Peru is famous for its many varieties of potatoes. Visit the Parque de la Papa (Potato Park) and try amazing potatoes in a picnic lunch prepared by the local community.

It’s a fascinating and worthy trip to see the work done to protect the potato. On our return to Cusco, we stop at Pisac, to show you some wonderful Inca ruins and markets. 

Highlights include:

• Parque de la Papa (Potato Park)

• Community tourism

• Spectacular potato picnic

• Pisac ruins

• Private transport

ITINERARY

Parque de la Papa / Potato Park

We pick you up at your hotel at 8:30 am. It’s a two-hour drive through beautiful scenery to Pampallacta, home of Parque de la Papa – the Potato Park.

Potatoes in the Andes

There are more than 4,000 varieties of potato throughout the Andean regions of Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. 

The Parque de la Papa is an agricultural park dedicated to preserving the biodiversity of the thousands of varieties of potatoes that have been cultivated in Peru since Inca times.

Community tourism

Four local communities work together on the project, around 6,000 people in total. They aim to preserve around 1,300 varieties of native potato as well as the farming and cultivation techniques used to harvest them.

You will see how a rural Andean community lives, how they plant and harvest, and also some of their traditional weaving practices. It’s not all tradition – you can learn and see how the farmers send seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. Visitors play a vital part in keeping the project alive, helping the community preserve the potato as well as invest in local projects.

We have a picnic lunch prepared by a local chef serving a menu that highlights some of the many different kinds of Peruvian potatoes. Unbeatable!

Pisac market and ruins

Next up is Pisac – and it’s not just the market to see – there are majestic ruins at Pisac. We see terraced Inca ruins that are situated high on a mountain. From here, we climb to the top of the ruins and take in amazing views of the Sacred Valley. Your guide can explain the religious, astronomical, and military functions of these ruins at Pisac.

After visiting the Inca ruins, there will be a chance to hike on a little-known, seldom-used original Inca trail and through a tunnel that was built by the Incas. One of the largest Inca cemeteries is also located in the ruins at Pisac and we can tour this part of the site, too.

We finish the tour with a trip to Pisac handicraft market. Browse ceramics, jewelry, and weaving – great souvenirs. The tour ends with us dropping you off at your hotel in Cusco or the Sacred Valley.

Don’t forget to read our FAQs, covering altitude, money, COVID, and more.

Prices

Minimum 2 people

1 DAY

Groups of 2: $185 per person

Groups of 3 or 4: $175 per person

Groups of 5 or 6: $155 per person

-INCLUDED-

Private transport, lunch, entrance to Parque de la Papa,& private tour with an English-Speaking guide

-NOT INCLUDED-

Entrance to Pisac Covred by Boleto turistico: 130 soles-$40 covers entrance to Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray, multiple museums in Cusco, & Sacsayhuaman or 70 soles--$23 which covers only some of these sites