Taste of Peru

DAY BY DAY ITINERARY Taste of Peru

• Day 1: Arrival to Lima & Overnight in Lima

  Upon your arrival, one of our representatives will meet you at Lima airport and and take you to your hotel. *An extra day in Lima can be added upon request as well as additional activities and meals.

• Day 2: Market Visit with Fruit Festival + Ceviche Festival Class + Free afternoon + Pisco Tasting with Dinner + Overnight in Lima (B, L, D)

  After breakfast at your hotel in Lima, one of our representatives will meet you at your hotel and escort you on your market visit and fruit festival activity. The local market visit is a great way to experience a little bit of the Peruvian culture in its daily life. Here you can find and taste the best variety of vegetables and fruits in the country, including exotic products from the “Andes” and the “Jungle”. In the evening you will be met at your hotel and taken to your Pisco Tasting class and dinner. You will learn to prepare new and trendy Pisco drinks with exotic fruits in addition to the traditional Pisco Sour. After your Pisco experience you will try a delicious dinner. At the end of your dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel. *An extra day in Lima can be added upon request, as well as additional activities and meals. 

• Day 3: Introduction to the Peruvian Cuisine Class + Afternoon City Tour of Lima + Peruvian Fusion Dinner at Astrid & Gaston + Overnight in Lima (B, L, D)

  After breakfast at your hotel you will be picked up for your Introduction to the Peruvian Cuisine Class at one of the best restaurants of Criolla Cuisine: The Senorio de Sulco, whose Chef and owner Flavio Solorzano, will teach you the quintessential basics of Peruvian Cuisine. You will learn how to prepare Peru’s staple dishes, and afterwards you will enjoy a full tasting of these traditional Peruvian dishes. After lunch you will be picked up at the restaurant and taken on your tour of the city of Lima. Sites to be visited: Main Square, the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the City Hall, the San Francisco Monastery (including catacombs), old streets with colonial houses, and a great driving tour through the beautiful districts of San Isidro and Miraflores. At the end of your city tour, you will be taken back to your hotel. In the evening, you will once again be met at your hotel and taken to Astrid & Gaston for a special and exclusive “Tasting Menu”. This is a 7-courses tasting menu dinner specially prepared by Gaston Acurio, arguably Peru’s most famous chef and restaurateur. You will taste traditional dishes presented in a creative and new form. At the end of the dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel for the night. *An extra day in Lima can be added upon request, as well as additional activities and meals. 

• Day 4: Trip to Cusco + Afternoon City Tour + Overnight in Cusco (B)

  After breakfast at your hotel in Lima, you will be met by one of our representatives and taken directly to the airport, in order to catch your short, one-hour flight to the capital city of the Incas: Cusco. You will be met upon arrival by one of our representatives and transferred to your hotel of choice. You will have the remainder of the morning to rest and freshen up. It is best to take it easy this morning to let your body adjust to the altitude. In the afternoon you will be met at your hotel and taken on a grand tour of the city of Cusco, the former capital of the once vast Inca Empire. We walk Cusco’s impressive Plaza de Armas and visit both the Spanish cathedral and Inca temple of the sun, Qoricancha. Next, we set out to visit the ruins above the city that were considered an essential part of the ancient capital. We start from Sacsayhuaman, where Inti Raymi the Festival of the Sun, is held during the Summer Solstice; Tambomachay, the Temple of the Sacred Waters, which is a marvel of hydraulic engineering and Q´enqo where we will see the remains of a ceremonial site used for fertility rites and for celebrations of the solstice and equinox. At the end of the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Cusco. * An extra day in Cusco can be added upon request, as well as additional activities and meals. 

  NOTE: Some people prefer to go directly to the Sacred Valley upon arrival to the Cusco Airport. Please let us know if you prefer that to send you an updated itinerary.  

• Day 5: Cusquenian cooking class with Lunch + Sacred Valley Tour (Maras, Moray & Chincheros) + Overnight in Cusco (B, L)

  After breakfast at your hotel in Cusco we set out into the Urubamba Valley, also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will start with the Cusquenian Cooking class, on this visit you will learn, touch, and taste some of the main vegetables farmed in this area.  You will then learn about the unique ways that the Chefs use the great variety of special natural products, including an endless variety of potatoes and other delicious vegetables. Additional you will have a tour of an organic plantation.  At the end of your lunch, you will continue with your tour. You will visit Moray, the Salt Mines of Maras and Chinchero. The main sight to see at this location is a catholic church with paintings from the Cusquenian School. At the end of the day, you will go back to Cusco. * An overnight in the Sacred Valley can be added upon request, as well as additional activities and meals. 

