Travelers stay within a traditional Andean community in a comfortable private room. They will experience daily life in the Andes with an indigenous host family and will learn about the local culture and nature through a wide range of activities, from hikes in this amazing Andean landscape to workshops on traditional architecture, agriculture and handicrafts. You’ll also learn to cook (and eat/drink) traditional Andean dishes and drinks.
Pick-up from hotels or bus stations in Huaraz.
280 USD per person
The local guide can change the activities according to local circumstances and weather at the time of your visit but most likely you’ll do the following workshops:
You will be introduced to the most important activity of the Andean communities, agriculture, and some of their most typical foods: quinoa, a variety of potatoes, oyucu, a variety of corn, mashua and oca. Depending on the season, you will help to sow or harvest some of these on the field or, as they call it in the Andes – a chakra, with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. You will also be taught how to make Pachamanca (food cooked on hot rocks in an ‘earth oven’) and finally, when you are starving after the work on the field, you will try this traditional Peruvian dish. As part of your duties, you will collect straw on the fields and feed the cuys (guinea pigs).
You will be introduced to 3 different traditional building styles: stone construction in the style of the Wari culture, tapial construction and contemporary adobe construction. You will not only observe our expert but you will get your own hands dirty and help in the preparation of the materials, the adobe, tapial and stones and in the actual building of a small construction. In the tradition of the Andes, you will drink chicha and chew coca leaves while working.
The food of the Andes is unique, very natural and easy to prepare. In this workshop, you will learn how to cook a typical Andean dish from this region and then, the best part, taste it yourself. If you feel up for it, you can learn how to prepare cuy (guinea pig) and its side dishes (a delicious sauce and Andean potatoes). If you prefer another dish, there are many other options, such as preparing Andean tamales. If there’s a specific dish that you would like to learn to prepare, you can request this in advance or ask the cook herself!
If you feel sporty, this one-day, relatively easy hike, is an excellent opportunity to discover the natural beauty of the area and to see why most tourists come to Huaraz. There are several options among which the easy walk to the lagoon of Radian with its beautiful views or the more difficult hike to Aguak (4560 m altitude) with its view of Huaraz and the mountains of Huascaran.
Our experienced guide can also take you to Lake Churup or Lagoon 69 for an extra fee of 60 USD per group (for transport and entrance fee of national park). These beautiful hikes are rated as medium. It is a full-day trip to a glacial lake at the altitude of 4550m surrounded by the pure nature of the Cordillera Blanca and some stunning colors.
The archaeological site of Wilcahuain consists of temples of overlapping platforms built completely out of stone by the pre-Inca Wari culture. There are various sites in the area that are well worth to be explored. A small museum explains the history of the site and shows visitors some of the artefacts that were found here.
Learn how to prepare and of course taste the drinks of the Incas such as the chichas of the 7 seeds.
Your visit benefits the local community in different ways. First of all, it provides an (additional) income to several community members, including the cook and the local guide. Secondly, the interest and attention of people who came from all over the world increases the pride of the local people in their communities. The local people on the tour are all in a way community leaders who work hard to improve their environment and community. The admiration of visitors from across the world reinforces their engagement.
