Immerse yourself in living Quechua traditions, ancestral weaving, Pisac Market, and an ancient underground earth-oven feast.
Discover the true soul of the Andean world on a deeply immersive cultural and gastronomic journey designed for travelers seeking genuine connection, sustainable tourism, and living heritage. While we teach you modern and classic culinary techniques in our Cusco cooking classes, this exclusive full-day experience takes you high into the indigenous highland community of Amaru in the majestic Sacred Valley of the Incas. Here, you don’t merely observe Andean culture—you become an active part of it.
After exploring the vibrant artisan town of Pisac, you will be warmly welcomed with flowers and traditional music by the Quechua families of Amaru. Together, you will walk through their high-altitude farmlands to learn about ancestral agriculture and medicinal plants, witness master weavers transform raw alpaca wool using natural mountain dyes, and participate hands-on in preparing Peru's most sacred ancestral meal: the Pachamanca earth-oven ceremony.
The centerpiece of your day is the preparation, ritual, and sharing of an authentic Pachamanca. Derived from the Quechua words Pacha ("Earth") and Manka ("Pot"), Pachamanca literally translates to "Earth Oven." Dating back thousands of years to pre-Inca civilizations, it represents far more than a meal—it is a sacred ceremony of gratitude to Pachamama (Mother Earth) for the harvest.
Cooked entirely underground using volcanic stones heated over a wood fire, the earth oven slowly roasts herb-marinated meats, organic native potatoes, sweet potatoes, oca, giant fava beans (habas), Andean cheese, and sweet corn humitas covered with aromatic huacatay (black mint) and chincho herbs. You will actively participate in every step—from building the stone oven and layering the ingredients to the ceremonial unearthing of the feast—before sitting down with your host family to share this unforgettable smoky, tender banquet.
Your day begins at 8:30 AM with private pickup from your hotel in Cusco. As we descend into the scenic Sacred Valley overlooking the Urubamba River, our first stop is the famous town of Pisac. We will stroll through the colorful Pisac Artisan Market—admiring fine silver jewelry, ceramics, and textiles—and visit a traditional colonial bakery to taste a warm, freshly baked wood-fired Pisac empanada topped with local cheese and herbs.
Ascending along a breathtaking mountain road above Pisac, we arrive at the rural Quechua community of Amaru (3,800 m / 12,467 ft). Welcomed by local community members in their vibrant traditional attire, we head out to their agricultural fields (chakras). You will learn how Andean farmers cultivate hundreds of varieties of native potatoes, quinoa, and tubers using traditional Inca foot-plows (chaquitaclla), and gather fresh wild medicinal herbs like muña (Andean mint) for herbal infusions.
Back at the community courtyard, Amaru’s master weavers will guide you through the entire ancestral textile process. You will see how alpaca and sheep wool is sheared, hand-spun using a traditional pushka spindle, washed with natural mountain roots, and boiled in clay pots with local flowers, minerals, and cochineal to create fade-resistant natural dyes before being woven on backstrap looms into intricate Andean patterns.
While the volcanic stones reach glowing temperatures over the fire, you will join your hosts in preparing the Pachamanca earth oven. Together, we place the tubers, marinated meats (or vegetarian alternatives), fava beans, and humitas onto the hot stones, cover them with aromatic Andean herbs and earth, and offer a traditional blessing to Pachamama. Once unearthed, we share this bountiful feast accompanied by homemade dipping sauces and hot herbal teas, before returning comfortably to your hotel in Cusco by 4:30 PM.
Everything you need to know about our ancestral Andean earth-oven experience in the Sacred Valley.
Pachamanca (from the Quechua words Pacha meaning Earth and Manka meaning pot) is an ancient Andean culinary ritual dating back thousands of years. Volcanic stones are heated over a wood fire, and ingredients—such as herb-marinated meats, native potatoes, sweet potatoes, fava beans, and sweet corn humitas—are layered over the hot stones and buried underground with aromatic huacatay and chincho herbs to slow-cook inside Mother Earth.
Yes, easily! Because Pachamanca ingredients are cooked in separate layers wrapped in natural plant leaves, it is naturally gluten-free and wonderful for vegetarians and vegans. Alongside or in place of meats, the earth oven roasts a delicious variety of organic native potatoes, oca, mashua, giant fava beans (habas), Andean cheese, and sweet corn humitas.
Both full-day private tours include round-trip transport from Cusco, a visit to Pisac Market with a wood-fired empanada tasting, and the agricultural and weaving immersion in the Amaru community. Our $159 Amaru & Pisaq Tour includes a traditional home-cooked Andean lunch, whereas this $186 experience upgrades your meal to the full hands-on underground Pachamanca earth-oven ceremony and feast.
100% yes. This experience is a model of sustainable, community-based tourism in the Sacred Valley. We work directly with the local Quechua families of Amaru, ensuring that your visit provides fair, direct income that supports their agricultural traditions, textile heritage, and community development.
The Amaru community sits high in the Sacred Valley mountains above Pisac at approximately 3,800 meters (12,467 ft). We recommend dressing in comfortable layers (a warm jacket or fleece for the morning breeze, and a sun hat and sunscreen for midday) as well as comfortable walking shoes for the farm and earth-oven ceremony.
