Peru with Crista Luedtke

Bienvenidos a Peru! We dive right into the Andes! From our hotel in Cusco we’ll descend into the Sacred Valley, where the air feels thinner, cleaner, edged with the scent of eucalyptus. In the village of Amaru, we join an Indigenous farming community in the fields to help harvest oca and quinoa, pulling vegetables from the earth, brushing off soil. These ingredients anchor a traditional pachamanca—a meal slow-cooked under hot stones with herbs and smoke. We eat with our hands, seated together in the shade. The flavors are elemental and rich, the hospitality, unforgettable.

The rest of the afternoon offers some time to relax and get settled at the hotel before we regroup this evening. Dinner at the hotel is slow and restorative, with dishes that feel rooted in the landscape outside your window.

We’re getting deeper into the roots of one of the greatest empires in history. Today begins at Moray, where concentric terraces form ancient agricultural test labs, still echoing with Incan ingenuity. The design—amphitheater-like and built with microclimates in mind—reveals a civilization deeply attuned to the rhythms of the earth. These patterns of knowledge echo through the day.

Lunch is served at MIL, the high-altitude culinary laboratory helmed by Virgilio Martínez, Peru’s most celebrated chef. The experience is not just a meal but a deep study in elevation. Each of the eight courses represents a different ecological level of the Andes—cushuro from the cloud forest, tubers from the puna, grains harvested from nearby terraces.

After lunch, we continue to Maras, where thousands of shallow, glistening salt pans cascade down a hillside. Each pan belongs to a family, passed through generations and harvested with the same ancient method—sun, water, patience. Before dinner, we pause for a tasting of chicha de jora, a lightly fermented corn beer once brewed for Incan ceremonies. As we sip, our guide shares the drink’s storied past—how it was poured for the gods before it ever touched human lips, and why its tart, earthy flavor still carries the soul of the Andes.

Dinner tonight is hosted by a local family of collectors who welcome us into their antique-filled home for a meal of traditional Peruvian fare—perhaps the menu includes ají de gallina in a creamy pepper sauce or seco de cordero with cilantro and chicha.

Today our journey continues to Ollantaytambo, where stone terraces climb toward the sky and the air begins to shift with anticipation. Here, a scenic train ride winds through river gorges and cloud forest toward Aguas Calientes—or for the more adventurous, a guided hike along the Inca Trail reveals the full magnitude of what lies ahead.

As you ascend past the ruins of Wiñayhuayna, orchids sway in the filtered light and the canopy hums with life. The final climb is steep, carved from centuries-old stone. And then—Intipunku. The Sun Gate. Through the haze and shadow, Machu Picchu reveals itself, suspended between sky and jungle, a city that seems both impossibly distant and vividly near.

We arrive in Aguas Calientes in the fading light. At our cloud forest hotel, the air is thick with mist and the scent of wet stone. Over dinner or a quiet glass of wine, we reflect on what we’ve just seen—and what still waits tomorrow.

This morning returns us to Machu Picchu, where the clouds drift away like a curtain lifting on an ancient stage. With a local guide, we trace the stone corridors and ceremonial spaces, from the Temple of the Sun to the terraces that once fed an empire. Each weathered stone tells a story of sacred geometry, mountain worship, and quiet resilience.

Following our exploration, lunch awaits near the entrance to the archaeological site before we board a panoramic train through the mountains toward Cusco, the Sacred Valley slipping past the windows in a blur of eucalyptus, farmland, and light. By evening, we arrive at our historic hotel, where terracotta rooftops and baroque balconies await. Once arrived, dinner is yours to embellish.

Today, Cusco wakes with bells and footsteps. Its streets tell the story of two empires, alive with color, history, and the scent of warm bread. We’ll begin our tour of the city at Sacsayhuamán, enormous limestone blocks fit together without mortar, a feat of Inca engineering that still confounds modern builders. From the San Cristóbal viewpoint, we’ll descend into the historic center, where Spanish colonial facades rise above original Inca stonework. We’ll visit Qorikancha, once the empire’s most sacred temple dedicated to the sun, before turning our attention to Peru’s culinary arts. In a peaceful wooded setting above the city, we step into a private kitchen to master two cornerstones of Peruvian hospitality: the pisco sour and a series of rustic, highland dishes shaped by seasonality and spice. We’ll enjoy a leisurely lunch, and then the afternoon offers time to wander. Perhaps an art gallery, a handwoven textile shop, or simply a café overlooking the Plaza de Armas will fill your time.

Dinner tonight is in an elegant, glass-enclosed dining room within a museum of pre-Columbian art, where contemporary Peruvian cuisine offers another perspective on the country’s cultural history.

After a relaxing breakfast at the hotel, we’ll make our way to Lima, where history clings to every wall and the ocean mist drifts up from the cliffs. Our first taste of the capital comes at an acclaimed restaurant helmed by Pía León, named the World’s Best Female Chef in 2021. Her inventive cuisine draws from Peru’s extraordinary biodiversity, transforming ingredients from disparate elevations and ecosystems into dishes of remarkable color and character. 

After settling into our boutique hotel, we reconvene for a tour of Barranco. As we walk, Lima is revealed at its most expressive—color-washed facades, iron balconies, and the quiet hum of studios and cafés where artists and musicians have long made their home. With a local guide, we’ll taste our way through the neighborhood, watching a ceviche demonstration and learning to shake a proper pisco sour. Dinner continues on foot, with local street food offering a delicious counterpoint to the afternoon’s refined tasting experience.

Mornings in Surquillo Market are a full-body experience—ripe mangoes perfuming the air, clatter from vendors arranging their stalls, the flash of silver-scaled fish laid over mounds of crushed ice. As we navigate the narrow aisles, a local chef explains the role of ají amarillo in Peruvian cuisine, how its sunny heat adds depth without overwhelming. Limes are tested for bite; cilantro is torn for aroma.

From market to kitchen, we chop, marinate, and plate under expert guidance. Ceviche is not just a dish—it’s a rhythm of acidity, freshness, and balance, grounded in coastal heritage and built from the ground up.

In the afternoon, there’s time to unwind or continue exploring Lima. Tonight, we’ll gather for a final dinner beside an extraordinary archaeological site: a monumental adobe pyramid built by the Lima culture some 1,500 years ago. Ancient illuminated walls provide the setting for a contemporary Peruvian meal and a fitting close to our journey.

One last morning in Lima, where the scent of freshly brewed Peruvian coffee offers a final reminder of the country’s remarkable agricultural diversity. Over breakfast, there’s time to reflect on the people and places that have shaped our journey, from the communal earth ovens of the Sacred Valley to the creative kitchens of Peru’s coastal capital.

We’ll say our farewells and make our way to the airport, carrying a few new recipes, perhaps a newfound appreciation for pisco, and memories of meals shared along the way. Peru leaves its mark not with spectacle, but with depth. It lingers. Buen viaje!