PERU FOOD TOUR 2022: CEVICHE, SEAFOOD & PISCO SOURS

Fulfill your adventure with a culinary tour of Peru! You will have the chance to dine in a museum like you never have before; learn to cook with a famous chef in the Sacred Valley; learn to shop for food and vegetables in the Lima street markets; learn to make Ceviche (raw fish dish) and Pisco Sour (typical cocktail of Peru); and visit a real Andean Village where you will appreciate how the potatoes are harvested and cooked.

Our tour takes you to the best restaurants in Peru, as well as some small simple local favorites. Some of the meals in the nicer restaurants will not be paid in advance so you can order freely off the menu, as we recognize that you all have sophisticated and individual tastes for food and wine. Some meals specially those in remote areas or those which come with a cooking class will be included.

Recently, following UNESCO recommendations, Peruvian authorities have placed restrictions on the visitation of Machu Picchu, the lost Incan ruins. Currently, no more than 2,500 people daily will be allowed to visit the ruins. While these new restrictions are great for the preservation of the ruins, they may cause some difficulties in your ability to visit them, so we recommend booking with plenty of notice.

Day 01 LIMA

Upon arrival, meeting on arrival and transferr to the hotel.

Day 02 LIMA

This morning, enjoy a private tour of Lima, one of the most important cities in South America since its founding in 1535. Journey through the historic center of the city and admire the beauty of San Martín and other Major squares, the Cathedral and the Government Palace. Also visit San Francisco Convent, a religious building from the end of the 16th century, and its catacombs. Then take the time to drive through the residential districts of San Isidro and Miraflores. After the tour, enjoy lunch at a typical cevicheria in Miraflores facing the Pacific Ocean.

This afternoon, take some time to visit the Larco Herrera Museum, Archeological Museum or Gold Museum depending on one’s interests.
This evening, be met at the hotel and transferred to Huaca Pucllana, fifth century pre-Columbian ruins. Here is where one will enjoy a unique experience, dining facing a 1,500-year-old pyramid lit up in the night sky. The restaurant resembles a colonial country house and is run by Chef Marilu Madueno who combines local ingredients and flavors to create a memorable dinner. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included) Please note that a tour of the Huaca Pucllana ruins is not included. To include a tour, at an additional cost, please contact a Peru Traces Travel Consultant.
(Breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Day 03 LIMA MARKETS

After breakfast visit a local market to see the different types of fresh fish and seafood that have come in from the Pacific Ocean. Leaving the market, continue to Caplina restaurant. This establishment specializes in seafood located in Miraflores. There will be the opportunity to prepare one’s own ceviche and Pisco Sours for lunch. Afterwards, head to Barranco, a lovely and antique section of the city to taste a few of the most popular Peruvian desserts and visit local library where one can purchase books in English on Peruvian gastronomy.

This evening at leisure, Peru Traces Travel suggests enjoying dinner at the popular Astrid y Gaston. Located in Miraflores, Astrid y Gaston is hugely popular and serves dishes prepared with local ingredients created with international and traditional flavors. (Breakfast, lunch included)

Day 04 LIMA-CUSCO

After breakfast this morning, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco, meeting on arrival and transfer to the hotel.
After check in, visit San Blas square and enjoy lunch in a lovely garden appropriately called Greens. If one happens to be lunching here on a Sunday, one will be treated to their famous roasted chicken lunch. After Lunch, stroll leisurely down to the hotel to have a few hours to rest and acclimate.
This evening, enjoy dinner at Cicciolina, a beautiful and upscale restaurant serving Novo Andino Cuisine. Novo Andino Cuisine represents traditional Andean food, with new presentations.
(Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)

Day 05 CUSCO WALKING TOUR –URUBAMBA SACRED VALLEY

This morning, enjoy a private walking tour of Cusco visiting the Cathedral (home to some of the finest artwork in all of Peru), Santo Domingo Church, and San Blas Church. Pass by some of the city’s most colorful streets and Major Square (Plaza de Armas). This afternoon enjoy lunch at a typical Andean restaurant before starting a tour of the Korikancha temple (Temple of the Sun), and the Inca ruins around the city of Cusco: Tambomachay (Inca Fountains), Puca Pucara (Red Fortress), amphitheater of Kenko and finally the Sacsahuaman Fortress. This afternoon, transfer to the Sacred Valley and check into the hotel.
This evening enjoy dinner at Killa Wasi, a restaurant specializing in Novo Andino cuisine. Here Chef Nacho Selis Martinez, who studied international, Creole and Andean cuisines in Lima, offers a diverse selection of local favorites.
(Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)

