The Fisherman and Ceviche Culture of Lima Tour
Description
For visitors, Lima might seem a modern metropolitan but if you go off the beaten path, you’ll discover a diverse city with many different cultures. Many customs and traditions were brought to the capital by immigrants from the Andes or the Amazon. But, Lima also has its own rich history and culture. As a coastal town, fishing and seafood have always been very important. If you are interested in getting to know more about Lima’s own traditional culture, this Fisherman and Ceviche Culture of Lima tour should be on your itinerary. First, the guide will take you to an artisanal fish market and pier, where you will go for a short boat ride along Lima's coast with beautiful scenery. Afterwards, you visit several locals in the local fishing community, including an artisan boat builder, and you will try the best ceviche of Lima in a tiny, local family restaurant. After lunch, the guide takes you to the best view of Lima, a hill that has played a very important role in Lima’s history.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel at 10am (starting time can be changed if you prefer) and take you to one of Lima’s most traditional and colorful communities, the fishing district of Chorrillos. Start your day with a visit to its picturesque seafood market and pier, where local fishermen sell their catch of the day and repair fishing nets and boats for their next adventure offshore. They will share their experiences and views on today’s challenges of artisanal fishing and our local guide will also show you the wide variety of fish, shellfish and other types of seafood that have added incredible nutritious value to the diets of ancient and modern Peruvians. On most days, we’ll also be able to take a short boat ride to have a better view of Lima’s coastline in a small artisanal boat, made by a local boat builder, and learn more about the vast biodiversity of this side of the Pacific.
Next, we’ll walk through the old streets of Chorrillos, while your guide explains the importance of this town in the history of Peru. On the way, we will stop by a local boat builder’s workshop to understand the laborious process of making an artisanal fishing boat, before we get to our delicious lunch.
For lunch, we will take you to the small family restaurant of one of the most traditional families in town, who are preserving traditions from the first Spanish Peruvian settlers, locally known as “Criollos” whose culture has blended for more than two centuries with the indigenous, African and Asian traditions to create the unique coastal culture of Peru. They practice different “creole” traditions that were passed on from their ancestors to the next generations in music, food, and other various cultural expressions. Ceviche, the Peruvian national dish, will be the star of our table; you will learn why all Peruvians are so proud of this delicious seafood dish.
After lunch, we will continue our tour toward the iconic hills of Chorrillos known as Morro Solar, a big cluster of rock formations facing the Pacific Ocean. Except for the best view of Lima and its coast, it is also a very important place in Peru and Lima's history. Your guide will tell you all about this. For instance, that it was once the site of an important 19th-century battle, which shaped the history of modern Peru. We will leave Chorrillos after enjoying the amazing view from the Morro Solar and will be back at your hotel at around 2:30 pm.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(31)
Great ceviche making experience - I recommend. We were party of 2, about 5 hours of seeing off-the-track Lima, nice private car, 1 guide + driver, on their game, very professional. Would do again.
Thank you so much for your kind words and recommendation! I’m really glad you enjoyed the ceviche-making experience and exploring a different side of Lima. It’s great to hear everything—from the guiding to the logistics—felt smooth and professional throughout the day. We’d love to have you back anytime for another experience, there’s always more to discover here.
We really enjoyed this tour ! We got to learn a lot about the culture and fishing industry. The ceviche was fabulous !
Thank you so much for your review! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the tour and learned more about the local culture and the fishing community. And yes, the ceviche is always a highlight! We appreciate you joining us and hope to welcome you again on a future visit!
Alfredo took us on a fun and very interesting tour in Chorillos. We loved visiting with Winfredo, the boat builder, and making our own Ceviche was amazing! We highly recommend this experience!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m really glad you enjoyed the tour in Chorrillos and especially learning about the boat-building tradition. Making ceviche together is always a highlight, and I’m happy you had fun with it. I truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another experience in the future!
This was hands down the best tour that we did while in Peru. We already had done a 'food tour' in Barranco which was kinda generic with a company I dont even remember. In contrast, in this Alternative Peru tour not only do you learn how to make ceviche from an awesome chef in yes an "off the beaten path" restaurant which is still in an amazing location, but we learned about the neighborhood and met not only some fishermen but even the boat builder. All along the way learning of the history of Peru and of the neighborhood as well as discussing very current issues. A truly immersive experience. This is a locally owned and operated company with the goal of sharing Peru with the world while benefiting the local professionals. Visit their website in case not all of their tours are available of trip advisor. Highly, highly recommend! If we had more time I would have booked another tour with the same company.
