Easter Week, or Semana Santa as it is known in Latin America, is one of the most anticipated and celebrated times of the entire year. Throughout Peru, a variety of captivating events, processions, and celebrations mark the start of Holy Week. Visitors spending Easter in Peru can expect opportunities to see colorful local festivities played out. Traditional Festivities - Easter In Peru Perhaps the most famous of all Easter celebrations takes place in Ayacucho, Peru. Attracting thousands of visitors from all over, Semana Santa in Ayacucho has long been considered Peru’s most spectacular religious festival, transforming this otherwise small Andean city into the host of a beautiful and intense ten-day celebration. Beginning on the Friday before Palm Sunday, the events commence with a procession honoring “Our Lady of Sorrows” during which visitors should watch out for customary pebbles launched from slingshots meant to share the “sorrows” of the Virgin. The following Sunday celebrates the arrival of Jesus to Jerusalem, recreating this scene with a statue of Christ arriving to the city’s main plaza on a mule greeted by thousands of devout Christians waving blessed palm leaves (hence the name “Palm Sunday”) before eventually concluding at the Cathedral. Each day that follows features its own colorful procession or religious event giving participants a chance to demonstrate their devotion. One of the most significant of these occurs on Holy Wednesday in the Plaza de Armas, a symbolic reenactment of the meeting between Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Images of the two are carried on thrones with candles through the streets as onlookers, many emotionally moved, watch carefully in an expression of their faith. Good Friday, a day of mourning for Christ’s death, during which all the city’s lights are turned off and the streets are illuminated by a beautifully solemn candlelight procession.
Easter Week, or Semana Santa as it is known in Latin America, is one of the most anticipated and celebrated times of the entire year. Throughout Peru, a variety of captivating events, processions, and celebrations mark the start of Holy Week. Visitors spending Easter in Peru can expect opportunities to…
Following our visit to the state-of-the-art Portón distillery, with an eye-opening lesson into the production of their delicious Pisco and a small, early-morning “liquid breakfast” of various mosto verdes, we continued to our next stop, Peru’s largest and most popular vineyard, Tacama, Ica. Having previously sampled some of their wines including a consumer favorite Blanco de Blancos and knowing that Tacama was home to the oldest vineyard in South America, we were excited to see firsthand where these quality wines were coming from. Pulling into the main gate, we parked and walked down what would prove to be a deceptively pretty dirt path leading to what again, from a distance, looked like a beautiful and colorful hacienda. As we got closer, we immediately noticed the tacky plastic chairs outside and garbage strewn all over the tables and floor, the first of many polar opposites of our previous visit. We entered the waiting room and were told to have a seat and watch the “informational” video until there were enough people to warrant a tour. However, the overwhelming amount of static on the television, the inability to understand the video as it was in Spanish, and the misplaced and overused advertisements should have been a sign for us to get up and leave, avoiding the disappointments to come. Exiting the waiting room and following our apparently uninterested guide (discussing wine shouldn’t be that much of a chore!) into the hacienda’s main cobblestone plaza, we immediately noticed how charming and beautiful the exterior of the facilities were. The plaza was lined with huge, old trees and in the distance, a majestic watchtower overlooked the property and it’s hundreds of hectares of grapes. Unfortunately, the inside bore no resemblance to the charming, yet deceiving facade. Through the large green wooden door into the
Following our visit to the state-of-the-art Portón distillery, with an eye-opening lesson into the production of their delicious Pisco and a small, early-morning “liquid breakfast” of various mosto verdes, we continued to our next stop, Peru’s largest and most popular vineyard, Tacama, Ica. Having previously sampled some of their wines…
Say what? Delicious seafood in the middle of the Andes mountains? It's true my friends! Believe it or not, but Cusco boasts a restaurant that serves up a full-flavored, stunning assortment of dishes featuring the fruits of the sea. Limo finds the perfect balance of great food, an elegant and modern atmosphere, and ideal location right on Cusco's main square, all of which makes this is one of our favourite restaurants in the city. It never ceases to amaze us with the high quality of fish and seafood, which is transported from the coast by aeroplane. Like Green’s Organic, another one of Cusco Restaurant Group’s incredible dining options, Limo finds a way to make your meal memorable. Start your dining experience with one of their funky pisco cocktails while you try to decide which of the amazing appetizers to try, with a wide selection of tiraditos, ceviches, and even sushi rolls to intrigue your taste buds. For your main course, enjoy a succulent cut of ossobuco served with carrots and yuca, or opt for the buttery and rich flavor of juicy white fish complemented by an assortment of seafood and amplified by hints of spicy Peruvian peppers. For dessert, Limo whips up delicious sweet concoctions using a variety of traditional Peruvian ingredients and adds their own little twist, such as chocolate kiwicha cones with strawberries, iced chicha morada and star anise. Traditional Peruvian flavors meet modern presentations and Asian influences to make Limo one of the more intriguing dining options in this historical, dynamic city. If you are planning to make a reservation here, be sure to request a table on the balcony overlooking the Plaza de Armas, as these tables are a hot commodity and give the perfect location to catch all of the action around the bustling Main Square.
