Explore Peru's culinary culture on this 8-day gastronomic tour, focusing on Lima and Cusco. Tour these exciting cities with your local guide and gain a new appreciation for Peru's historic and modern cuisines, with opportunities to taste traditional and gourmet dishes. Enjoy the energy of the metropolitan areas and the rich history of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Taste some of Peru's top flavors, including chocolate, coffee, and pisco. Visit the farms, museums, and distilleries where you can learn about food production and cultural significance. Enjoy this unforgettable, flavorful journey through the heart of Peru!
Highlights
Explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Peru
Experience Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas
Admire pre-Columbian engineering and Spanish colonial architecture of Cusco
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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.
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.
This itinerary is no longer available. For other trip ideas, please visit Peru Tours, Trips & Hikes.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is 25% ($400 minimum), and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Beyond expectations! Then again we weren't sure what to expect. Lovely stay at the lodge, met other like-minded travelers (many had their trips planned by Adventure Life) and the owner was a gracious hostess. It felt like you were one happy family, visiting with a favorite aunt.
Nancy Sin
TrustScore 4.9 | 306 reviews
TrustScore 4.9 of 5
Based on 306 reviews on
2 weeks ago
From the planning stage straight through the trip itself, Adventure life was on top of it all. Questions were answered completely, accommodations were better than expected. All fees and transportation was addressed. This is a very professional organization, you can book with confidence.
Eric Biddinger
4 weeks ago
Our 19 day personalized trip to Peru was amazing and memorable. The itinerary Adventure Life assembled provided us with a wonderful sampling of the country and culture - Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Amazon rainforest, Paracas, and the Nazca Lines. Our guides were exceptional- informative, friendly, helpful, and service-centric. It was a trip of a lifetime.
Gino
2 months ago
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
2 months ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
3 months ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