• Day 6: Ollantaytambo Tour + Pachamanca Experience + Afternoon Train to Aguas Calientes + Overnight in Aguas Calientes (B, L)

  The day you have been waiting for! After breakfast at your hotel in Cusco we set out into the Urubamba Valley, also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We will start our visit to Ollantaytambo Fortress and the town. At the end of your tour, an incredible Pachamanca experience awaits you. The Pachamanca, which translates to ”earth oven” in the Quechua language, is a traditional Incan meal cooked upon hot rocks. The Pachamanca Farm Lunch includes a tour of the farm as well as a visit to a Cañazo (sugar cane liquor) distillery and coffee roasting facility with tastings of these artisanal products. You’re welcome to participate in the preparation of the Pachamanca, and while the food cooks, you can visit the farm and learn about traditional and contemporary organic farming practices. The lunch includes a variety of “grilled” meat (chicken, pork, and lamb with alpaca, rabbit and cuy upon request), Andean potatoes and camote, organic vegetables, a variety of house-made salads and sauces as well as chicha morada (purple corn beverage). Enjoy your lunch at covered picnic tables right on a farm with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, glaciers and Inca archeological sites. After lunch we will catch the train to the town of Aguas Calientes and overnight.  

• Day 7: Machu Picchu Tour + Lunch in Aguas Calientes + Train to Cusco + Novoandina Tasting Dinner at MAP Café + Overnight in Cusco (B, L, D)

  This day you will enjoy a full tour of the lost city and have lunch at one of the best Restaurants in Aguas Calientes, where you enjoy top quality food. In the afternoon we say farewell to Machu Picchu as we take the train to set out by Poroy station, where transportation will be waiting for you to bring you to Cusco. After, you will be picked up at your hotel and taken for a Novoandina dinner at MAP Café, located in the Museo de Arte Precolombino (Museum of Pre-Inca Art). Specializing in Novoandino cuisine and presenting the use of native ingredients and rescued recipes with innovative dishes, this 5-course tasting-menu dinner will introduce your palate to tastes rarely experienced before. At the end of the dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel in Cusco for the night. * An overnight in Machu Picchu can be added upon request, as well as bus and entrance tickets for a second day at the citadel. Please let us know if you would like to add other activities and meals. 

• Day 8: Free morning in Cusco + Flight Back to Lima + Connect Home

  Your journey to Peru comes to an end as you will be transferred to the Cusco airport to catch your flight back to Lima. Flight time will depend on the time of your international flight back home. * Please let us know if you would like to add extra activities or day-use in a hotel if your flight is late at night. 

IMPORTANT:

As price depends on each passenger choices, please contact us to send you an updated price based on your specific request. Please send us the following information and we will respond within 24 hours with your updated price.

• Number of people in your party
• Level of accommodation (3,4,5*). Please see options 
• Private or Group Tour
• Train choice. Please see options
• Adding options: if you like to add day tours, extra days, meals, etc
• Need domestic or international flights?
• Have a special request (ie: special diet, wheelchair, children, senior, etc)

IMPORTANT NOTES:

About Machu Picchu Entrance Tickets

As of 2023, due to the increase and popularity of Machupicchu and in order to preserve the ancient paths, the government has implemented new regulations to control the crowds. The maximum number of visitors allow per day is 4004. This means that, once all the tickets are sold out, no further entrance tickets will be available. Tickets are now issued with specifics entry time and routes, and visitors are required to enter at the time stated on their tickets and show their passport or ID used to issue them. Visitors can stay up to 4 hours to reduce crowds. When you leave the site you cannot re-enter on the same ticket, and it is mandatory to be accompanied by a licensed guide. Tickets are not refundable and non-transferable.

About Huayna Picchu Tickets

Entrance tickets to Huaynapicchu are no longer free, Accessing comes with specific rules and a separate ticket from Machupicchu’s general entry. Only 200 visitors are allowed per day divided in 4 time slots (7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM).  The average time allowed to complete the hike is about 3 hours. The minimum age for entry is 12 years and you must register at the entry and exit control points. The price of the ticket is slightly more than Machupicchu and get sold out quickly. 

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

• Expedition train Roundtrip. Other train options available upon request: Vistadome Train or  Hiram Bingham Train. 
• Bus to Machu Picchu roundtrip.
• Expert leadership / guides & support personnel for all listed tours.
• Cooking Set and recipes.
• Accommodations: 4 nights in Lima and 3 nights in Cusco.
• Meals as noted (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, S = Snack). We can add any meals upon request.
• Land excursions as noted including entrance fees (Lima Cathedral, San Francisco Catacombs, Lima Museum, BTG, Cusco
• Cathedral, Qoricancha and MachuPicchu)
• Private transportation: Lima Airport/Lima Hotel, Lima Hotel/Lima Market, Lima Market/Lima Restaurant, Lima Restaurant/Lima Hotel, Lima Hotel/Lima Restaurant, Lima Hotel/Lima Airport, Cusco Airport/Cusco Hotel, Cusco Hotel/Train Station, Train Station/Cusco Hotel, Cusco Hotel/Cusco Airport, Lima Airport/Lima Restaurant, Lima Restaurant/Lima Hotel, Lima Hotel/Lima Airport.

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?