Say what? Delicious seafood in the middle of the Andes mountains? It’s true my friends! Believe it or not, but Cusco boasts a restaurant that serves up a full-flavored, stunning assortment of dishes featuring the fruits of the sea. Limo finds the perfect balance of great food, an elegant and…
Etched into the desert plains over 2000 years ago, The Nazca Lines geoglyphs are one of Peru's most capitvating sites to visit. Flying over the Nazca Lines offers the best perspective to appreciate the large scale of these mysterious shapes, an impressive feat achieved by the ancient Nazca culture. These ancient geoglyphs - consisting of several hundred individual figures - were created by brushing away the dark top layer of barren desert to reveal the light, sandy soil underneath and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Aracari arranges Nazca lines tours from Lima as part of a multi-day private tour to Peru including all accommodation, guiding and transfers. We do not arrange visits to the Nazca Lines on a standalone basis. Planning a Nazca Lines Tour from Lima Getting to Nazca, Pisco or Ica airport from Lima by Road The Nazca Lines are located south of Lima. To see the lines you take short scenic flight from one of the three nearby airports: Nazca, Pisco or Ica. The nearest airport to the Nazca lines is Nazca airport. The closest airport to Lima is Pisco, which is around a 3.5hr drive from the capital; alternatively there are limited commercial flights from Cusco to Pisco. The advantage in visiting the Nazca lines from Pisco airport is that it is the closest to the coastal destination of Paracas, a half hour drive away, which has plenty of other attractions that merit an overnight stay. These include the Ballesta Islands and Paracas National Reserve. Paracas has excellent luxury hotels including Libertador Luxury Collection and Hacienda Bahia Paracas. Aracari arranges trips to the Nazca Lines combined with Paracas on a private basis only, as part of a multi-day itinerary to Peru. Getting to Pisco Airport by Commercial Flight Pisco is one of the three airports that
Etched into the desert plains over 2000 years ago, The Nazca Lines geoglyphs are one of Peru’s most capitvating sites to visit. Flying over the Nazca Lines offers the best perspective to appreciate the large scale of these mysterious shapes, an impressive feat achieved by the ancient Nazca culture. These ancient geoglyphs –…
Located 70 km southeast of Paracas lies a vast fertile land known for producing large quantities of succulent grapes used to create Pisco (Peru's national drink) as well as a selection of increasingly high-regarded wines. A few weeks ago, Aracari-founder Marisol, Lauren, and I went in search of a route that could deliver the perfect tasting experience, leading us to a variety of different vineyards and distilleries. From modern and impressive, to the classic and cozy, and even the dirty and impersonal, we were able to delineate a path that is sure to deliver the best of fine Peruvian spirits. Our first stop was for a sneak-peek at the brand-new Pisco Portón distillery. Situated on the grounds of the oldest working distillery in the Americas, Hacienda La Caravedo dating from 1684, Pisco Portón seeks to embrace and integrate its traditional, centuries-old methods into the its new, sleek and modern facilities. When Texas oil mogul William Kallop and his son were in Peru for business, they made a discovery of a natural resource quite different to the oil with which they were familiar: Pisco. Their love for the intense flavors of the liquor led them to purchase the historical Hacienda, and they enlisted the expertise of Johnny Schuler to serve as Master Distiller of the multi-million dollar project. Mr. Schuler, Peru’s “pisco ambassador,” also travels around the world promoting and educating people about the liquor and is famous for his popular TV show Por Las Rutas del Pisco. With the help of Schuler, the distillery has already earned itself a reputation of producing some of the best Pisco in Peru and is becoming increasingly popular outside of the country as well. We arrived at the enormous entrance gates where we were promptly greeted by the friendly staff and on-premise security. We were
Located 70 km southeast of Paracas lies a vast fertile land known for producing large quantities of succulent grapes used to create Pisco (Peru’s national drink) as well as a selection of increasingly high-regarded wines. A few weeks ago, Aracari-founder Marisol, Lauren, and I went in search of a route that…
For several decades, the Instituto de Arte Contemporáneo (IAC), a major national cultural institution, has been fighting to provide Peru, and particularly its capital city, with a proper museum dedicated to contemporary art. In January of this year, the IAC finally made this dream a reality and opened the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC) in Lima’s artsy district, Barranco. In addition to an international selection of works from the collection of the IAC dating back to 1950, the museum recently opened a new exhibit known as "Lima 04", the postal code for Barranco (where the museum is located). The exhibition focuses on the relationship between the 13 artists on display and how Lima has influenced their work. It features four distinctly themed sections each with its own curator, which allows for a variety of unique perspectives on artists’ works in a variety of different mediums including sculptures, photographs, videos, and embroidery. The first theme, curated by Rodrigo Quijano, focuses on the use of public space throughout Lima and rituals of representation and identification. This includes the work pictured below, was formerly a sign atop a building in central Lima. Daniel Contreras, the curator of the second theme, deals with the personal relationships between artists and the diverse city of Lima. This includes works from the late Santos Sánchez, whose murals depict life in the working class districts of Lima. The third perspective, that of curator Miguel López (who also curated a previous exhibition sponsored by Aracari), reflects on the construction of public works through the display of photos of the billboards throughout the city. Finally, the fourth section, curated by Gabriela Germana, addresses immigration from the perspective of those moving from outside provinces into Lima, for example, through a series of paintings depicting a mass migration from Ica to Lima
For several decades, the Instituto de Arte Contemporáneo (IAC), a major national cultural institution, has been fighting to provide Peru, and particularly its capital city, with a proper museum dedicated to contemporary art. In January of this year, the IAC finally made this dream a reality and opened the Museo…
