A Culinary Adventure in Peru

We know how exhausting international flights can be, so we will save you from the stress of navigating alone at the moment of your arrival in the Peruvian capital. At Lima Airport, our Machu Travel Peru host will be looking for you at the arrival gate to accompany you to the hotel of your preference.

Once you have settled in your room, you can take a comforting shower, leaving behind the fatigue of such a long flight and rest or you can take advantage of the time to enjoy the best Peruvian gastronomy with a tasty lunch (on your own) in your hotel or surrounding areas.

Later, we will begin a fantastic city tour of Lima's colonial and modern zones.

You can lose yourself among French style, republican squares like the Plaza San Martin or the City's main square (Plaza de Armas) while wandering by a charming colonial alley called Jirón de la Unión. Following this, our guide will lead you to the colonial Monastery of San Francisco, where you can appreciate its beautiful Spanish baroque architecture and some religious sculptures from colonial times. But, the best of all will be exploring the hidden underneath its enigmatic catacombs! Here, you’ll know why this monastery was considered the first cemetery for the first Lima inhabitants.

After you return to your hotel, why not enjoy a beautiful afternoon at your own pace by exploring zones of Miraflores, a Lima tourist district, walk in the beautiful Kennedy Park or go shopping in the famous Larcomar Mall center.

In the evening, for dining, we recommend you consider the restaurants Central or Maido, which are considered the best in the country and currently holding 1st and 6th, respectively, in the world’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2023. Please remember that, due to their popularity, it is necessary to secure reservations in advance!

This day will be full of color, flavor, and much season! Around 08:00 am, our transportation, together with your tour guide, will pick you up from your accommodation to go directly to Market N°1 of Surquillo district in Lima.

During a tour that lasts approximately 50 minutes, you will see what a typical Peruvian market is like and the incredible variety of products found there.

We will stop at stalls selling different categories of products: a fresh fruit vendor, a vegetable stall, the “hierbero”, a dry goods stall, as well as chicken, meat, offal, fish, seafood, and specialty vendors.

After that, we'll show the stalls where we'll get the fruits for tasting and ingredients for the cooking class. Then we moved to our facilities to continue with the fruit tasting.

In our facility, you'll taste a great variety of fruits, all harvested in Peru and organized into different categories. During the tasting, your guide will explain the origin and use of each fruit.

Following, we'll have our cooking class, during which you can choose from a variety of menu types: Peruvian Classics, Peruvian Standard, Andean Menu, and Marine Menu.

Each menu teaches four representative dishes. For example, the menu “Clasico Peruanos” offers the teaching of Causa Rellena, Ceviche, Lomo Saltado, and Picarones. Water is included throughout the class, juice with the meal, and a pisco sour.

NOTE: The menu class types are subject to availability. Vegetarian options are available and are prepared at the same time as a menu class. Ask for them to our travel executives, they will be happy to assist you.

Our adventure in Andean lands is about to begin! After a satisfying breakfast provided by your hotel, our host will take you to Lima airport and send you on a comfortable, 75 minute flight to Cusco, the ancient Imperial Inca City.

You can watch the Pacific Ocean merge with blue skies through your plane window which give way to gigantic dunes. These, in turn, collapse on the slopes of gigantic Andean mountains. Which were conquered many centuries ago by the impressive Inca civilization.

On your arrival to Cusco, our local host will be waiting for you at the zone of arrival national flights at Cusco airport with a sign with your name. “It is not altitude sickness… it is the feeling of being close to heaven” is a phrase he’ll often say about the altitude. Thus, to avoid altitude sickness, we’ll move directly from Cusco airport to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, located 600 meters below Cusco. But please don't worry, you will get to enjoy all the wonderful sights of Cusco at the end of our journey once your body is perfectly acclimatized to the altitude.

Upon entering the Sacred Valley of the Incas, we will visit an exceptional project called Awanacancha, where you’ll be able to appreciate the 4 types of South American camelids bred in captivity: the llama, the alpaca, the guanaco, and the vicuña. Also, you can feed them and learn to distinguish them. As if this were not enough, the Sacred Valley locals who work there will show you how they use their Inca ancestors’ techniques to transform the delicate fur of these animals, especially the alpaca and vicuña, into beautiful and colored clothes through traditional weaving, like multi-colored belts and exquisitely embroidered blankets, among others.

Then, we’ll continue descending through the valley slope until we reach a spectacular Inca archaeological site over a hill called Pisac, with magnificent terraced fields on its hill slopes, among Inca enclosures, squares, temples, and even an Inca cemetery! Our first contact with a rich Andean past! Descending into the modern town, we will lose ourselves among the colored stands of the famous Pisac traditional market, where we will be fascinated by its beautiful handicrafts made by local people, like fabric crafts, sculptures, jewelry, and paintings with Andean thematic.

Next, we will go to a charming restaurant in the middle of the beautiful landscapes of the Sacred Valley to enjoy a delicious lunch made from local ingredients, fully included in our program. You can choose the restaurant, in advance, with the advice of our travel consultants.

Finally, we’ll go to our hotel in the middle of the spectacular scenery of the Sacred Valley and you can enjoy a delicious dinner here, on your own. A well-deserved sleep is guaranteed tonight!

