We start with the hidden, back-street treats and mind-bogglingly huge produce markets of Lima – long known as the gastronomic capital of Latin America. We attend Lima’s legendary annual gastronomic fair, Mistura –an unforgettable opportunity that we are delighted to present as part of an Aspiring trip! Then we move on to Cusco for more markets, a very local lunch, and a cooking lesson.

The rest of the trip is less food focused as we catch up on all the attractions included in a traditional Aspiring trip – stunning Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, the timeless islands of Lake Titicaca, and much more.

NOTE – The order of the first three days of this itinerary may change in line with changing order of events at Mistura.

Itinerary

Day 1. Arrival day, Lima

We’ll pick you up from your hotel or the airport in time for lunch. Sunday lunch is traditionally a highlight of the week in Peru, and we’ll get straight into it today, with a slap-up criolla (creole coastal food) lunch at a popular local restaurant. Afterwards, we’ll walk off lunch in Lima’s historic center, checking out the historic sights of this colonial capital. This evening we’ll head to a traditional peña (dinner and show), where we’ll sample a massive range of traditional Peruvian dishes from the amazing buffet, while watching a dance performance that will start to give you an idea of the amazing colour and variety of Peru’s living culture.

• Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in seaside Miraflores, Lima
• (L,D)

Day 2. Lima history and gastronomy

We’ll spend the morning exploring the Lima’s massive produce market, el Mercado de Magdalena, marvelling at the range of ingredients on offer in Peru, one of the world's most bio-diverse countries.

For lunch we’ll head to the seaside to sample ceviche, Peru’s best-known culinary export, at a restaurant known for preparing the best in the world. In the afternoon we’ll explore the Larco museum. Best known for its collection of ancient porn in the form of erotic ceramics, this is a great introduction to Peru’s early history.

This evening we’re in for a massive treat – el Circuito Magica de Agua (the magic water circuit), a unique and frankly indescribable spectacle, then dine on pollo a la brasa (chicken cooked on a spit) – another to-die-for Peruvian specialty.

• Accommodation: Hotel in Miraflores, Lima
• (B,L,D)

Day 3. A day in foodie heaven - Mistura!

Mistura is a big and beautiful thing – the annual event for all Latin American foodies. There are massive markets, with mind-boggling arrays of pisco, chocolate, coffee, and wines. At the feria de frutas (fruit market), the range of Amazonian produce is so huge and diverse that even dedicated foodie Peruvians haven’t heard of many of the fruits on offer!

There are competitions, giveaways, parades, displays, and lots of food stalls, where a delighted public queues patiently to buy sample plates, from five star restaurants and famous cottage producers, of any of Peru’s 300-plus national dishes. This is our opportunity to taste food prepared by internationally renowned chefs like Gastón Acurio, Javier Wong, Mitsuharu Tsumura and Rafael Osterling. This promises to be a highlight of the trip and a day to remember – come hungry!

For more about Mistura see the video and articles at: Mistura Festival

• Accommodation: Hotel in Miraflores, Lima
• (B,L,D)

Day 4. To Cusco

This morning we’ll fly to Cusco (flight not included in trip price), and have a fairly cruisy morning as we take our time to acclimatize to the 3300m altitude.

In the afternoon we’ll take a walking tour around the highlights of Cusco’s beautiful historic centre – the peaceful, pretty plaza and towering churches, cobbled alleyways of San Blas, and bustling commercial streets around the market – before another memorable dinner.

• Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in historic Cusco
• (B,L,D)

Day 5. Machu Picchu

We’ll take an early train this morning so we can all spend the day exploring the words-fail-me glory that is Machu Picchu – one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. We’ll have a guided tour (a good one, with no numbers on sticks, we promise), and we’re here all day so there’s plenty of time to explore on our own or climb for breathtaking views up one or more stunning nearby peaks: Huayna Picchu, Putucusi or Machu Picchu mountain itself.

We’ll have dinner at Indio Feliz – a fancy, French restaurant which is Aguas Calientes’s finest and whose incredibly yummy food is world famous in Peru!

