Vegan in Peru

When I first heard about the Inca ruins at Macchu Picchu in Peru, I knew that was a place I wanted to visit. In January 2007, I made that dream a reality.

My tour included stops in the capital city of Lima then off to the Sacred Valley and Cusco. I found vegan fare along the way.

This particular vacation tour was quite filled with activity. During my break time from the tour, I hopped into a taxi to seek out several of the vegetarian-friendly restaurants I had found on HappyCow. Unfortuneately for me, each one I attempted to visit was either closed at the time I arrived or no longer open for business. Apparently one of the best ones in Lima is Bircher-Benner. However, I arrived on Sunday, the only day it was closed and my time in this city was limited. Fortuneately, I have a friend who lives in Lima. He brought me to the trendy Miraflores district which has a wonderful Lebanese restaurant. I must admit, this is the BEST falafel I've ever tasted anywhere! I enjoyed the meal and the wonderful, contemporary neighborhood nightlife. I wish I could remember the restaurant's name.

My tour group visited an Inca museum in Lima. It housed hundreds upon hundreds of vases and ceramic items. We also visited a pre-Incan ruins settlement right on the outskirts of the city. In the evening, we ate dinner at a buffet-style restaurant which provided excellent entertainment for the evening. There were dancers in traditional Peruvian outfits doing local dances.

Finally we arrived at our next destination: Cusco. This is the gateway to Macchu Picchu country. Cusco was truely a quaint little town complete with old, impressive churches, local at galleries, and street performers. We toured the old cathedral filled with beautiful wood carvings and paintings followed by a stroll along the art district. The tour group arranged a dinner at a restaurant which also included music. The performers dressed in colorful, local costume and performed many traditional, Peruvian folk dances. I really enjoyed it. Our next stop was Saqsayhuaman Fortress. It is a huge stone facade. It is thought to be an astronomic observatory and an Inca oracle.

For my lunch break the next day, I ate at Govinda's, a Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant that is popular in Latin American countries. I always enjoy the meals there. This location had vegan versions of local Peruvian dishes. That is exactly what I was hoping to try. You can have a vegan version of a local favorite Lomo Saltado, potato, or ceviche. I don't recall everything I ate there. I just remember it was all local cuisine and it was delicious. Their cakes and pies were fabulous!

The next morning we boarded our bus and left this wondrous, magical place to head towards our final destination: Macchu Picchu. Our drive through the Sacred Valley brought us by beautiful waterways, deep green valleys, and glorious mountain ranges. A sight to behold!

While in the Sacred Valley, our first tour destination was a visit to an alpaca farm. I got the opportunity to feed a meal of alfalfa to the alpaca. Its definitely a fun experience! We made a stop at Ollantaytambo Incan ruins. To get to Macchu Picchu is no small feat. We hopped on our bus then drove hour to the train station only to catch the train for a 2 hour ride. Its worth the extra $100 to take the train with the panoramic windows. The upclose view of the mountains is out of this world. Finally we arrive at our destination. Macchu Picchu is absolutely breathtaking! We enter the gate and spend a few hours walking around this magnificent, enormous ancient ruins and city. You need to still for a while and just take in this gorgeous landscape. You then start to truely appreciate the perfectly architectured city and the brilliant ancient peoples who designed and built it. If there is ever a place to visit in your lifetime, this should be a consideration. Its immensely breathtaking!

This was one of my favorite vacations ever. I truely enjoyed the traditional, indigenous culture, the beautiful landscapes and ruins, and food of Peru!