The peru cuisine tour

Transcription

1 The peru cuisine tour 14 day trip starts in lima, ends in puno This is a trip for anyone who enjoys good eating! It s similar to our Classic trip, with plenty of time exploring Machu Picchu, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Lake Titicaca, but has more luxurious accommodations and replaces the physically active Inca Trail options with food-focused days. On these, we tour the world's most diverse produce markets, take a cooking lesson, eat where the locals do, and spend a day at Mistura, the greatest gastronomic fair on the continent. Throughout the trip we sample Peru s justly famous cuisine in every setting from back-street stalls to world-famous fusion restaurants. Day 1: Welcome to lima let the eating begin! No gastronomic tour of Peru could start anywhere else Lima is one of the most passionately foodie cities on the planet. We ll get straight into it today with a lunch that showcases coastal Peruvian cuisine spicy, seafood-based ceviche is Peru s most famous national dish, and we ll sample it at one of Lima s best ceviche specialist restaurants. In the afternoon we ll check out the sights of central Lima historic plazas, churches and gorgeous colonial buildings before dinner at a peña (traditional theatre restaurant), where we ll start to get a taste of a folk culture that s just as rich and diverse as Peru s gastronomic tradition! Accommodation: Hotel in Lima Meals: Lunch and dinner included Day 2: LIMA, PERU CULINARY CAPITAL OF the AMERICAs One of the reasons Peruvian cuisine is so glorious is the diversity of Peru s produce from ocean, coast, mountains and jungle and it all comes together at the Magdalena Market, which we ll explore this morning. Later we ll head to Lima s beautiful, historic colonial center, and enjoy the world s best ceviche for lunch. In the evening we ll head for el Circuito Magica de Agua, the magical water circuit quite indescribable, and our favourite thing to do (apart from eat) in Lima. We'll then enjoy Peru s most popular dish for dinner pollo a la brasa: tasty, tender chicken roasted on a spit over firewood. Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Lima Day 3: mistura! Mistura is the annual event in Latin American food. We ll check out mind-bogglingly huge displays of pisco, chocolate, coffee, wines, and exotic Amazonian fruits. Flamboyant cooking demonstrations and hotlycontested competitions will compete for our attention. We ll taste food prepared by country grandmothers and internationally renowned chefs like Gastón Acurio, Javier Wong, Mitsuharu Tsumura and Rafael Osterling. Today will be a highlight of the trip and a day to remember come hungry! Accommodation: Hotel in Lima

2 Day 4: EXPLORE BEAUTIFUL CUSCO A short flight (not included in trip price we can assist you to book this) brings us to Cusco (3,300 metres/10,000ft), the capital of the Inca empire and one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. This afternoon your guide will introduce you to the plazas, winding cobbled streets and historic buildings of Cusco s historic centre, or feel free to rest in the hotel to help you adjust to the altitude. Dinner tonight will be an introduction to highland Peruvian cuisine with an international fusion twist! Day 5: machu picchu! An early start and a scenic train ride bring us to Machu Picchu a peak moment for anyone. A spectacular stone city surrounded by incredibly steep, incredibly green mountains, Machu Picchu needs no introduction and is deservedly one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. A guided tour is a necessary start to orient you in this massive site, then you ll have all afternoon to explore the ruin and some of the surrounding peaks on your own. Accommodation: Hotel in Aguas Calientes Day 6: tour through the SACRED VALLEY Today s first stop is Ollantaytambo, a perfectly preserved Inca town with atmospheric cobbled alleyways, sundrenched plazas and a spectacular, llama-shaped ruin. A short drive through the Sacred Valley (we ll spend more time stopping to take photos of the incredible scenery than actually driving!) brings us to the noted novo-andino (New Andean fusion) restaurant where we ll have lunch. We ll spend the afternoon in Pisac, another tiny, cobbled Inca village which is home to the largest handicraft market in the region and a huge Inca fortress. We ll explore both, fuelled by local favourite street snacks like choclo con queso (corn and cheese) and wood-fired empanadas. Accommodation: Back to our home-base hotel in Cusco Day 7: free day in Cusco There are things to do in Cusco to suit every mood and personality: churches, museums, and art galleries; adventure activities like rafting and horse riding, and organised tours. This is also the perfect day to just wander around and enjoy the spectacular mountain views, traditionally dressed locals, excellent cafes and charming architecture that characterise the historic centre of Cusco. Meals: Breakfast included

