Potato Park Experiential Tour in Cusco

Potato Park Experiential Tour in Cusco
140 USD Per person
This experiential tour in Cusco in the Potato Park of Pisac, is definitely one of the most experiential and Andean gastronomic journeys you can have in Peru, a formidable meeting with mother earth, its people and traditions. The Pisac Potato Park is located 45 kilometers from the city of Cusco and there you can see and taste more than 1000 varieties of potatoes from the communities of Amaru, Chawaytiri, Pampallacta, Saccacca and Paru Paru. The potato is the third most important food crop in the world in terms of human consumption after rice and wheat. Peru boasts of having around 4,000 varieties of potato. This tuber that saved many countries of the world from famine, was cultivated for the first time by Peruvian civilizations 8000 years ago.
This one-day tour of the potato park in Pisac also allows you to visit the Cochahuasi animal sanctuary, where you can observe, pet and feed Llamas and Alpacas, as well as observe their wild relatives and other species of animals rescued from illegal traffickers. This Andean lifestyle experience will be complemented by a music and dance show performed by the community members of Pisac.
IncaGo Expeditions will start this unforgettable experiential Tour in the Potato Park in Pisac, picking you up from your hotel in Cusco at 8:00 in the morning. The you will be driven for 40 minutes to the Cochawasi animal sanctuary. Here you will have the cute opportunity to see, pet and feed Alpacas and guinea pigs. In this sanctuary there are also Llamas, Vicuñas, Guanacos and other wild animals rescued from illegal traffickers. Here also you will learn about the textiles of the sacred valley, its technique, the wool and dyes locals use to elaborate their garments. The you will be transported for 25 minutes to the viewpoint of Taray, from where you will watch the sacred valley of the Incas in all its splendor. What a place to take beautiful photos of you and your loved ones.
Then you will board our van for 45 minutes towards the Potato Park in Pisac. Here the locals will wait you with a traditional reception with flowers, Andean music and dances. The activities you will perform are the visit to the Pisac Potato Park as an area of indigenous bio-cultural heritage. Locals will expose the conservation strategies of the native potato, and will make you taste native potatoes boiled with chili and cheese prepared by the Quechua Qachum Waqachi Culinary Art Collective. You are going to visit the sacred lagoon of Kinsa Qocha (the importance of this lagoon lies in its connection with the Andean man, you will learn and work with Andean tools on the field, the native potatoes used in traditional Quechua cuisine. You will be leaded to the community of Sacaca, where you will observe an interpretation of the culinary botanical gardens and its use in culinary art. Go to the community of Chawaytire to learn about medicinal andean plants and be part of their traditions. Then you will have a typical lunch at PapaManka or Qachum Wacachim Restaurant. Around 3 pm, you will be transported back to your hotel in Cusco.
** This experiential tour in the potato park in Pisac has a door to door service.
Professional local english speaker Guides: all our super leaders grew up in cusco region and studied tourism for five years at cusco’s university, they are friendly, funny charming, knowledgeable, professional and will care your safety into our Potato Park, Experiential Tour in Cusco
Permits: As soon as we get your details and deposit, we will purchase your permits for the Potato Park, Experiential Tour in Cusco.
Briefing: you should come to our office at least one day prior to your tour to pay the balance, provide exact information about your accommodation and receive some details for the tour.
Transportation: Incas Path will be providing all transportation for this Potato Park, Experiential Tour in Cusco. You will be picked up from your hotel at 8 am, and brought into all the described places in the itinerary
Food: During the Potato Park, Experiential Tour in Cusco only lunch is included.
Details: We profess that it is the attention to small details that separates us from other travel agencies. Each tourist will recieve an umbrella for rain that you can also use for protection against the sun, due the solar radiation is very high in places located near the equator.
First Aid: Every guide has got training in first aid from a clinic and firemen. We elaborate mandatory training sessions every February on our tours, which every Incas Path tour guide must attend. Your tour leader is going to have always a first-aid kit for basic medical problems.
Gratuities for our staff: Incas Path ensures all staff are fairly paid and therefore gratuities are optional and at your own discretion
Travel Insurance: Highly recommended for all tourist
Daypack: We suggest you to use a daypack that not exceed 25L to carry passport, water, sunhat, sunglasses, suncream, bug spray, rain jacket and a warm jacket
Water bottle
Flight tickets
Hotel in Cusco
We can leave any day of the year as long as we meet at least two people, our train tours can leave any day of the week, twelve months a year.
