Peru cultural & cooking holiday
| country: | Peru |
| departures: | 2009: 16 Apr |
| price: | From US $2960 - US $4750 (9 -14 days) including domestic flights only, as per the itinerary. Includes most meals, accommodation, entry fees and transfers. We can arrange tailor-made departures for four or more travellers |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Honoured by National Geographic Traveler magazine as one of 50 Tours of a Lifetime (2007)
For nine days we delve into the cultural heart of Peru via a hands-on exploration of its world class gastronomy and rich cultural traditions.
From Lima to the Sacred Valley, we meet organic farmers, cook with a Slow Food award winner, visit local markets, eat and drink with distinguished chefs and spend time with local friends who invite us into their homes and their lives, offering us extraordinary access rarely granted to foreign visitors.
Whether this is your first time to Peru or your fifth, our two night extension to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is compelling. An overnight stay below the site at one of South America’s most stunning eco-lodges allows us to savor our experience with time to reflect upon Machu Picchu’s visual grandeur, rich history and mysterious allure.
Our extension to Puerto Maldonado is highly recommended for those with an appetite to experience the brash, natural world of the Peruvian Amazon. Our lodging is at the upscale and eco-friendly – read: no air conditioning – Reserva Amazonica. A twilight boat ride, a suspended canopy walk, a two mile hike to Lake Sandoval, highly trained naturalist guides and great food combine to make our jungle experience second to none.
Experiences includePrepare a Pachamanca, one of Peru’s oldest and most festive culinary traditions involving the baking of a rich banquet with the aid of hot stones in an earthen oven. Behind the Scenes at the MALI. After a curator-led tour of the Lima Art Museum (MALI), we enjoy a private, after-hours wine reception with the museum’s director. Go Organic! Visit Lima’s weekly farmers market & talk with those leading the city’s growing organic revival. Ceviche Seminar. Learn the fine art of ceviche accompanied by one of Lima’s top practitioners. From the fish market to the kitchen, this is a lesson to savor. Andean Textile Traditions. Nilda Callañaupa shows us how the 2,000 year old Peruvian textile art is woven into daily Andean life, rituals and festivals. Community Bonds. Make a positive impact at a rural elementary school. Visit with Cupertino, the tireless headmaster and his 60+ students. Coca, the Sacred Leaf. Create coca leaf dark chocolates and savor a coca leaf inspired lunch while learning about the traditional uses of this sacred plant. Grains & Grapes with Gabriel. Explore local markets with a professor of culinary arts to learn about Peru’s endemic grains and produce. Later, we prepare and enjoy fresh Andean cuisine, drinks & delectable Pisco-infused desserts. Mysterious Machu Picchu. Stay the night at one of South America’s finest eco-lodges and spend the full next day exploring one of the world’s greatest wonders. (during our post-trip extension) Immersive Amazon - Surround yourself in the brashness of the Amazon jungle in the company of expert, naturalist guides (during our Amazon extension)
Best time to go: May through October are fine months for travel in Peru. May is the start of the dry season, while everything is still quite green and fresh. September has great weather as well and both those months avoid the peak tourist season of July and August.
For nine days we delve into the cultural heart of Peru via a hands-on exploration of its world class gastronomy and rich cultural traditions.
From Lima to the Sacred Valley, we meet organic farmers, cook with a Slow Food award winner, visit local markets, eat and drink with distinguished chefs and spend time with local friends who invite us into their homes and their lives, offering us extraordinary access rarely granted to foreign visitors.
Whether this is your first time to Peru or your fifth, our two night extension to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is compelling. An overnight stay below the site at one of South America’s most stunning eco-lodges allows us to savor our experience with time to reflect upon Machu Picchu’s visual grandeur, rich history and mysterious allure.
Our extension to Puerto Maldonado is highly recommended for those with an appetite to experience the brash, natural world of the Peruvian Amazon. Our lodging is at the upscale and eco-friendly – read: no air conditioning – Reserva Amazonica. A twilight boat ride, a suspended canopy walk, a two mile hike to Lake Sandoval, highly trained naturalist guides and great food combine to make our jungle experience second to none.
Experiences include
Best time to go: May through October are fine months for travel in Peru. May is the start of the dry season, while everything is still quite green and fresh. September has great weather as well and both those months avoid the peak tourist season of July and August.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Lima |
| Day 2: | Prepare a Pachamanca + Behind the Scenes at the MALI |
| Day 3: | Ceviche Seminar & the Larco Museum |
| Day 4: | Chinchero Market & Master Weavers |
| Day 5: | Andean Herbs, Crop Circles & Salt Flats |
| Day 6: | Community Bonds in Yanaoca |
| Day 7: | Coca, the Sacred Leaf |
| Day 8: | Grains & Grapes with Gabriel |
| Day 9-11: | Optional Magical Machu Picchu extension |
| Day 12-14: | Optional Amazon Extension |
small group cultural tours
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as experiencing new cultures.how this holiday makes a difference
 We insist on being not only responsible travellers, but on making a positive impact on the communities with which we come into contact. We work hand-in-hand with local leaders in every destination we visit to spend time as well as money in their communities, to ask questions and to support the living traditions that make these destinations unique. To that end, we created an annual awards celebration to honour the indigenous weavers of the Sacred Valley. Now in its third year, over 500 weavers from eight participating communities compete for pride and prizes. Nearly 30 are honored with medals, certificates of achievement and a share a prize pool which has reached $3,000 per year. We also make a positive impact in the community of Yanoaca, where donations from a number of sources, including our travelers, have facilitated the construction a school kitchen and other infrastructure projects at Chosicani elementary in Yanoaca. Thanks to this broad-based collaboration, 60+ students now receive nutritional, hot meals while attending school. We aim to travel responsibly in other ways as well, working only with local, bi-lingual trip leaders as well as specialist guides and day leaders. Not only is this sustainable economic policy, it is by far the best way to learn about the local people and culture. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |