Peru food tour

Environment

Travel and tourism can have positive as well as negative consequences for the environment, the economy and the social and cultural structures of communities. Sustainable tourism -the travel trade’s principles of using tourism to benefit local communities, conserve natural resources, and bolster the survival of cultural heritage – lies close to our heart. Our love and passion for Latin America makes us strive to protect the destinations we take you to visit. As members of AITO, we’re committed to AITO’s Sustainable Tourism Guidelines, which means that we ensure that environmental and cultural demands are kept as low as possible.
We pride ourselves on delivering our clients truly authentic and memorable experiences in Latin America by helping them to immerse in the culture of the destinations we visit. We work with local foundations, including the LATA Foundation, which is a UK-based charity with social and environmental projects throughout the continent. To give an example, the LATA Foundation runs the Ecoan reforestation project in the Sacred Valley, one of the destinations we visit during this tour. This project aims to plant a million native trees in the Sacred Valley by 2020.
We’ve developed strong relationships with local suppliers who all share our vision and agree to uphold a commitment to local communities and their development through fair employment policies and responsible energy use, and ensure that benefits from tourism filter down to local communities.
We carefully select our local partners, some we’ve worked with for over 25 years. They have a proven record in training guides to set a good example in their respect for the surroundings and the local communities. Throughout the tour, they make sure to pass on advice and encouragement to visitors on how to preserve the environment, including by refilling water bottles, disposing of rubbish in a responsible way and not disturbing the local flora and fauna. In addition, they will provide recommendations during market visits on what products are safe to buy and not made from endangered animals or plants.
On this tour we use good quality boutique and first class hotels, all relatively small. We give preference to accommodation which have a verifiable commitment to eco-friendly practices.

Community

During this tour we try to support the local community as best as possible by visiting local markets, restaurants, shops, vineyards and ranches. These tours are aimed to be educational in that visitors will learn not only how local food is produced, but also what the importance is of different ingredients and processes for the local communities. There is also an optional excursion in Rancho Wayra, whereby the ranch’s chef takes you to visit the farms that provide the ingredients for the dishes at the ranch. Here you can learn more about their use and agricultural methods as well. All the meals at the ranch are made of local ingredients.
Our local partners also encourage visitors to buy local products and will help answering any questions visitors might have regarding this. In addition, they will explain the importance of giving gifts responsibly and the best way to do this, as well as acting in a respectful way while taking photographs.
In addition, we aim to offer accommodation that reflects the environment you are visiting. In Ica for example, we stay at Hotel Vinas Queirolo, a hacienda-style building resembling an upmarket Peruvian country house. The hotel is set in a bucolic landscape of vines sweeping out towards the mountainous horizon. We believe such hotels are important in preserving the area’s cultural and historical heritage, and contribute in enhancing the experience for visitors at the same time.