The Prairie Meets Peru: Fields, Farms & Friendship May 15-23, 2020
A Food Forward Adventure from Lima to Machu Picchu
Hosted by Cultivate KC’s Executive Director, Katherine Kelly
May 15 – 23, 2020: Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu & Cusco
9 days of transformative adventure, revolving around community building, farming & food
Itinerary
Friday, May 15: Arrive Lima / Meals: None
Most flights arrive to Lima at night. Be met upon arrival at the airport and transfer to your historic, art-filled boutique hotel in the heart of Lima’s bohemian Barranco neighborhood.
Lodging for 3 nights in Lima:
Cozy Character (4 star): Villa Barranco (or similar), a Republican Era mansion recently restored and converted into a cozy boutique B&B in the heart of Lima’s Barranco neighborhood.
Saturday, May 16: Walking Barranco + ABC Afternoon Adventure / Meals: B, L
Barranco is one of Lima’s most walk-able, colorful, culturally rich neighborhoods. Explore it this morning on foot with a guided walking tour to discover its origins and iconic architecture, as
well as to meet a couple of it’s a creative leader in the arts. Lunch is at Isolina, an homage to home-style criollo food interpreted by one of Peru’s top chefs.
Choose your own afternoon adventure: Art, Bike or Coffee:
Art: Enjoy a guided visit to the beautifully appointed Larco Museum – one of the finest its kind in South America. With over 45,000 pieces of ceramics, sculpture, textiles and jewelry, the museum is the ideal place for an overview of Peru’s ancient civilizations.
— OR —
Bike: Explore the Miraflores and San Isidro neighborhoods by bike, from public parks perched on Lima’s seaside cliffs, to native fruits and vegetables in the San Isidro Market. Archaeology
and architecture, city parks, a popular cemetery and an ancient olive tree grove all form part of this fascinating urban panorama.
— OR —
Coffee: Experience coffee from bean-to-bar with a master roaster in Lima. Use all five senses, as you progress through a guided tasting of Peru’s various coffee growing regions.
Sunday, May 17: Coastal Cooking + Peru Food System Exchange/ Meals: B, L, D
Visit the Surquillo market this morning to see a glimpse of Peru’s remarkably diverse natural larder, which arrives daily from the coast, the Amazon and the Andes. Afterward, transfer to a
nearby private cooking workshop for a hands-on class where you’ll learn to make cebiche, Peru’s iconic coastal dish. Enjoy an unstructured afternoon in Lima.
Gather again for an early evening of delicious food and conversation with local organic farmers and small food producers. Our exchange will revolve around Peru’s food system dynamics, its
challenges, opportunities and adaptation in the face of climate change.
Monday, May 18: The Sacred Valley + A Secret Garden / Meals: B, L, D
Take a midday flight to Cusco and then a private transfer to the Sacred Valley, approximately 90 minutes away by car. En route, stop to admire Pisac, a set of monumental Inca ruins with their
iconic terracing. In Calca, meet the founder and team of Por Eso, the ground-breaking non-profit whose greenhouses and gardens programs has improved the lives of over 1,000 families living in
remote communities at extreme altitudes. Visit a nearby demonstration garden.
Lodging for 3 nights in the Sacred Valley:
Cozy Character (4 star): The Greenhouse (or similar). A bucolic setting, terrific food, warm hospitality and tremendous views have made it amongst the most beloved B&B’s in Peru.
Tuesday, May 19: High Altitude Harvest / Meals: B, L, D
Visit the high Andean community of Sipascancha accompanied by Simone Heemskerk, the director of Por Eso Foundation (about 90 minutes drive each way – some of this over bumpy,
windy, unpaved mountain roads).
Sipascancha is in its 2nd year of its Por Eso mentorship, with 43 of 50 families actively participating. We’ll visit the community and school gardens then enjoy a community-hosted
lunch, in which our chef host will also contribute, using produce from Sipascancha’s gardens.
Wednesday, May 20: Micro-climates, Mega-Biodiversity & MIL / Meals: B, L, D
This morning begins with a drive past the otherworldly landscape of Maras where approximately 3,000 salt pans are still hand-harvested by 600 families much the same way it has been since Inca
times. Continue to the spectacular crop circles of Moray, thought by many experts to be an Inca food lab where crops from the Amazon to Peru’s high altiplano were acclimatized and experimented on via a series of micro climates created by these descending circular terraces.
With this base of understanding, our visit to MIL brings us into the future of holistic food collaboration. This project, formed by Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez, his sister Malena and
their team at Mater Iniciativa, is a space where scientists, farmers, artists and chefs seek knowledge and collaborate in a way that engages local communities as stakeholders, honors
indigenous food-ways and seeks innovation while respecting tradition. For me, this represents one of the most groundbreaking projects of its kind anywhere in the world.
Walk on botanical trails that used by local communities for generations and meet some of MIL’s multi-disciplinary team, from designers working on plant-based dyes to the chocolate alchemists
at Flavor Lab producing tree-to-bar deliciousness from Peru’s native chuncho cacao. Finally, settle in for a tasting menu that takes us on a gustatory exploration of Cusco’s dramatically
diverse geography — from high humid jungle to frozen Andean altiplano.