Thank you so much for this incredible review! We’re truly delighted to hear that the tour was the highlight of your time in Peru and that it was such a memorable experience. This mix of food, culture, history, and community encounters is exactly the kind of authentic connections we love to share, and it means so much to know they left a lasting impression on you. Your kind words about our mission and support for local people mean the world to us. Thank you sincerely for recommending us so highly!
You get to see parts of Lima not often seen. Seeing how the wooden boats are constructed by hand was interesting and to see the old part of Lima and the construction of the old homes. Certainly an interesting tour meeting the true locals
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed discovering a more authentic side of Lima, from the traditional boat-building to the historic neighborhoods and local communities. It’s wonderful to know the experience gave you a deeper connection to the true spirit of the city. :)
discovered Alternate Peru through several YouTube travel videos, and I’m so glad I did. This company offers a truly unique and authentic way to experience Peru—beyond the typical tourist path. We were warmly greeted and personally picked up from our hotel by the owner himself for the Fishermen & Ceviche Tour in Lima. The day started at a local fish market, where we got a firsthand look at the incredible variety of fresh seafood. From there, we visited a traditional boat-making site where wooden boats are still crafted by hand—an incredible glimpse into local craftsmanship. One of the most memorable parts of the tour was visiting a fourth-generation rooster breeder who also owns a stunning hilltop restaurant overlooking the city. He prepared fresh ceviche right in front of us and walked us through each step of the process—it was unforgettable. Our guide was outstanding—knowledgeable, personable, and eager to answer all our questions. We also visited the iconic Jesus sculpture overlooking Lima, which offered breathtaking views. We were dropped back at our hotel feeling enriched, safe, and far more connected to the culture than we ever expected. If you’re in Lima and want a deeper, more meaningful experience, I highly recommend this tour.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for such a wonderful review! It was truly a joy to welcome you personally and share the Fishermen & Ceviche Tour with you. From the fish market and traditional boat-making to the rooster breeder and his hilltop ceviche, I’m so glad these experiences gave you such a deep connection to Lima’s people and traditions. Your words mean so much to me and capture exactly what I love sharing with travelers. I’m grateful you chose this experience and hope our paths cross again in Peru!
I highly recommend this tour we off the beaten path to see a Lima community by the ocean the history, fish market and the fish nets being repair and new nets being made. The boat yard where you could see new boats being built. The owner has been doing this for 30 years plus. We met a chef that prepared lunch his home is beneath the restaurant. The owner also had prized rooster for cock fighting. This has been in the family for years. The views were incredible.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re glad you enjoyed exploring this side of Lima, from the fishing traditions and boat building to the warm hospitality of the community. It’s wonderful to know the experience gave you such unique insights and memorable views beyond the usual tourist path. :)
Alfredo is a phenomenal tour guide. Showed us the behind the scenes Lima. From the fishing village to boat building to the best ceviche making! Incredible.
Alfredo was so knowledgeable and we had a great time on the fishing boat, walking through the fish market, and seeing how boats are made and finally seeing our ceviche lunch being prepared! Great way to get off the beaten path & see how locals live. Alfredo was a great guide and took care of everything. Highly recommended!
We were not sure what to expect but we had a fabulous experience seeing 'the other side of Lima' in the fishing town of Chorrillos with its seafood market and pier, where local fishermen sell their catch of the day and repair fishing nets and boats for their next adventure offshore. We also tried a delicious Pan con Pejerrey (silver side) in one of their little restaurants. Then we visited an amazing artisanal boat’s workshop - how they can work in very small spaces is hard to comprehend! We also we met the Casas family, a local family who are preserving traditions from the first Spanish Peruvian settlers, locally known as “Criollos” whose culture has blended for more than 2 centuries with the indigenous, African and Asian traditions to create the unique coastal culture of Peru. Following that we had a delicious traditional ceviche prepared by Julio, who showed us how to make it with local chili peppers like rocoto, yellow chili, and limo chili. Finally, we drove to the Morro Solar to see the statue of the Christ of the Pacific, the monument to the Soldiers, and the General Miguel Iglesias, and of course the amazing view of Chorrillos and Lima. This tour was full of traditions, fishing culture, history, ceviche and amazing views of Lima and its beautiful coast bathed by the Pacific Ocean. We returned to our hotel via the Barranca district and we appreciated Alfredo's flexibility because that was not on the itinerary. All in all, it was an extremely interesting and informative tour and very different from regular tours of Lima. We enjoyed it immensely.
