Lima & Cusco Gastronomy Tour

A transportation service will pick you up from the airport at the scheduled time to transfer you to your hotel in Lima. The Peruvian capital is a modern metropolis full of history, currently undergoing an exciting process of cultural and economic changes.

Overnight at the selected hotel in Lima.

Wake up to breakfast in the hotel before hitting the streets of Lima's old town, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site packed with fascinating historical buildings. Start with the Larco Museum in the traditional Pueblo Libre district, housed in a beautifully restored viceregal mansion built on a pre-Columbian pyramid. The museum boasts the world's most complete pre-Hispanic collection of gold and silver objects, as well as pieces of erotic art. Then, visit Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion granted in 1535 by chief conquistador Francisco Pizarro to Jeronimo de Aliaga, one of his captains. This is the only house from that time that, to this day, has always been owned by the same family. Continue to a scenic tour of the colonial downtown, which originates and spreads from Main Square. Here, you can appreciate the grandiose architecture of the Spanish Empire and be amazed by Lima's CLima'sal. Erected in the 16th century, this building took over 80 years to complete. After the tour, transfer back to the hotel. After the visit, you can enjoy an evening in a famous restaurant of delicious contemporary Peruvian cuisine in a 5-step tasting dinner.
 

Relax during your transfer to Lima airport to take your flight to Cusco. In the evening, enjoy dinner at a restaurant in the legendary San Blas neighborhood that offers typical Cusco food in a traditional and rustic atmosphere.


Optional activity: Visit to the planetarium.
Overnight at the selected hotel in Cusco.

Join a gastronomic tour that includes a visit to the Chocomuseo, Museo del Cafe, and Republica del Pisco, three ideal places to learn about the production process of each of these staples, from raw ingredients to end products. To make things even more enticing, in each one of them, you can get to enjoy a taste! At the end of the tour, return to your hotel.

Depart after breakfast at the hotel, heading along the Sacred Valley towards the archaeological site of Maras, where the salt ponds create a dazzling scene. The thousands of small ponds give work to and help feed many local families. During Inca times, the salt deposits were an important economic center and great value to the imperial economy. Continue to Moray, approximately an hour and a half away. As with many Inca ruins, its exact function remains a mystery, though the design of ever-wider concentric circular terraces means each level has a different microclimate. After the tour, enjoy dinner in a restaurant in the Sacred Valley and relax at your hotel.

Overnight at the selected hotel in the Sacred Valley.
 

After breakfast at the hotel, take part in an activity that invites participants to learn about the living culture of Ollantaytambo from their point of view. You can do this through photography with the assistance of a professional photographer. The activity begins with a presentation in the Ollantaytambo main square. Then, transfer to the Pakaritampu pyramid to snap some shots of the excellent landscape and valley view. Later, visit the town of Ollantaytambo, uninterruptedly inhabited since the Incas, to explore its historical streets, meet its inhabitants, and capture its colors, architecture, and environment in your photos. Lastly, visit a ‘chichería’ to share some moments with the manufacturers of a local craft drink, who’ll explain the history and importance of these centers in the Andean world. Today’s lunch is a thousand-year-old ritual of the Andes: Pachamanca. It consists of preparing elements such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, meat, vegetables, and more under the earth, cooking them with hot stones. Finally, witness the unearthing of the Pachamanca and enjoy the food.
 

Transportation service will pick you up and transfer you to the Ollanta Station to board the train to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. Following a scenic journey through dramatic Andean landscapes, arrive at the station in Aguas Calientes. Here, you board a coach for a 25-minute ride to Machu Picchu. The ‘Lost City of the Incas’ is believed to have been built in the 1450s by Inca emperor Pachacutec as a holiday retreat. Yet, within a century, the city would be abandoned following the Spanish conquest. The Spaniards never found it, so it was spared the destruction they brought to other Inca sites. Instead, it was slowly swallowed up by the jungle and hidden from harm. A guided tour explains the origins behind this awe-inspiring citadel, presenting its most prominent landmarks such as the monumental Main Square, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Towers, the Sacred Sun Dial, and the Burial Grounds. Return to Aguas Calientes for lunch and board the train back to Cusco.

Overnight at the selected hotel in Cusco.

 

Transfer to the Cusco airport to take your departure flight.