History and Food Tour in Peru

Welcome to Peru! Upon arrival in Lima, you will be warmly welcomed by our English-speaking representative and then introduced to your driver who will take you to the hotel by private vehicle. The rest of today is yours for refreshment.

Visit Barranco this morning, the colonial and bohemian district of Lima. It is also home to some of the city's best bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. Enjoy some delicious and fresh Peruvian artisan roasting coffee at a coffee shop and visit a secret garden café to taste exotic Peruvian fruit lucuma milkshake.

Then go to a traditional marketplace in the San Isidro district to try some local fruits and get to know their influence on the international cuisine development. Next, at the Embarcadero 41 Restaurant, one of the best ceviche spots, you will have the opportunity to prepare Pisco sour with the help of a professional bartender and discover the secrets of making a perfect ceviche under the direction of the main chef. Later, have a gourmet Peruvian lunch at the Huaca Pucllana.

In the afternoon, fly to Arequipa, the second most populated city in Peru. Upon arrival, be greeted and escorted to your hotel for overnight.

Join in a Food tour with Mr. Roger Falcón, the son of the owner of one of the most favored restaurants in Arequipa. In the afternoon, stroll around the historical center and capture the beauty and glory of the colonial era, as seen in the city's robust walls, archways and vaults, courtyards and open spaces, and the intricate Baroque decoration of its facades.

Then, head to the Santa Catalina Convent, a functioning religious complex consisting of cloisters, living quarters, plaza, gallery and chapel. It used to be a cloister for the Dominican nuns from the 16th to the 18th century and today still houses a small religious community.

Fly to Cusco in the morning. After arrival, stroll through its historical center with your private guide, appreciating the cultural and architectural heritage from the Inca and Viceroyalty periods, such as the 16th-century Cusco Cathedral. Later on, visit the majestic Inca ruin of Sacsayhuaman for its zigzag, terraced walls, and remarkable Inca stonework. Trace Incas' mysterious sacrifice ceremony at the holy site of Qenqo. Explore Puca Pucara, another unmissable ruin with great walls, overlapping terraces, platforms, and stairways. Finally, discover the Tambomachay consisting of a series of small aqueducts, canals, and waterfalls built into the terraces. Later on, return to your hotel for a brief rest, then enjoy your dinner at MAP Cafe.

Pachamanca, a typical Peruvian dish with the ancestral cultural root of the Andes, was declared a National Cultural Heritage in 2003. Today, you will learn to whip up a traditional Pachamanca Feast in a chef-led cooking class, helping to prepare the ingredients and placing them on the floor, joining in a Mother Earth or Pachamama ceremony, then enjoying the delectable fruit of your labor. The rest of the day is yours to relax at leisure.

After breakfast, start your journey to the magical Sacred Valley. En-route, explore Pisac, a town famous for its bustling indigenous market, especially the Sunday market with the locals in colorful traditional garments peddling local products. After arrival, marvel at the unbelievable Inca building remains of Ollantaytambo and then catch the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, where our representative will pick you up and escort you to your hotel.

In the morning, take a public bus with our tour guide to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas! Spend about 2 hours exploring the main areas of the Inca Citadel, such as the ritual baths, the Palace of the Princess, the main Fountain, the Intihuatana and the temple of the Sun. After lunch at Sanctuary Lodge, take the Vistadome train to Poroy (about 3.5 hours ride). Upon arrival, your driver will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel in Cusco for the night.

Time to bid farewell to Peru! After breakfast, be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima and bring priceless happy memories back to your sweet home.