• Accommodation: Hostal in Aguas Calientes
• (B,L,D)

Day 6. Explore the Sacred Valley

This morning we’ll explore Ollantaytambo, perhaps the most perfectly preserved of all Inca towns, with atmospheric cobbled alleyways and sun-drenched plazas presided over by a spectacular, llama-shaped ruin.

Then we’ll drive through the sunny, scenic Sacred Valley, past incredible terracing, ancient irrigation canals and massive hilltop forts, to Urubamba where we’ll have lunch at a noted novo-andino (New Andean fusion) restaurant.

This afternoon we’ll wander through the Inca fortress that bristles over the tiny town of Pisac. Pisac’s bustling town square is home to the region’s largest and most famous craft market, and the surrounding streets are a maze of charming gardens, carved stone buildings, and hidden courtyards where irresistible, piping hot empanadas (pastries) emerge from wood-fired ovens.

• Accommodation: Back at our comfy hotel base in Cusco
• (B,L,D)

Day 7. Free day in Cusco

The oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas and its undisputed archaeological capital, Cusco boasts enough museums, churches, and ruins to make your head spin. If you need a little retail therapy, it offers everything from folksy artesanias of every possible kind, through indigenous markets selling potatoes by the sack and frogs by the bucket, to exquisite handcrafted jewellery and avant-garde fashion. Cusco is also perfect for just wandering – through ancient, llama-width cobbled alleyways that open up into charming plazoletas (little plazas), with stunning cityscapes and inviting cafés at every turn. There are also plenty of tours and outdoor activities on offer – whatever you feel like doing today, we’ll get you sorted!

• Accommodation: Cusco hotel
• (B)

Day 8. Cook a Peruvian feast

It’s time to put theory into practice, and cook our own Peruvian meal! This morning we’ll head out to Vino Canchon, Cusco’s main produce market near the edge of town, to browse for supplies for the feast we’ll cook tonight. Produce is trucked to here from small producers at every altitude level from Amazonia (as low as 200 metres) to the Altiplano (3800m+), and the variety being unloaded hourly is incredible.

It’s all on show in traditional Cusqueño dishes like rocoto relleno (stuffed hot peppers) and lechon (suckling pig) over the road at Los Andenes de Andrea, a local family favourite where we’ll dine in a sunny garden. Try to save some room for dinner though – we’ll spend the afternoon preparing a Cusqueño dinner with a talented local cook, and the evening feasting!

• Accommodation: Cusco hotel
• (B,L,D)

Day 9. The South Valley - pre-Inca ruins, incredible church, and fabulous food

Today we start our journey towards Lake Titicaca, exploring pre-Inca ruins, sampling artesanal bread and chicharrones (deep fried pork chunks with corn and mint), and having our future read in coca leaves by the famous brujos (witches) of Huasao along the way.

We’ll lunch on hearty platefuls of duck, pork, potatoes and rice, and the best cakes and ice-creams in the region, at a popular local dining destination.

In the afternoon we’ll check out the church of Andahuaylillas, whose interior is so ornate that it’s known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, before arriving at Raqchi, where we’ll spend the night in the guestrooms of our local hosts.

• Accommodation: Humble family home in Raqchi
• (B,L,D)

Day 10. High-altitude hot springs and creepy catacombs

First thing today we’ll thoroughly explore Raqchi’s weird, extra-terrestrial-looking Inca ruin, the enormous adobe Templo de Wiracocha, one of the main temples of the Inca empire and an important staging post in its extensive road network. Then we’ll head for the Marangani natural hot springs, one of the most surreal stops on our trip, where steaming sulfurous streams link five pools against a background of sweeping plains and snowcapped peaks.

The afternoon brings us to Lampa. In colonial days a thriving metropolis, it’s now a forgotten gem where llamas wander through the main square, past pink stone buildings and the most amazing church we’ve ever had the privilege to visit. Among many other marvels, it houses a collection of hundreds of skulls and skeletons, artistically arranged in a marble crypt – it’s quite a jaw-dropping sight and inspired Katy to include Lampa in the Lonely Planet Guide to Peru.

