Lima Off the Beaten Path: Local Communities and Cultural Immersion

The first stop of the day is only a 15-minute drive away, the fisherman's district of Lima. You'll first visit a small, local artisanal fish market and its pier with a beautiful view of the coast. The guide will tell you more about the daily life of the small-scale fishermen before going on a 20-minute boat ride, weather permitting. From the boat, you'll clearly see the contrast between the colourful artisanal fisherman boats taken over by the pelicans and the modern skyline of the modern district of Miraflores in the background. Just a few minutes in the other direction, you will forget you're in one of the largest cities in South America. Just the immense Pacific Ocean and a desert landscape coast, typical for most of the Peruvian coastline. In the boat, the guide will share some historical facts and stories about the places you see.

You'll go up the Morro Solar hill where, on a clear day, you can enjoy the best view of Lima and the coast. On some days, you may experience the typical Lima fog, 'neblina', which is a different, but also interesting experience. Your guide will explain to you why the Morro Solar is also one of the most important historic sites of Lima. There's even more to see here... The one in Rio de Janeiro might be more famous, but the Pacific version of the Christ statue upon a hill definitely has an excellent view and story behind it as well.

After a drive through several local neighborhoods, which is anything but boring if you look out the window at the bustling street life, you'll reach a very unique place: the second largest cemetery in the world. It's truly an impressive place, different than any other cemetery you have visited before. It's located surrounded by sand hills and human settlements. You'll have the chance to look around and if you're into photography, you'll be able to take man unique and artistic photos.

You'll then head towards the human settlement where our local cook has prepared a delicious lunch for your group. These human settlements are the result of the late 20th century growth towards the hills by migrant populations in Lima. While these are the poorest neighborhoods of Lima, they're filled with hardworking people who're trying to provide a better life for their children. The visit focuses on hope, optimism and positive initiatives. The aim of this part of the tour is responsible cultural immersion. You'll visit and interact with several locals. You'll learn more about daily life in this harsh environment but will also be introduced to some of the efforts undertaken to improve the situation. For this, we work closely together with the local community and an NGO run by locals that has several projects to improve the lives of local children, teenagers and mothers.   This tour is meant to be customised, for instance according to the physical abilities of your group but also according to your specific interests. On some tours you'll visit the workshop of a group of ladies who have organised themselves into a small business. They make handicrafts that are then sold as fair trade products. On other tours, we'll visit the so-called 'wall of shame' that separates one of the poorest neighborhoods of Lima from one of the richest. On all tours, there is a typical Peruvian lunch at a local family's house. The local cook/mom also loves to learn more about where you came from and will in return share some stories about herself. The perfect cultural immersion!