Day 06 URUBAMBA SACRED VALLEY

Today, get an early start to see the Sacred Valley as few tourists ever do. Drive through the Sacred Valley and enjoy the landscape while passing by small, local villages. The tour today begins at a mountain base where one will climb up into a small Andean village named Patabamba at 16,000 feet. The Peruvian Andes are the origination of the potato and over 3,000 kinds grow in Peru alone. Continuing the trek into Patabamba The first stop will be to visit a group of women who practice a traditional form of weaving, running their textile business with production goals with costs and profits. Today, also visit a local home to see how they live and how cook an essential part of their diet, potatoes!
This afternoon, head down the mountain and travel toward Pisac to enjoy a box lunch with the locals and spend the afternoon meandering through the popular Pisac Market, an indigenous Indian market.
This evening, return to the hotel in the Sacred Valley before heading to dinner at Hacienda Huayocari, a private residence with an impressive collection of Inca and colonial art and artifacts, hosted by the Lambarri-Orihuelas family .(Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)

Note: Please note that this tour will need to be modified in rainy season because the roads to the village will be inaccessible at that time of year. Because Patabamba lies 16,000 feet above sea level, this tour may not be suitable for people with heart disease or other illnesses. If one experiences any altitude sickness in Cusco they will want to tell the guide for the day so he may revise the itinerary to visit a small town in a lower altitude.

Day 07 CULINARY LESSON IN EL HUACATAY –MARAS- MORAY-SACRED VALLEY

Today, transfer to El Huacatay for a culinary lesson on preparing Novo Andino Cuisine, a recent international culinary trend. Novo Andio Cuisine is a style of fusion cuisine, first inspired by Bernardo Roca Rey and Don Cucho la Rosa in the early 1990s. The cuisine aims to create a delish eclectic combination of cultures from Spain, Africa, China and Japan that have all contributed to Peru’s culinary history. Chef Pio Vasquez de Velazco is the owner of El Huacatay, one of Urubamba’s best restaurants and well known for its Novo Andino menu.

After lunch visit Salineras, Maras and Moray. Salineras is a salt mine that has been in operation since Inca times and vice regal time. Constituted of around 3000 wells, salt is gathering after the water of each well has evaporated. Maras is a picturesque natural multicolored village with the most important salt mines of the region. Also in operation since Inca and vice regal times, Maras was the first production of salt in the meridian area of the ridges. Moray is a formidable archaeological complex built with admirable concentrically terraces system, taking the big amphitheater shape; these large terraces confirm that agriculture was their principal activity and the base of their economic development. This evening is at leisure. (Breakfast, lunch included)

Day 08 SACRED VALLEY – MACHU PICCHU

This morning, transfer to the Urubamba train station to board the train to Machu Picchu. Travel through the changing landscape while passing through the Sacred Valley and its lush fields and colorful villages in the foothills of the Andes. From there, the journey is highlighted by wonderful vistas of the mountains and the beautiful Urubamba River which runs through the Sacred Valley.

Upon arrival, in the town of Machu Picchu Pueblo at the foot of Machu Picchu, be taken to the Café Inkaterra for lunch. After buffet lunch, by bus up to Machu Picchu and enjoy a guided tour of the ruins. Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, was a flourishing ceremonial and agricultural site, probably the gateway to the jungle marches of the Inca Empire. The central buildings were erected with the polished stone works of the Cusco Imperial style, though the site was probably occupied well before the Incas started their expansion. It was associated with the earth cult revolving around the Coca leaf, which was a privilege of the Inca Royal family and priests. This evening is at leisure.
(Breakfast, lunch included)

Note: Government regulations limit the number of visitors to Machu Picchu daily. Entrance is subject to availability. Please book with plenty of notice to confirm entrance to the ruins for today and tomorrow.

Day 09 MACHU PICCHU-CUSCO

This morning, meeting at the hotel for a second visit to the Machu Picchu ruins. Those who are more adventurous can hike Huayna Picchu. This afternoon, have lunch at a local restaurant and some time at leisure before returning to Ollanta by train, continuing by car to Cusco in the late afternoon, ending at the hotel. After check in at the hotel transfer to Museo de Arte Precolombino. In the courtyard of the museo is the MAP Cafe serving a mix of pre-Columbian art and fine cuisine. There is time at leisure where one can order from the cafe serving integrative cuisine with a blend of Modern and Andean tastes. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)

Day 10 CUSCO – LIMA –FLIGHT HOME

Transfer to the airport for a flight to Lima and connect with the international flight home. (Breakfast included)