lima-mancora
OUR CULINARY VACATIONS
Highlights | Brief Itinerary | Full Itinerary | Cost Scheme
Overview
2008 Trip Dates:
Aug 10 - 17
Nov 27 - Dec 4 SOLD OUT
2009 Trip Dates:
Feb 5 - 12
Aug 6 - 13
Nov 5 - 12
Trip Length
8 days / 7 nights
Group Size
max 12 people
Full Itinerary
DAY 1: Lima (D)
In the evening, we will meet up as a group in the lobby of your hotel: Casa Andina Private Collection Miraflores (www.casa-andina.com). We will transfer to the almost century-old Museo Larco. With a pisco sour in hand, we will tour the 18th-century mansion cum museum, learning, through pottery, weaving, and gold displays, of the pre-Hispanic cultures that inhabited Peru. A novoandino cocktail at the Café del Museo will follow.
DAY 2: Lima (B, L, D)
From its Spanish colonial churches to its oceanside shopping malls, Lima is a city that blends old and new. After a leisurely breakfast in the elegant Casa Andina dining room, our morning city tour begins in the modern Miraflores neighborhood. Then, we will transfer downtown for a tour of Lima's colonial center. Passing between the centuries-old churches, mansions, and Plaza de Armas, we will perceive the culture that first gave Peruvian cuisine its gourmet touch. A stop at the classic cafe Antigua Taberna Quierolo will allow us taste the Italian-influenced tradition of sandwiches and try several varieties of pisco, the national white brandy liquor. After an afternoon rest, we will head out again to visit the pre-Colombian ruin of the Huaca Pucllana. There pisco sours will whet our appetites for dinner at Gaston Acurio’s acclaimed Peruvian fusion restaurant Astrid y Gaston.
DAY 3: Lima (B, L, D)
In the late 19th century, Chinese and Japanese migrant workers made their way to Peru. Quickly they adapted Peruvian ingredients to fit their preferences for salty sauces and stir-fries. In recent years, Lima’s modern culinary creativity has taken the Asian-Peruvian fusion to a whole new level of inventive sushis, sashimis, etc. Chefs like the US-based Nobu are the result of this creativity. Today, a visit to the market of Magdelena will show us the products available to local chefs. Then we head to the famous Chez Wong to watch Wong himself filete fish for our lunch of ceviche and steaming stir-fries. After a siesta, we will meet again to walk through the neighborhood of Barranco, stopping at art galleries and understanding Lima’s creativity. Then, the elegant Osaka will open its doors for our flavorful dinner of Peruvian-Japanese fusion.
DAY 4: Lima/Mancora (B, L, D)
We will hop an early morning flight to the northern town of Piura. Our transport will meet us at the airport and carry us on to Mancora, where we will check into our beachfront Hotel DCO (www.hoteldco.com). A light lunch and short rest will ready us for our afternoon Peruvian cooking classes. Taught by chef Raul Gonzales, today’s class will feature typical Peruvian hot appetizers. Our cooking will culminate in a shared, group dinner, before we are taxied back to the hotel for a night of restful sleep.
DAY 5: Mancora (B, L)
After a leisurely breakfast in the open-air restaurant of the hotel, we will meet Chef Gonzales for a cooking class. The day's emphasis is seafood-based risottos and rices. A morning of chopping, browning, and boiling will lead to our midday meal, which we will share will Chef Gonzales. We will taxi back to the hotel, where you can spend the afternoon relaxing. If you have previously coordinated a beach activity with the Pica Peru staff, your activity details will be awaiting. Dinner is on your own.
DAY 6: Mancora (B, L, D)
Breakfast will be served under the hotel palm trees. Late morning we will again meet up with Chef Gonzales. Typical fish dishes are the inspiration of today's cooking class. Our creations will again be sampled and shared in a group lunch. Transfer to the hotel will be provided. The afternoon may be wiled away or filled with a previously programmed beach activity. Rested from the afternoon, we will regroup and taxi into the center of Mancora, where we will dine at Chef Seminario's Sirena restaurant.
DAY 7: Mancora (B, L, D)
Hotel DCO will once again serve us breakfast, before we motor off to our last cooking class with Chef Gonzales. We will prepare a light lunch of typical Peruvian cold appetizers, like ceviche and papa a la huancaína. A transport will meet us after lunch and carry us back to Piura, where we will catch a late afternoon flight back to Lima. In Lima, a shuttle will take us back to the Casa Andina Private Collection Miraflores hotel and a farewell dinner in Barranco's La 73 restaurant.
DAY 8: Mancora/Lima (B)
Breakfast will be served in the hotel. If you are connecting to an international or domestic flight, Pica Peru will provide your airport shuttle. Pica Peru's list of "What-to-do-in Lima" should fill any free hours you have around town.
OPTIONAL:
*To upgrade your hotel option to the waterfront Miraflores Park Hotel (www.mira-park.com), owned and operated by the famed Orient Express group, please contact Pica Peru staff.
*If you are interested in connecting your Lima-Mancora culinary vacation with a trip to Machu Picchu and Cusco or another Peru destination, Pica Peru can help arrange your trip details. Please be in touch with one of our staff members to coordinate.
With advance notice, Pica Peru can coordinate customized Peruvian culinary vacations.
