Peruvian Fusion – September 2017

Your Culinary Journey

DAY 1 SYDNEY / SANTIAGO / LIMA
Wednesday

Arrival at the Jorge Chavez International Airport, located in Callao, Lima’s main seaport. Upon arrival, be met at the airport by Lorraine Elliott and transfer to Atemporal Hotelito in Miraflores.

DAY 2 LIMA
Thursday Breakfast at hotel included.

In the morning, transfer to gastronomic fair MISTURA. This day is only reserved for government authorities and specials guests. This is the 10th year for the festival run by APEGA (Peruvian Society of Gastronomy). Lunch is included in different sectors of the venue, to enable you to have the chance to taste and experience the large variety of Peruvian cuisine on offer. You can also participate in different conferences about Peruvian and international cuisines should you wish. We will have local Peruvian chef join us for the entire Lima portion of the journey, and he will give us an even deeper insight into Peruvian cuisine.

Dinner this evening is at the stunning Maido by Mitsuharu, ranked Nº 2 in the list of the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants and Nº 8 in the list of the World’s Best Restaurants. Tonight, you will have the Nikkei Experience, a cuisine combining Peruvian and Japanese food in one.

DAY 3 LIMA
Friday Breakfast at hotel included.

Mid-morning, another visit to MISTURA to continue exploring the expressions of Peruvian gastronomy but this time you will will have more chance to share the fair with locals. Lunch is also included in different sections of the event.

In the afternoon, visit Larco Museum, a world-class museum, beautifully displaying awesome pre-Inca artifacts, including pottery, gold, and silver collected throughout Peru, and effectively presenting the story of the many civilizations in this diverse country. Afterwards, tour the historic centre of Lima beginning with some of Lima’s Republican highlights: Museum of Art, Miguel Grau monument, Palace of Justice, and Plaza San Martin – then a guided tour to the Cathedral located in the Main Plaza of Lima.

That evening, cocktail and dinner is at Casa Aliaga, a very rare and unique experience and a house usually reserved for government officials and VIPs. After the founding of Lima on January 18th, 1535, Captain Jerónimo de Aliaga y Ramírez received a colonial house in the elegant area near the house of Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish Conqueror, (today the Government Palace). Ever since then the Aliaga family and their descendants have lived in the house, thus making it the oldest dwelling in the Americas that has been home to the same family for 17 generations. As you wander through the beautiful rooms of this old mansion, you can enjoy both the Colonial and Republican history of the city of Lima.

DAY 4 LIMA
Saturday Breakfast at hotel included.

As avid foodies you will know that there are many ways to get to know a city, but one of the most gratifying and interesting is through its food. This is especially true of Peru, with the infinity of textures, colours, aromas and flavors that the land provides.

Delight in a visiting a local market with an acclaimed chef and enjoy a cooking class, showcasing some of coastal Peru’s most authentic ingredients and dishes.

We mentioned that there is no shortage of interesting and fantastic food, and tonight’s dinner is at Chifa Madam Tusan. “Chifa” reflects a fusion by Chinese Peruvians using products that the Chinese brought with them to those and including those they found in Peru, and later cultivated themselves.

DAY 5 LIMA / AREQUIPA
Sunday Breakfast at hotel included.

In the morning, visit the well-known Surquillo Market. You will be able to meet with vendors and try any of the exotic and unusual fruit. This market is a known stomping ground for some of the city’s most innovative chefs.

After the market visit we will have lunch at El Mercado Restaurant. El Mercado is a tribute to Peruvian cuisine. The name Mercado or market is an open air lunch-only venue by chef Rafael Osterling. Dine on what has been said to be Lima’s best ceviche or fresh scallops and other seafood.

This afternoon we will take a flight to Arequipa. Upon arrival, reception and transfer to Casa Andina Private Collection. There is no formal dinner arranged in case people want to relax and explore something casual on their own.

DAY 6 AREQUIPA
Monday Breakfast at hotel included.

We start in the morning on the sunny outskirts of Arequipa in an area that has said to be inspirational for painters, photographers, writers and poets surrounded by volcanoes, pre-Inca terraces for farming – bring your camera along! We visit the district of Socabaya, the colonial-style “Molino de Sabandía”, the Yumina terraces, and the “Mansión del Fundador”.

Lunch is at Sol de Mayo. You will explore “Picanterías”. These are a social space for interaction between people of different social classes whose main characteristic is the preparation and sale of food and drinks typical of this region. In the afternoon, tour of the “White City”, including the “Plaza de Armas” (main square), La Compañia Church and the famous Monastery of Santa Catalina. Then, visit its picturesque surroundings.

Dinner is at Zig Zag Restaurant, which focuses on Alpandina Gastronomy. This culinary concept was created by Swiss chef Michel Hediger during his years of residence in Arequipa.

