Interview with Mark Green, Aracari Travel Planner Machu Picchu is Peru's most popular tourist attraction, receiving close to 1.6 million visitors in 2018. Hiking to Machu Picchu, either on the Inca Trail or via one of the alternative trails, is a truly awe-inspiring way to journey to one of the 7 recognized new wonders of the world. Furthermore, the Inca Trail affords travelers the unique possibility of visiting 4 significant and beautiful Inca sites along the way. This is a unique feature of the Inca Trail. So, whilst the global pandemic may have put many people’s travel plans for 2020 on hold, it certainly hasn’t diminished their plans and aspirations for one-day visiting the lost city of the Incas. That's why we decided to interview Mark, one of our expert travel designers, who has kindly shared with us an update about hiking to Machu Picchu. Mark moved to Peru from Great Britain over a decade ago. After several years exploring every hidden corner in the southern Andes and a lengthy spell accompanying tour groups along the hiking trails near Machu Picchu, Mark joined the Aracari team in 2013 as one of our expert Travel Designers. As an avid trekker, he has hiked most the trails in Peru. Mark’s unique in-depth knowledge and first-hand experience of the trails make him the ideal person to discuss your plans to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Given The Ongoing Pandemic, Is It Possible To Hike The Inca Trail To Machu Picchu? Pre-COVID, we would expect tickets to Machu Picchu to go on sale in December for travel in the following year. Similarly, Inca Trail permits for both the 4-day and 1-day trails would normally be released for sale in October for travel in the following year. In March 2020, when the pandemic
Interview with Mark Green, Aracari Travel Planner Machu Picchu is Peru’s most popular tourist attraction, receiving close to 1.6 million visitors in 2018. Hiking to Machu Picchu, either on the Inca Trail or via one of the alternative trails, is a truly awe-inspiring way to journey to one of the…
Papa a la Huancaina is a classic Peruvian Recipe, that originates from the magnificent city of Huancayo, high in the Andes. Below you'll find the ingredients and recipe for the dish, which Aracari's gastronomic advisor Maria Julia Raffo will be demonstrating in a live Instagram cook-a-long. So why not stock up on these ingredients and join us at 10 am CST (Lima Time) on Sunday, September 13th to bring some Peruvian flavor into your kitchen. Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped red onion 1 tsp minced garlic 2 tbsp vegetable oil 5 ajíes amarillos 3-4 saline crackers 1/2 lb (1/4 kg) fresh white cheese 1 cup evaporated milk Juice of 1/2 key lime Vegetable oil 6 boiled white potatoes (cold) To serve: Lettuce leaves, cooked corn kernals, hard-boiled egg slices, black olives Method: Seed, devein and chop ají amarillo. In a small skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and, over a medium heat, saute the onions, garlic and ají amarillo until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove onion mixture from the heat and, in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade, blend together with the crackers, white cheese, evaporated milk, and salt, adding just enough vegetable oil to give the mixture a smooth creamy consistency. Add the juice of 1/2 key lime and blend for a few seconds more. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more salt if necessary. Let sauce cool to room temperature or chill in the fridge. To serve, pour the sauce over sliced cold boiled potatoes and garnish with boiled egg slices, olives, cooked corn kernals and lettuce leaves. Cooks note: The ají amarillo is the most commonly used hot pepper in Peru. It is also known as ají verde, ají fresco, and ají edcabeche. It is a long finger-shaped chili pepper,
Papa a la Huancaina is a classic Peruvian Recipe, that originates from the magnificent city of Huancayo, high in the Andes. Below you’ll find the ingredients and recipe for the dish, which Aracari’s gastronomic advisor Maria Julia Raffo will be demonstrating in a live Instagram cook-a-long. So why not stock…
Pandemic Tales from Peru: Penélope Alzamora Whilst international travel remains largely restricted, Aracari is still bringing you inspiring tales of people and culture from Peru, Bolivia, and the Galapagos. This month Aracari spoke with Peruvian Chef, Penélope Alzamora, our close friend and associate who for many years has looked after Aracari’s VIP guests on culinary experiences and cooking classes in Lima. In recent months she has witnessed first-hand how Lima's world-famous food scene has been affected by the global pandemic, whilst simultaneously observing the values that triumph in adversity. Peru's Food Culture "To understand food is to understand culture", declares Penélope. Undoubtedly, Peruvian food reflects the melting pot of cultures that the country is. Before we delve into the effects of the pandemic, it’s important to understand how the gastronomy of Peru came to be; "First there was the Incas, who harvested quinoa, amaranth, cacao ... then the Spanish, who brought with them ingredients like tomato, onion, peppers ... the African population, who cooked with chilies, pulses, offal ... and the Japanese, who fished the ocean and even introduced our modern way of preparing Ceviche." New Andean Cuisine Contemporary Peruvian cuisine, the dishes served up in some of Lima's best restaurants, is a (re)discovery of the native ingredients and exotic flavors found across Peru - an area that features 28 of the UN's 32 recognized climates in the world. This diversity of environments is reflected in the array of cooking ingredients and produce to be found in markets across Peru. It was whilst touring the food markets in Peru for the TV series, Aventura Culinaria, that Penélope’s former business partner, Chef Gastón Acurio (Astrid y Gastón), saw the opportunity to put Peru on the gastronomic map of the world. Penélope says "No person has been more influential in creating this
Pandemic Tales from Peru: Penélope Alzamora Whilst international travel remains largely restricted, Aracari is still bringing you inspiring tales of people and culture from Peru, Bolivia, and the Galapagos. This month Aracari spoke with Peruvian Chef, Penélope Alzamora, our close friend and associate who for many years has looked after…
