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. An authentic cultural immersion in the Andes!
Pick-up from hotels or bus stations in Huaraz.
297 USD per person
The local guide and your indigenous host family, 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:
Learn about the most important activity of the Andean communities, agriculture, and some of their most typical foods: quinoa, a variety of potatoes, olluco, a variety of corn, mashua, and oca. Depending on the season, you will help your indigenous host family to sow or harvest some of these on the field, or, as they call it in the Andes – a chacra, with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. They will teach you how to make Pachamanca (food cooked on hot rocks in an ‘earth oven’) and finally, when you are starving after work on the field, you will try this famous traditional Peruvian dish. As part of your duties, you will collect straw on the fields and feed the cuys (guinea pigs).
Learn about 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, like 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 with your indigenous host family.
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 with Andean potatoes. But, 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 are 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 mountain of Huascarán.
Our experienced guide can also take you to Lake Churup, or Lagoon 69, for an additional fee (for transport and entrance fee of the national park). These beautiful hikes are rated as medium. It is a full-day trip to a glacial lake at an altitude of 4550m, surrounded by the pure nature of the Cordillera Blanca, and some stunning colors.
The archaeological site of Willkawain 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 artifacts that were found there. The site is right behind the home of your indigenous host family.
Learn how to prepare, and of course, taste the sacred drink of the Incas, such as the chicha of the seven seeds.
Your visit benefits the local community in different ways. First of all, it provides an (additional) income to several members of the community, including the cook and the local guide. Secondly, the interest and attention of people who come from all over the world increase the pride of your indigenous host family and the local people in the community. 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.