DAY 7 AREQUIPA / CUSCO / AWANACANCHA / SARAPAMAPA / PISAC / URUBAMBA (SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS)
Tuesday

Good morning sunshines! Today is an early start as we bid Arequipa goodbye and transfer to the airport. We depart with LATAM from Arequipa for a very short flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, we will transfer to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. On the way we will have a quick stop in the very sacred Sacasayhuaman fortress to see the Inca ruins famous for its cosmic energy and in Awanacnacha, a weaving center whose goal is to keep the traditional textile arts alive.

After that we will continue to Hacienda Sarapampa (meaning cornfield), located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Here, you will learn how corn influenced the Andean people and those who followed during colonial and recent times. A lunch at Hacienda Sarapampa will be served based on indigenous ingredients – this is where we will try llama and alpaca. Then we will have a short visit to the town of Pisac and its Indian Market where we can learn how to make empanadas. Accommodation at Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa. Tonight, you can relax in your room following a busy day and enjoy a spa treatment.

DAY 8 URUBAMBA / MARAS / MORAY / URUBAMBA (SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS)
Wednesday Breakfast at hotel included.

In the morning you will visit Maras (salt mines of the Inca period still in use) and Moray (an experimental agricultural centre from the same period). We have a very special surprise for lunch today that is guaranteed to delight!

This evening we will be dining at a chef’s table at Chef Nacho’s kitchen at Wayra Ranch, where he leads guests on a three-course culinary Peruvian adventure accompanied by Pisco Sours. As you experience the Sacred Valley through your taste buds, learn about the produce of this fertile basin that has been the region’s breadbasket since the time of the Incas who built the agrarian terraces, called andenes in the Quechua language.

DAY 9 URUBAMBA / OLLANTAYTAMBO / MACHU PICCHU
Thursday Breakfast at hotel included.

In the morning, visit the fortress and town of Ollantaytambo, a truly beautiful old Incan town. Grab a casual lunch before transferring to the Ollantaytambo station for a scenic 1 hour 30 minute train trip through the Urubamba Valley.

Arrive late afternoon, after settling into your luxe accommodations at the base of Machu Picchu, enjoy a cocktail mixology class. Dinner is at your hotel.

DAY 10 MACHU PICCHU to CUSCO
Friday Breakfast at hotel included.

Early in the morning we will take a 30-minute bus ride up to the breathtaking Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and have our own private guided tour through the ruins. You will then have some free time to explore the archaeological complex on your own. Afterwards we will return on bus back to Machu Picchu town.

Lunch is at Chullpi Restaurant, another very unique gastronomic adventure with strong focus on paddock to plate, hosted by one of Peru’s next generation of famous chefs. Explore the town and shop around the markets, or go back to Machu Picchu if you wish. Mid afternoon transfer to Casa Cartagena Hotel Boutique & Spa.

DAY 11 CUSCO
Saturday Breakfast at hotel included.

In the morning we will take a short walk to the San Pedro local’s market where we can see and try local products, foodstuffs and shop for handicrafts. Afterwards we will return to the hotel and leave to have a small tour and orientation with the Koricancha Temple and the Cathedral in the main plaza of Cusco.

Lunch is at Inka Grill Restaurant, located in the Main Plaza of Cusco. Rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Dinner is at Limo Restaurant. The “Aji Limo” (chili limo) is an indispensable ingredient of ceviche the standard of Peruvian cuisine.

DAY 12 CUSCO / SAYLLA / OROPESA / TIPON / HUACARPAY / CUSCO
Sunday Breakfast at hotel included.

We depart on Sunday for one of the most authentic experiences via an excursion to the South Valley of Cusco: a true foodie day. The first stop is in Saylla, 15 km from Cusco, famous for its chicharrones (pork crackling). Chicharonerías in Saylla also serve chairo soup, a filling dish originally prepared for campesinos (farmers), to give them enough energy to undertake long hours of physical work in the fields. Chairo features ingredients like chuño (dehydrated potatoes), onions, carrots, peas, habas, corn and wheat kernels, sweet potatoes, and beef or lamb or both.

Next stop is in Oropesa, the heart of a very special type of bread. The bread called pan chuta is a big, round yet relatively flat, loaf — some 30cm in diameter and 5cm in height and it can can be found all over Cuzco. It is sold in the city’s markets, its bus and train terminals, and along busy streets.

30 km south of Cusco, Huacarpay Lagoon is a group of high-Andean wetlands located 3170 m above sea level and is the site of our picnic.

Dinner at the Pre-Columbian Museum of Art (MAP Café), originally an Inca ceremonial court, then a residence of a Spanish conquistador, and now the only museum in Peru dedicated to the preservation of the arts and crafts of ancient Peruvian.

DAY 13 CUSCO / LIMA
Monday Breakfast at hotel included.

Transfer to the airport.

On the way we will stop at craft beer workshop of Supay Quinoa Pale Ale for a guided visit and a beer tasting.

Depart with LATAM flight to Lima. Upon arrival, reception and transfer to Atemporal Hotelito Hotel.

Dinner tonight is a very special one at Central restaurant. Ranked Nº1 in the list of the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants and Nº5 in the list of the World’s Best Restaurants.

DAY 14 Tuesday Departure Day:

Breakfast at hotel included. Transfer to the airport for your onward travels!