This month, Aracari’s special gastronomic advisor Maria Julia Raffo has kindly shared with us the details of five dishes Peruvians love to make in summertime. “Why not use what remains of the summer to bring some Peruvian inspiration into your kitchen” says Maria, whose insight into Peruvian gastronomy and connections to the restaurant scene have created some of the most memorable culinary experiences for Aracari travelers over the last twenty years. Perfect for a light supper, picnic, or BBQ, we’re delighted that Maria will be demonstrating how to prepare each of these dishes in a live stream on Aracari’s Instagram channel over the coming months. You can join Maria’s first culinary demonstration on Sunday 13th September over at @aracaritravel – we’ll keep you updated with the full method and list of ingredients you’ll need to take part on our blog and newsletter. 1. Solterito The dish from Arequipa, whose name translates as 'unmarried' or 'single', because it was once only eaten by bachelors. Chef Martin Morales suggests a salad like this is light but filling and has traditionally helped "loveless bachelors to stay svelte while each one searched for a wife." So, how do you make Solterito? Quite simply the salad is a mix of broad beans, tomato, corn, salad onions, cottage cheese, and botija olives dressed in a mildly spicy vinaigrette made from Causa de Alcachofa de Jerusalén (Rocoto peppers). Bursting with flavour, and very colorful to look at, Solterito is the perfect recipe for the hottest of summer days, and when the sun is shining. 2. Papa a la Huancaina (Huancayo style potatoes) High in the Andes is the magnificent city of Huancayo, where the dish known as Papa a la Huancaina (Huancayo style potatoes) originates. This dish simply requires you to boil potatoes and dress them with
This month, Aracari’s special gastronomic advisor Maria Julia Raffo has kindly shared with us the details of five dishes Peruvians love to make in summertime. “Why not use what remains of the summer to bring some Peruvian inspiration into your kitchen” says Maria, whose insight into Peruvian gastronomy and connections…
From Route 66 to California's Pacific Coast Highway many of us will be familiar with the great North American road trips. But, what about the best road trips in South America? The current COVID restrictions may have made such road-trips impractical for now, but as you gather your travel inspiration for a post-pandemic world, we wouldn't want you to forget the experiences the roads of Peru can offer. In this story, we look back on what must surely be considered the ultimate Peruvian road trip, as taken last summer by Aracari founder, Marisol Mosquera, a group of friends and long-term customers. But, before we spoil the surprise and tell you which itinerary stops to add to your great Peruvian Road-Trip, first let’s ask ourselves what makes a great road trip … "The nature of any great road trip is an off-the-beaten-track adventure, away from the tourist trails, into remote beautiful landscapes with plenty of unique cultural attractions along the way. It has to make the hours of driving worthwhile," says Marisol. Indeed, it’s true, there's little incentive to get out on the road if your planned route is lacking in incredible scenery, culture, and adventure. The alternative to a road-trip is simply to fly between destinations, yet a truly great road trip doesn't give you the option of flying, and nor would you want to. Where Should You Plan A Road-Trip In Peru While Southern Peru is incredibly popular with tourists, the north is blissfully empty. Furthermore, this region offers the most diverse array of beautiful, untouched landscapes. From the desert coast and its ancient sites (Caral, Chan Chan and Huaca de la Luna), to the snow-capped peaks of the highest tropical mountain range in the world, the Cordillera Blanca, and Peru’s highest mountain, Huascarán at 6,768m. The north of Peru is the obvious candidate
From Route 66 to California’s Pacific Coast Highway many of us will be familiar with the great North American road trips. But, what about the best road trips in South America? The current COVID restrictions may have made such road-trips impractical for now, but as you gather your travel inspiration for…
A Journey in the Two Worlds of Peru "This notion of travel as moving through space, but also being in one place at a time, is vividly exemplified in the travel books of Ronald Wright," says Alberto Manguel in the introduction to the new Eland edition of Ronald Wright's classic book on Peru - 'Cut Stones & Crossroads - A Journey in the Two Worlds of Peru'. For those who have hiked the Inca Trail; experienced Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca, you will know precisely what Alberto Manguel is inferring. When visiting these ancient metropolises today, one only imagines how they must have operated in the era of the Incas. The thrill is real, just as Ronald Wright has captured in all his writings on Peru. This month Aracari has been very fortunate to pose a few questions to the acclaimed travel writer, ahead of the re-release of Cut Stones and Crossroads. Here's what we discovered ... AT: Why did you write Cut Stones and Crossroads? RW: Cut Stones and Crossroads was my very first book, written after I spent some years in Peru and other parts of Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. The book's success launched me as a writer, and it's a great pleasure to see it re-issued in Eland's new edition with a fresh introduction and update. I've now written ten books in various forms -- fiction, history, and works on ecology, anthropology and politics. Some also focus on Peru, like my latest, The Gold Eaters, a novel set during the Spanish invasion of the Inca Empire five centuries ago. But I think all my work, whether about Peru or not, flows from a youthful fascination with the Incas, which began by chance reading in my teens. Peru was one of civilization's six or
A Journey in the Two Worlds of Peru “This notion of travel as moving through space, but also being in one place at a time, is vividly exemplified in the travel books of Ronald Wright,” says Alberto Manguel in the introduction to the new Eland edition of Ronald Wright’s classic…
