveceria del Valle Sagrado’ brings a variety of hand-crafted beers to the Cusco region, with master brewer Joseph Giammatteo surprising you with unique Andean-inspired ales and lagers, produced using high quality ingredients and glacial spring water from over 3,000 meters above sea level. Your tour includes one snack.

Overnight at selected hotel at Sacred Valley.

Included: Breakfast and lunch.

At proper time, transfer from your hotel in the Sacred Valley to Ollanta train station.

The train ride takes you through the Sacred Valley of the Incas up to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu tour: Upon arriving in Aguas Calientes you will be greeted by your guide who will assist you onto the shuttle bus to the entrance of the citadel. For centuries Machu Picchu remained undiscovered by the Spaniards and has only been found in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham. During your guided tour you will experience the uniqueness of the location and the genius that went into its construction. The duration of your magical trip to one of the seven new wonders of the world will be 2.5 hours, after which you will make your way back out of the citadel with your guide.

In the afternoon, return by train from Aguas Calientes to Ollanta. Arrival and transfer to your hotel in Cusco.

Overnight at selected hotel at Cusco.

Included: Breakfast and lunch.

Exploring on foot is the best way to experience the magical flair and cultural richness of what was once the capital of the Inca Empire. Your morning walk begins with the San Pedro market, where you will immerse yourself among the locals and witness their everyday life. You will see beautiful colonial houses on Plazoleta Regocijo and in Café Carbel you will learn the story of a pioneer who collected the finest coffee beans and was one of the first to install a roaster in Cusco, a tradition full of passion that has lasted for over 50 years. Enjoy a cup of aromatic coffee from the region! Time to visit one of the gems at the main square of Cusco, the Jesuit church La Compañia de Jesús, one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in the Americas. The choir balcony on the second floor offers a great view over the Plaza de Armas. Then you walk along Hatunrumiyoc Street named after the 12-angled stone clearly visible in the remaining walls of what used to be Inca Roca’s Palace. You make a last stop in San Blas artisan quarter with its steeped cobblestone alleys and spectacular views of the city.

Chocolate workshop

This afternoon you will have a 2-hour workshop at Choco Museum. You can learn everything that you ever wanted to know about chocolate and (Peruvian) cocoa and even make your own chocolate (that you can pick up a few hours later).

Overnight at selected hotel at Cusco.

Included: Breakfast.

Enjoy your free time in Cusco to go shopping or rest.

Transfer to the airport in Cusco to take the flight back home in Lima.

Included: Breakfast.