Let’s talk about Peruvian food, people. As I mentioned, ceviche was my dish of choice. But I did want to try everything. My first ceviche in Peru was when I landed in Lima at the Wyndham airport hotel. I savored my first flavors of Peru with a classic ceviche and a delicious pisco sour. This was best to have in Lima is best as the fish is fresh from the ocean on the coast. I had ceviche for the first time ever when I traveled to Chile but this was beyond amazing. The tigre de leche made from fish juices and lime was delightfully tangy along with purple onions, crunchy corn, fresh corn, sweet potato, and a bit of heat. I don’t think it gets much better than that. First meal in Peru was this amazing ceviche in Lima. (Franny Friesz)
I found a wonderful restaurant in Cusco, recommended by my guide, Alfredo. Yaku Cocina was within quick walking distance of my hotel, Andean Wings. I could have visited different restaurants, but I kept returning to Yaku! I enjoyed a llama steak, aji de gallina, the best hot chocolate of my life, and of course pisco sour. Here, they had a maracuya (passion fruit) pisco that was incredibly delicious. The delightful maracuya pisco sour. Definitely a must when visiting Yaku Cocina in Cusco. (Franny Friesz)
The meals at the lodges during the trek were equally delicious. They included beers, wine, or pisco at any meal which was dangerous not to take advantage of! Each meal was hearty and filling. My fellow travelers were vegetarian and they were given delicious meals as well. There weren’t options for dinner time, but I enjoyed each meal they provided. At dinnertime, we were given a soup, entrée, and dessert. At Colpa lodge, they treated us to a Pachamanca which was a traditional meal similar to Thanksgiving in the US. A hot bed of coals were raked over wrapped meat and potatoes to cook for about an hour. The result was a delicious spread that had my stomach in knots because I had to try it all. There were about 4 different types of potatoes, corn, meat, and vegetables. I tried my first Guinea pig that day too! I mortified everyone on my Instagram feed when I shared the photos, but you can’t go to Peru and not try a Guinea pig. It was a dark, gamey, and oily meat similar to rabbit. I thought it tasted like an odd combo of duck and rabbit. It was quite tedious to eat around the little bones, but wasn’t bad at all. Me with my first guinea pig at Colpa Lodge. (Franny Friesz)
All in all, the food was excellent and I was excited to try anything and everything. It was the first trip I could try it guilt-free since I was walking my butt off each day.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
