Peru · FOOD
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 11 food experiences worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Spend four hours tasting Peru’s signature dishes in Barranco, with cooking demonstrations for ceviche, lomo saltado and pisco sour. Your English-speaking guide, including guides such as Marcos, Valeria, David and Aura, explains the food, culture and local makers in a group of up to 10.
“The pace was good. Valeria did a great job explaining how the flavors were connected to the history and culture.”
Spend four hours walking Lima’s historic center with guides such as Marcos, Aura, Valeria, and Sheyla. Taste anticuchos, churros, picarones, chicharrón sandwiches, market fruit, and chilcanos while visiting Chinatown, Mercado Central, Plaza Mayor, and colonial landmarks.
“Absolutely fantastic! Valeria was amazing! Food was soooo good!”
Spend about 10 hours eating and exploring the Sacred Valley with Liat, beginning with market tastings in Urubamba, continuing to Ollantaytambo and its Chicheria, then visiting a Huilloc family for crafts and a traditional lunch. Cusco pickup costs extra.
“Far beyond the food, Liat brings her heart and soul to the tour, a rare opportunity to truly experience the Peruvian people and not just another tourist attraction.”
Join Bruce of Inka Pride at 1:30 pm for a 3.5-hour Lima food walk from Central Market to San Martin Square. Try lucuma juice, ceviche, dim sum, anticuchos, picarones, and more while learning how Chinese and Peruvian cooking joined forces.
“Love the tour as you get to eat street food while experience local culture. The guide Bruce with Inka Pride was great and informative about places to vist and see. He did offer alternatives for those who are not adventurous in there food choice as well. Overall the food picks tasted delicious 😋”
Spend three hours with your own local guide sampling 10 Lima foods and drinks, from turrón and stuffed olives to ceviche, Chanchamayo coffee, dumplings, and Peruvian churros. The route also passes Lima’s cathedral, government buildings, Barrio Chino, and San Francisco Convent, with vegetarian options available.
Spend about three hours walking Cusco with a private local guide such as Angelo, Fabrizio, or Harry. Taste juice, corn and cheese, potatoes, empanadas, ceviche, pisco sour, pork, coffee, pastries, and more while seeing San Pedro Market, Qorikancha, La Merced, and other historic sights.
“Our guide Angelo is well spoken and interesting. I will give him credit that he's very knowledgeable about the culture and he did interact. There were 5 of us in this tour. 1st Stop: Each of us had Jugueria (juice)-mixed with tomato(sacha tomate) /pineapple /orange juice. 2nd Stop: We sampled 2 kinds of passion fruits-one is sweet and the other one kinda sour. Good try! We had to share using 1 spoon. 3rd Stop: free chocolate samples from the market vendor that they sampled before you buy (those little round choco). 4th Stop: While walking to go to Copacabana for the empanada-he bought a toasted FABA beans on the street.…”
Spend about four hours walking Miraflores with a Spanish-English Travel Buddies guide such as Rudy, Miguel, Sergio, or Pablo. Start with specialty coffee, then try chicharrón, bakery treats, market fruit, ceviche, pisco, and churros at small local stops. Groups are capped at 10.
“Loved the food and coffee and cocktail - our tour guide made it so much fun! The ceviche and fruit were my favorites but all the food was tasty and walking helped me digest everything!”
Meet at Starbucks on Av. Pedro de Osma at 6 p.m. for a three-hour walk through Barranco. A guide such as Alejandro leads a group of up to eight people to four or five restaurants, where you sample Peruvian Criollo dishes, Nikkei and Chifa cooking, dessert, and about 10 plates overall.
“Tour guide Alejandro was an amazing guide. We visited 3 restaurants and tried 5 dishes. All were delicious. Alejandro was knowledgeable about the food, the neighborhood and super friendly. I highly recommend!”
Spend four hours tasting Arequipa’s signature dishes, learning to grind ocopa with a traditional batán, and walking from San Camilo Market through the historic center to Yanahuara. English-speaking guides such as Clara and Caro bring food, customs, and city history together in a small group of up to 10.
“Guide dynamique et professionnelle Tour complet : culinaires et historiques Belle découverte de Arequipa et de sa culture”
Leave Arequipa before dawn for Cruz del Condor, then hike through Colca Canyon to Sangalle, where shared rustic rooms and solar power keep the night simple. Guides such as Alix, Carlos, and Alex support the demanding trek. Day two adds hot springs, volcano views, vicuñas, alpacas, and llamas.
“Magnifiques paysages au programme ! La présence de notre guide Alix a été un réel plus : il a donné plein d'explications enrichissantes et il a su trouver des solutions rapidement lorsque certains ont éprouvé des difficultés à finir le trek, et tout ça avec sourire. C'est clairement une activité à ne pas manquer !”
Cook a three-course menu in Arequipa, choosing among traditional Peruvian, Arequipeño, or marine dishes. You will prepare food by hand, taste the results, and work in a large garden kitchen with an English- or Spanish-speaking instructor.
Pick a ruin, a summit, a dune or a kitchen.