• Airport taxes: Local (USD$ 5.00 – 6.00) and International (USD$ 31.00) departure tax of payable in local currency by each passenger at Lima International Airport upon departure (if applicable)
• International Airport upon departure (if applicable)
• International and domestic airfares, usually quoted separately
• Excess baggage charges
• Medical immunizations
• Insurance of any kind: mandatory evacuation insurance; suggested cancellation insurance, interruption, baggage loss, damage and delay
• Tipping & Gratuities (Guides USD $10.00 per person per day / Drivers USD $5.00 per person per day)  
• Items of a personal nature (clothing, sodas, liquor, snacks, laundry, etc.)
• Visas. Please be advised that some citizens other than Canadians and US may need visa to travel to Peru. Please advise us of your nationality to help you or check with the Peruvian Consulate

TYPE OF TOURS

All of our tours are offered in both Group and Private services; however, as we like to maintain control of the quality of our tours, even our group tours include PRIVATE transfers. This is important, as when you get picked up; you will go directly to your hotel without having to drive around the city to drop off other people in their hotels. Transportation is just for you.

MIXED GROUP/PRIVATE
Destinations Tours: Private Transfers + Group Cultural Tours
Special Interest Tours: Private Transfers + Private Special Interest Activities + Group Cultural Tours

All PRIVATE
Destinations Tours: Private Transfers + Private Cultural Tours
Special Interest Tours: Private Transfers + Private Special interest Activities + Private Cultural Tours

ACCOMMODATIONS

We offer all level of accommodations. When creating an itinerary it would be important to know which your preferred level of accommodation is. Please be sure that at all levels our recommended hotels offer great service and nice comfortable rooms. Our team has personally tried all our recommended hotels.

STANDARD
Hostels: Even though we can consider hostels in your itinerary, for travelers on a budget, we make sure to include a private room with private bathroom. We do not work with shared rooms. Hostels we work with have great location and service to travelers and include breakfast.
 3-star: Basic 3-star hotels with nice comfortable rooms. Perfect for travelers that prefer a less expensive option, but do not feel comfortable with a hostel. Buffet breakfast included. All hotels we work with are very well located and have 24-hour front desk service.

MODERATE                                                                                                                                                                                    
3-star Superior: These are 3-star that should really be considered as 4-star Hotels. Nice location, great rooms and charming decoration. Excellent service, with restaurant, room service, business center, laundry, etc. Buffet breakfast. Best value. Perfect for someone looking for an inexpensive option and still having some superior services.
4-star Hotels: Good location, very nice rooms, great decoration and excellent service. This hotel includes more services such as room service, business center, laundry, spas, more room features, etc. Some have gourmet restaurants. Buffet breakfast. Perfect for someone looking for some luxury and special services and do not need a 5-star option.

LUXURY                                                                                                                                                                                          
4-star Suites: Some 4-star hotels have suites that offer the same room features of a 5-star option. Perfect for someone looking to upgrade from a 4-star standard room and get more space and features.
5-star Hotel: What you usually imagine a 5-star hotel is. Great location, luxury accommodations and excellent service. Gourmet restaurants, spas, room service, business center, etc. Perfect for someone looking for a 5-star service but do not need the 5-star Deluxe option.
5-star Deluxe: These 5-star deluxe hotels offer ultimate luxury with outstanding service, luxurious rooms with deluxe room features and “you ask-you will get” concierge service. Properties have privileged locations or particular history behind it. Gourmet restaurants and spas. Ideal for the luxurious traveler.

TRAINS

Expedition: The least expensive tourist train, recently renovated offers nice seats and good train service.
Vistadome: A higher category of train service, with panoramic roof windows. It offers a snack and fashion show.            Vistadome Observatory: An upgrade from the regular Vistadome. This category of train has an observation car for a 360 view and an open-air balcony. Also, a bar car for drinks (at extra cost) and a show on board. It also offers a snack and fashion show.
Hiram Bingham: Luxury train which offers VIP service, includes a traditional welcome show, gourmet brunch, live music, tea-time at the Sanctuary Lodge a Belmond Hotel, entrance tickets to Machupicchu, and dinner service. This category of train has a Dining car, observation car and bar car.  

FLIGHTS

DOMESTIC AIRLINES
Latam: It offers great service and many frequencies to Cusco (almost 13 flights per day).  Prices are the highest on the market, but it is the most reliable airline.
Sky Airlines: Low-cost airline is an alternative for domestic flights. It flies to many destinations within Peru and offers good value prices. However, it has few frequencies and makes a lot of changes and cancellations of flights, especially in bad weather.
Jet SMART Airline: Low-cost airline. It flies to many destinations within Peru and South America. It has more frequencies than Sky to and from Cusco, but it usually has changes and cancellations, especially in bad weather.

Lima/Cusco/Lima:                                                                                                                                                                         
From US$185.00 per person. This is an example price, based on Full category; including selection of seat, 1 backpack, 1 carryon of 10kg. and 1 cheeked bag of 23kg. Other categories: Basic, Light (less expensive options) and Premium Economy category (fully refundable with more room for legs and middle seat blocked). Price will vary, depending on the date, time and category booked.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
Depending where you are coming from, Lima is serviced by all major Airlines.  A few airlines offer non-stop services from major cities such as Miami, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Montreal.                     

From USA: American, Latam, Delta, United, Spirit, Avianca, Copa
From Canada: Air Canada, Air Transat, America, Latam, Delta, United, Copa, Aero Mexico