The Sacred Valley still has treasures to discover, and you will not miss a thing! This day assures an unforgettable trip in a perfect climate. The Sacred Valley is known for its charming climate 365 days a year. First, you'll enjoy a delicious breakfast at your luxury hotel. Then, with our guide, we will begin our adventure through the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Discover Ollantaytambo, a fortress that was the last Inca refuge in Andean lands during the Spanish invasion. Wander among its narrow alleys, temples, enclosures and squares of well-carved, perfectly fitted, stone architecture. This incredible experience will be accompanied by stories and myths that your guide will tell you about the place. One notable mention, the fantastic ancient love story legend about an Inca military General and a beautiful Princess, the daughter of the Inca emperor Pachacutec.

Next, you will go to enjoy a delicious and exclusive lunch made from local ingredients in a charming restaurant located close to the amazing landscapes of Mars, Moray, and Ollantaytambo. As if this were not enough, the great variety of flavors and colors that you will find in each bite will surprise you.

Then, our next stop will be the white slopes of Maras. There, you will enjoy the brightness of 2,000 small Inca salt wells that are still used by local people today to provide themselves with salt. By the way, the Maras salt is recognized worldwide as being perfect for grills and barbecues.

Moving on, our guide will transfer up to Moray, where you'll be fascinated by a series of circular terraces, in the form of rings, that go into the earth's deeps. These circle terraces were used as an Incan laboratory to acclimatize crops. They sowed a specific type of seed in each circular terrace, from the smallest and deepest ring to the largest, to see the quality of the harvest they obtained.

Finally, we’ll return to the hotel to for a deserved rest, you can take a relaxing shower or, maybe, enjoy a fantastic dinner on our own.

The day to conquer Machu Picchu has arrived! After a delicious breakfast in your hotel, our host will take you to Ollantaytambo train station to dispatch you on a charming and comfortable train heading to Aguas Calientes, the modern town of Machu Picchu. The magical train trip will last one and a half hours, crossing the spectacular Peruvian jungle, always accompanied by the singing of exotic birds, leafy undergrowth, and the Vilcanota river that will follow the train's movement, like a snake on the lookout for its prey!

Once you arrive at Aguas Calientes train station, our local guide will await you at the arrivals gate. With your guide, you’ll go to the bus station to take a “CONSETTUR” bus heading to the top of a mountain where Machu Picchu citadel is located. After 35 minutes of the bus trip, the bus will drop you at the same entrance gate to Machu Picchu.

Then, you will enter the famous Inca citadel to start living the magic there! You can get lost between enclosures, squares, temples, and stone alleys perfectly carved and fitted. Exploring for two hours the mysteries and magic of an Inca citadel that continues to amaze the world with its beauty. Of course, as a soundtrack, you will listen to the stories of its construction, inhabitants, and function from your private guide.

Once the tour is over, but not before taking your dream photo of Machu Picchu, our tour guide will dispatch you in a CONSETTUR bus returning to Aguas Calientes town. There you’ll enjoy a fantastic lunch included in our program in one of the best restaurants in the zone.

Next, you’ll have to go to the Aguas Calientes train station to take your train to return to Cusco. There, you will take a comfortable train back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy train stations. Whatever station you arrive at, another member of our staff will wait for you to transfer to the Cusco Hotel, where you can enjoy a delicious dinner on your own, before taking a relaxing shower and enjoying a well-deserved rest.

Don't worry; as you can see, you will always be assisted at any departure or arrival point!

OPTIONAL: If you want to continue enjoying Machu Picchu, this package, like all the others, can be fully customized by adding a night in Aguas Calientes. So, on the following day, you'll be able to enjoy a second visit to the enigmatic Inca citadel or hike to nearby mountains like Huayna Picchu and get fabulous photos of Huayna Picchu. Just tell us your requirements, it’s as easy as that!

Are you ready to visit the beautiful, old, Capital of the Inca empire, the “Rome of America” . Of course, we refer to Cusco!  After your hotel provides a comforting and delicious breakfast, your guide will be ready to transport you into the past.

First, you’ll explore the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman, with its giant rocks perfectly fitted into its structure. The tour will continue by visiting the Qenqo Inca ceremonial center with its ancient sacrifice vestiges. Then, the Inca, military barrack, Puca Pucara will fascinate you with its beautiful views of Cusco. Following, our guide will show you the retreat place of the Inca sovereign called Tambomachay, with its beautiful water fonts, where the sovereign spent long periods resting and hunting.

Then, we will return to Cusco Center to lose ourselves in its charming stone alleys by appreciating the renaissance architecture of the Cathedral of Cusco and its famous painting collection of unique art style called "Escuela Cusqueña".

Later, your guide will lead you to Qoricancha temple, located a short distance from the Cathedral, where you will be fascinated with the mix of Inca and Spanish architectural styles, besides some original remains of the Inca temples inside it.

Finally, our tour will end in the main square. You might enjoy a nice lunch or dinner on your own in one of the nearby restaurants, or we can arrange transport to drop you off at your hotel. Whatever your decision, tell your guide what you would like to do!

The worst part of a trip is when those good adventures you will remember forever, end. That is why Machu Travel Peru wants to save you the trouble. You will only have to enjoy a comforting breakfast fully included in your hotel reservation and let yourself go.

At a predetermined hour, MACHU TRAVEL PERU staff will take you to Cusco airport and dispatch you on a flight to Lima.

Like the sound of our "A Culinary Adventure in Peru? Do you have extra requests or questions? Please don’t hesitate to write to us. We will always be attentive to personalize your dreams in Peru at your request!

NOTE: This program will allow you to visit Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Pisac, Moray, Salineras, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. Additionally, you can add more exciting day tours in Cusco or another destination in Peru. Please take a look at our package list for more options.