Please send everything to: info@incagoexpeditions.com
We suggest you to carry lightweight backpack that the is key to feeling good during this Potato Park, Experiential Tour in Cusco
Daypacks can be any size for walking, but we always recommend the smaller, the better. Some items are listed below
The airport in Cusco at the present time is only for domestic flights, so all international travelers by plane must disembark in Lima and go through Customs. Even if your flight to Cusco is the same day by the same airline carrier, you must grab your bags in Lima and then check them back in.
The best way to arrive to Cusco is by air and there are several options in airlines. LATAM tends to be the most expensive, but has the most options and flights.
Expect delays or flight cancellations; due to the high altitude of Cusco, it tends to be difficult to land and any weather inconvenience will stop air traffic.
Bus travel is always available and while the trip can be long, especially from Lima, the buses company such as Oltursa, Cruz del Sur, etc, are very well maintained and comfortable; this option is strongly encouraged if coming from a city closer to Cusco, like Puno or Arequipa.
Even though this is an overnight tour by train to Machu Picchu, your luggage allowance is still limited due to restrictions on the train; all bags brought to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) need to be carry on size.
Any extra luggage you have with you, can be left safely in Cusco at either your hotel or with us at the Incas Path deposit while you enjoy your tour: We will grab the extra luggage from you the morning of your tour and return once you are back in Cusco.
Make sure your suitcase have some kind of identification on them so they are easy to locate.
As soon as people book their trip to Peru, specifically Cusco, they start wondering about altitude sickness. The air at high altitudes contains less oxygen than at sea level and forces your body to work harder to get the oxygen it needs. Over several days at high altitude, your body adjusts to the lower amount of oxygen in the air; that is why we advice you to arrive in Cusco three days prior your trek begin or taking a tour of easy physical demand.
With altitude sickness, you may first feel like you have the flu or a hangover. You may have a headache, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, trouble sleeping, trouble breathing during exercise. If any of these effects become severe, please contact our representatives and we will help you get to a physician.
Most of the time, these symptoms will be mild. We always recommend easing into activity slowly, allowing your body to adjust, drink plenty of fluids such as water, electrolites or coca tea: coca tea has been used since ancient times to help prevent altitude sickness, leaves from the coca plant contain alkaloids like the globulin alkaloid which helps creating red cells in your body that captures the oxygen faster, so helping your body avoid the effects of altitude sickness.
Avoid drinking a lot of alcohol it will cause you to urinate more often and become dehydrated, avoid smoking due it will make more difficult for your body to get oxygen and also avoid sleeping pills because it may cause shallow breathing at night, making it more difficult for your body to absorb oxygen while you sleep.
Your healthcare provider may prescribe medicines, such as acetazolamide better know as the brand Diamox and dexamethasone, to help prevent altitude sickness; start medication two days prior you get to a high altitude and continue to take it while you are at high altitude.
Of course weather is unpredictable. Typically the dry season in Cusco is from April through October, but this does not stop rain from falling in June or the sun from coming out in December, just be prepared; no matter what month you are doing the trek or tour, please make sure that you have rain gear that includes a waterproof jacket, pants, poncho and waterproof gloves.
To protect your journey investment, we highly recommend the purchase of travel insurance; acquiring travel insurance before you leave home, is strongly encouraged and very easy.
The body’s immune system helps protect against pathogens that cause infection; most of the time, it’s an efficient system, it either keeps microorganisms out or tracks them down and gets rid of them.
However, some pathogens can overwhelm the immune system; when this happens, it can cause serious illness.
The pathogens most likely to cause problems are the ones the body doesn’t recognize: vaccination is a way to “teach” the immune system how to recognize and eliminate an organism; that way, your body is prepared if you’re ever exposed.
Vaccinations are an important form of primary prevention; that means they can protect people from getting sick, vaccinations have allowed us to control diseases that once threatened many lives, such as: measles, poliotetanus, and whooping cough.
You may require some additional vaccinations before traveling to Peru; it is adviced you consult to your physician specially if your are taking any trip to the jungle.