Thursday, May 21: Ollantaytambo + Train to Machu Picchu / Meals: B, L, D
Transfer to Ollantaytambo, where enormous Inca-designed stone fortifications keep silent watch over this idyllic market town. Here, we’ll meet the team of Awamaki and learn about their nonprofit and mission to connect Andean artisan weavers with global markets, while empowering Peruvian women with education and financial independence.
Stop for lunch at an organic farm restaurant with its own Andean spirits distillery onsite before boarding an afternoon train to Machu Picchu Pueblo, the town below the Machu Picchu Citadel.
Lodging for 1 night near Machu Picchu:
Cozy Character (4 star): El Mapi by Inkaterra (or similar), a contemporary, cozy lodge.
Friday, May 8: Magic Machu Picchu + Arrive Cusco / Meals: B, L
Be amongst the first to enter Machu Picchu as the sun rises over the mountains. It’s wondrous to feel the magic and this early hour before day-trippers arrive from Cusco and the Sacred Valley.
Dive into the history and importance of this iconic site with an in-depth guided visit, followed by time to enjoy an unstructured exploration of the ruins, whether that’s trekking to the Sun Gate or
just meditating in one of Machu Picchu’s many quite corners for contemplation.
This afternoon, transfer to Cusco by train and private vehicle, arriving in the early evening.
Lodging for 1 nights in Cusco
Cozy Character (4 star): El Mercado (or similar), an elegant, welcoming boutique hotel that incorporates flavorful elements of a local market into its décor and atmosphere.
Saturday, May 9: Cusco Unveiled / Meals: B, L
Cusco is, simply put, one of the most beautiful Spanish colonial cities of the Americas. This morning is dedicated to an in-depth exploration of this charming city on foot. Delve into one of
Cusco’s boisterous, fragrant open markets to see and taste some of Peru’s exotic fruits and produce. Continue your urban explorations with historical visits including: Santo Domingo, built directly on the Inca stone base of the Koricancha temple (the Temple of the Sun), the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, and the artists’ neighborhood of San Blas.
Enjoy a couple of unstructured hours to explore Cusco’s hidden corners on your own, or just relax with a coffee overlooking the gorgeous Plaza de Armas. Transfer for an early evening
flight to Lima in plenty of time for your overnight flights home. Arrive home Sunday, May 10.
Note: if you have some flexibility in your schedule, we highly recommend an additional night in Cusco. If you’d like, we’ll gladly reserve an additional night at El Mercado (or similar hotel)
along with your airport transfer Sunday afternoon, connecting with your international flight home. In this case, arrive home Monday, May 11.
Costs & Details
Cultivate KC Peru / 4 star lodging / per traveler / double occupancy = $5,495*
* Includes a per traveler donation to Cultivate KC which may be tax deductible
* Internal Peru flights additional / Budget approx. $320 / Culture Xplorers will book these
* International flight from Kansas City additional / Budget approx. $1000 for coach fare seats
Optional single room upgrade for 8 nights add $890 (4 star lodging)
Optional additional lodging night in Cusco add $125/pp dbl occupancy (4 star lodging)
Included:
• Cultivate KC Executive Director Katherine Kelly hosts this one-of-a-kind adventure
• Seasoned local guides in Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco
• World-class chefs, Peruvian farmers, artists and NGO leaders join you throughout this adventure to provide unparalleled access into the food, culture, art and traditions of Peru
• Culture Xplorers’ Signature Experiences listed throughout this itinerary
• Lodging in upscale boutique hotels (4 star) brimming with history & local character
• Meals: breakfast and lunch daily plus five (5) dinners
• Private ground transportation throughout (including train & shuttle bus to Machu Picchu)
• All entry fees to included museums, trail permits, national parks and Machu Picchu
• Emergency oxygen supply aboard our vehicle throughout your time in the Andes
• Purified water provided aboard our vehicle – you will also receive a stainless steel eco-bottle which may be refilled at the hotel and aboard our transport – our goal is to reduce plastic waste from single use disposable bottles
• Airport transfers on day of group arrival and group departure
• Comprehensive pre-departure materials, including: articles of interest, a recommended reading list, plus packing, weather & other tips to help you navigate smoothly in Peru
Additional:
• International airfare to and from Lima, Peru – we have a great airfare resource if needed
• Two domestic air segments within Peru: LIM / CUZ / LIM (approximately $350/pp)
• Tip to guides & drivers – thumbnail guidelines included in our pre-departure materials
• Approximately 3 meals during the trip
• Traveler’s medical and emergency evacuation insurance (highly recommended)
• Items of a personal nature such as laundry, alcoholic beverages, etc.
Details:
• One time only Cultivate KC hosted departure
• Minimum of 10 travelers and max. 16 (+ Cultivate KC host)
• Trip length: 9 days, plus international travel time
• Activity level: on a scale of 1 to 5, this trip is a 2+ or 3. It’s active, but not too demanding. You must be able to walk comfortably and unassisted up to 2 hours at a time & up to 3 hours per day at altitudes ranging from sea level to 12,000 feet. Walking surfaces will vary from city sidewalks, paved roads, cobblestone streets and dirt trails.
To learn more please contact 215.870.3585 or email: info@culturexplorers.com