• Accommodation: Casa Romero, Lampa
• (B,L,D)

Day 11. Puno - archaeology, a steamship, and post-modern food

Today we’re headed for Puno, Lake Titicaca’s hectic port town. We’ll spend the afternoon checking out one of Peru’s best archaeological collections at the Carlos Dreyer Museum, and the still-functional steamship SS Yavari, which was brought in pieces by llama from Lima in 1862. Puno is great for wandering, with bustling markets, cool cafés for people watching, and plenty of shopping. It’s also home to a couple of Peru’s best novo andino restaurants, and tonight we’ll enjoy cutting-edge fusion treats like greek style alpaca, and smoked trout in vodka sauce.

• Accommodation: Comfortable hotel in Puno
• (B,L,D)

Day 12. Textiles and totora on Lake Titicaca

Our exploration of the islands of Lake Titicaca begins with the well-known oddity of the Uros Islands: better known as the Floating Islands, the islands are entirely manmade, woven of totora reeds. We’ll learn about the soggy, reed-based life of the inhabitants, and bounce up and down on the intriguingly spongy ‘ground’, before heading further across the lake to Amantani Island, where we'll meet our hosts, members of the indigenous Quechua community, and take them on in a game of soccer (which we will inevitably lose). Then we'll hike up to the Pachamama (Mother Earth) temple at the island’s summit, in time watch the world’s best sunset over the rippling water, mountainous islands, and crinkly shoreline of Lake Titicaca.

After dark we'll return to our family homes. There are no cars or roads on Amantani, and even dogs are forbidden, so the silence after nightfall is complete. This must be one of the most peaceful places in the world.

• Accommodation: Guestroom in family home, Amantani Island
• (B,L,D)

Day 13. Taquile and Puno

This morning we chug across the lake to Taquile. This is perhaps the most beautiful of the islands of Lake Titicaca, with an inviting Mediterranean climate, steep green hillsides, and stunning views across the lake to the snow-capped peaks of Bolivia to the east. We’ll take our time exploring the pre-Inca ruins and tiny towns along the peaceful pathways of the island. Taquile is famous for its textiles; we’ll see them on the people, learn about their significance, and have the opportunity to buy them in the island’s co-operative shop. In the afternoon we’ll head back to Puno for our final night in the Altiplano.

• Accommodation: Puno hotel
• (B,L,D)

Day 14. Departure Day

We’ll get you to Juliaca airport in time for your flight out. If you’re staying on in Puno, we’re delighted to help out with suggestions and assistance for the rest of your time here. (B)

GOT MORE TIME IN PERU?
We can arrange all manner of activities to keep you entertained – from volunteering at a local school to a crash-course in Spanish or a visit to the lower jungle – the options are almost as endless as they are rewarding. For instance, if you’ve chosen the Jungle Inca Trail option during your trip, after the trip you could add on hiking the Standard Inca Trail (be sure to chat with us before the trip if you’re considering this, as you need to book as early as possible). Or how about another trek, Arequipa’s Colca Canyon, the Nazca Lines, Lima, Bolivia, Ecuador... something else tickle your fancy? Let us know, and we’ll make it happen for you!

ACCOMMODATIONS: Accommodations on our Peru trips are Katy’s favourite find in each town during Lonely Planet research. The end result is that in Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Lampa, and Puno, we stay in comfortable hotels that are quirky and individual. In Raqchi and on Amantani we stay in humble family homes. Conditions are basic and hygiene may not be what you are used to at home, but any slight discomfort you experience will be well compensated for in this incredible insight into a very different way of life.

YouTube Footage about Mistura: Visitors discuss Mistura

To learn why National Geographic named Peru the "next Foodie Frontier" in their Best of the World for 2012, please follow this link:
The Next Foodie Frontier

Included

• All accommodation and activities specified in itinerary including entrance to Mistura festival and full Boleto Turistico de Cusco which can also be used on free day
• all meals except lunch and dinner on free day (B,L,D = breakfast, lunch, dinner)
• all ground transport
• all guiding services
• drinking water at meals

Not included

• Flight from Lima to Cusco (ask us for help with making arrangements)

• All Peru Tours
• All Tour Dates