3 Day 8: the south valley The Valle Sur, little visited by foreign tourists, is full of quirky sights and a favourite local gastronomic destination. In the morning we ll visit Oropesa, Peru s official bread capital. We ll dine in a garden restaurant in Lucre, followed by a visit to the best cake and ice-cream shop in the region. If you ve got the space, there are also opportunities to try cuy (guinea pig) and chicharrónes (deep fried pork chunks that are one of our favourite foods ever!). Also on offer today: pre-inca ruins, amazing churches and wetlands, and the opportunity to have your future read in coca leaves! Day 9: full immersion Peruvian cooking day This morning we'll head to the outskirts of Cusco to shop for ingredients for a feast at the Vinocanchón producer s market. Then we ll spend the afternoon and evening cooking and eating a traditional Peruvian meal loosen your belt! Day 10: welcome to the altiplano Today features several off-the-beaten-track treats that few locals, let alone tourists, have experienced. We're headed for the altiplano - one of the world's highest, coldest inhabited areas, and home to some of the world s great, unsung dairy producers. We'll sample queso frito (fried cheese) at a humble roadside restaurant - one of Katy's favourite things to eat in the whole world - and kankacho - the archetypal Peruvian meat-and-potato dish on our way from Cusco to the shores of Lake Titicaca. We'll spend the night at a dairy farm and cheesemaker where 400 lovingly-tended cows produce the milk that's the basis of several of Peru's most popular specialty cheeses. We'll meet the cows, visit the cheese plant, and best of all, sample some of the finest cheese and yoghurt produced in South America. Accommodation: Tambo Queque Norte Day 11: forgotten riches in Lampa Today we ll explore Lampa. Once one of the richest towns in Peru, it s now all but a ghost town, making the grandeur and scale of its cathedral all the more striking. Impressive from the outside, inside the cathedral is simply incredible. Among many other marvels, it houses a catacomb, a collection of skulls and skeletons, and a full-scale reproduction of Michelangelo s Pietá. We ll arrive to the shores of Lake Titicaca in time for a memorable dinner at one of Puno s excellent restaurants. Accommodation: Luxurious accommodations in Puno

4 Day 12: Lake Titicaca tour begins This morning we take to the waters of Lake Titicaca. Our first, brief stop is the very interesting but extremely touristic Uros the famous floating reed islands of Lake Titicaca. On Amantani Island we ll head home with our homestay hosts for a lunch of sopa de quinua (quinoa and vegetable soup so tasty it seems to be more than the sum of its parts). In the afternoon we ll take on the locals in a game of soccer (which we will inevitably lose), and hike to the top of the island for what may be the most beautiful sunset you ll ever see. Accommodation: Homestay on Amantani Island Day 13: Textiles and trout on Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca After breakfast a short cruise across Lake Titicaca brings us to scenic Taquile Island. Here we ll explore winding island paths across rolling green hills and through idyllic villages, and enjoy stunning views across the lake to the snow-capped peaks of Bolivia to the east. Taquile is the most famous textile centre in the Andes and we ll learn about colourful, storytelling weavings, before enjoying a lunch of fresh-caught trout in the island s cooperative restaurant. In the afternoon we return to Puno for a memorable dinner to mark our last night together. Accommodation: Luxurious accommodations in Puno Day 14: departure day You can book your flight (out of Juliaca, the nearest airport to Puno) for any time today. If you re staying on in Peru, we re delighted to help out with suggestions and assistance for the rest of your time here. Meals: Breakfast included

5 What s Included: All accommodation (based on twin share. Single Supplement available for US$700) All ground transport (private vehicle and train) All activities specified in itinerary Entrance to all attractions specified in itinerary Extra permit to climb Huayna Picchu at Machu Picchu (if available at time of booking) Dedicated Aspiring Adventures guide All meals except lunch and dinner on free day Drinking water with meals What s NOT Included: Tip for your guide and driver Drinks apart from water with meals Flights within Peru (in to Cusco and out of Juliaca - we can help you book these) ACCOMMODATIONS ON THE TRIP Accommodations on our Peru trips are our favourites in each town. In Lima, Cusco, Aguas Calientes and Puno, we stay in four star level hotels. At Tambo Queque Norte, we get to stay in very comfortable family accommodations where one bathroom is shared between two bedrooms (four people maximum.) On Amantani Island we stay in humble family homes. Here, conditions are basic and hygiene may not be what you are used to at home, but any slight discomfort you experience will be well compensated by the insight into a very different way of life.