El Parque de la Papa
El Parque de la Papa
4.5
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4.5
14 reviews
Excellent
10
Very good
3
Average
1
Poor
0
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0
Jonathan P
13 contributions
Dec 2024 • Couples
Absolutely fantastic, highlight of our trip. We did a private tour with Valentin's Pachamama tours which included Pisac ruins, Parque de la papa, and a visit to an alpaca zoo. I highly recommend that company and our guide Hernesto and driver Kenny. Hernesto said he had done Parque de la papa tours before where you visit just the community areas of the village, but we got one of the first visits where we were welcomed into the private home of Anceto with his wife, mother in law, and son. They dressed us in traditional handmade clothing, gave us a delicious meal that we helped to prepare with hot rocks and coals in the ground, got a really great lesson on potato cultivation from Anceto, milked their cow named Juanita, and then got to feast on the most delicious food from their homestead. Anceto wants to continue pursuing education in genetics, while already being essentially an accomplished potato scientist, with he and his wife personally delivering several varieties of potato seed to the Svalbard Seed Vault. Just so humbling to be invited in the home of someone who leads such an unpretentious communal life while leading his village and making more of an impact on the world than I ever will. After the lesson and the milking, we feasted on farm to table local organic potatoes, fava beans, tamales, chicken, and plantain, all cooked in an earthen pit, accompanied by chicha morada and vegetables from their garden. Food was delicious, some of the best potatoes I have ever had, creamy and yellow, unlike anything in the states. Just an amazing experience, worth every penny. $370USD for 2 people being driven around for ~10hrs and given english-speaking tours and translations, while learning about the local communities, worth every penny. I do not know the rates of other tour companies. If you like eco-tourism at all, you have to do it. If you have to choose between Machu Picchu and this, choose this.
Written 18 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tapayaxin
16 contributions
Dec 2021 • Couples
This was a fascinating experience. The work they are doing experimenting with different potato varieties and their capacity to resist climate change is really inspiring and applicable across the Andes too. As a researcher working in Bolivia where there are similar issues I would like to work further with this project. We booked the eh Alf day experience with a walk around Kimsa cocha to see where the potatoes are growing. It’s a lovely spot where many people go walking, and was a great trip.
Written 21 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
knittingmami
Astoria, NY118 contributions
Mar 2013 • Family
This was a highlight of our trip to Peru.
We were able to see a part of Peru we'd never seen- despite having traveled to Peru many times over the years.
We did not have arrangements ahead of time. I called them as soon as we arrived to Cusco and they were kind enough to accommodate us. They even let us go up on a holiday.
We had to obtain our own transportation & driver (easy to do at any major town square). We met someone in Pisaq and he took us up into the mountain at least 45 minutes in. We arrived to a highland village where we were shown how they cultivate and preserve several different varieties of potatoes. A woman who harvest local herbs also showed us the use of her different plants. She also had teas, soaps, and creams for sale. Then we were given a morning snack of potatoes, aji (pepper sauce), cheese and tea. It was a fantastic snack and my toddler said Papa there for the first time.
Then we were driven to another area - the drive was beautiful. On the way there we saw a woman cultivating olluca- another peruvian tuber. We stopped chatted and my five year old helped her harvest. The woman was 94 years old! Then we were taken to another woman who showed us how she uses natural dyes with the yarns and how she weaves. We also were able to purchase woven products.
We drove around some more exploring the region until it was lunch time. At lunch time were supposed to be taken to a restaurant that was created for this tourism industry. The person who cared for the place had the key and was away- again we went on a holiday. The cook was ready for us, having cooked at a local home. They set up an impromptu table at a local home that served as the town bodega. The meal was wonderful and my small children ate it all enthusiastically.
It was a great day and I highly recommend this trip. I think they do not get lots of visitors but they could use it. As the money received from this is divided among several communities and serves to help the community as a whole. The website and the trip can use some improvements- but it is authentic and it is created by communities helping itself.
We were able to see a part of Peru we'd never seen- despite having traveled to Peru many times over the years.
We did not have arrangements ahead of time. I called them as soon as we arrived to Cusco and they were kind enough to accommodate us. They even let us go up on a holiday.
We had to obtain our own transportation & driver (easy to do at any major town square). We met someone in Pisaq and he took us up into the mountain at least 45 minutes in. We arrived to a highland village where we were shown how they cultivate and preserve several different varieties of potatoes. A woman who harvest local herbs also showed us the use of her different plants. She also had teas, soaps, and creams for sale. Then we were given a morning snack of potatoes, aji (pepper sauce), cheese and tea. It was a fantastic snack and my toddler said Papa there for the first time.
Then we were driven to another area - the drive was beautiful. On the way there we saw a woman cultivating olluca- another peruvian tuber. We stopped chatted and my five year old helped her harvest. The woman was 94 years old! Then we were taken to another woman who showed us how she uses natural dyes with the yarns and how she weaves. We also were able to purchase woven products.
We drove around some more exploring the region until it was lunch time. At lunch time were supposed to be taken to a restaurant that was created for this tourism industry. The person who cared for the place had the key and was away- again we went on a holiday. The cook was ready for us, having cooked at a local home. They set up an impromptu table at a local home that served as the town bodega. The meal was wonderful and my small children ate it all enthusiastically.
It was a great day and I highly recommend this trip. I think they do not get lots of visitors but they could use it. As the money received from this is divided among several communities and serves to help the community as a whole. The website and the trip can use some improvements- but it is authentic and it is created by communities helping itself.
Written 8 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
davidbray936
Miami Beach, FL8 contributions
July 2019
For anyone interested in the future of food in the era of the climate crisis, which should be everyone, this is an essential stop. In the 1980s and 1990s, the four communities that form that Potato park were encouraged to plant high-yield genetically modified potatoes. While they did so at first, in conversations among themselves and with the encouragement of outside advisors, they took another path. today, the communities are conserving over 1,300 varieties of potato, some 700 of which they already had on their lands, and the others have been collected from elsewhere in the Andean highlands. In US supermarkets you may find maybe 4-5 varieties of potato. They are conserving essential genetic variety and are collaborating with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway to assure that this variety is preserved for future generations. The farmers are also experiencing climate change with a much more unstable rainfall regime, longer dry periods and more intensive rains, and are pioneering strategies for dealing the emerging climate crisis, which is going to impact food production worldwide. This effort deserves all our support, and the least we can do is visit, learn, eat at their restaurant, and buy the textiles woven by the local women.
Written 17 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wahoo5251
Hansen, ID2 contributions
May 2018 • Business
The people were wonderful. This is an authentic experience. Great way to learn about the local culture and biodiversity.
Written 12 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan L
Willesden, UK446 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
Visited the Potato Park, which is a community market run by the local, it was a fanatic experience. The locals were welcoming, happy to share their experiences and customers. It is great to see the local community coming together to try and make a living from tourism. We are a talk by the 'Chief', who shared the history of the park, then had the ability to purchase handmade items and taste some potato harvested that day! Brilliant trip.
Written 15 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John R
12 contributions
June 2017 • Friends
We did a half day tour of the potato park where we started off at the potato conservation center in the community of Paru Paru. A TĂ©cnico (indigenous potato researcher) explained to us the origins of the potato park and the work that he and the other TĂ©cnicos are doing to preserve the biodiversity of potatoes in the mountain communities of the potato park.
The Potato Park is an association of 5 Quechua communities in the mountains near Pisac where the residents have formed small economic collectives (micro enterprises) that share proceeds with their communities. There are 5 collectives: handy crafts (alpaca and wool products), medicinal plants (shampoos, soaps, medicines, and salves), gastronomy (a excellent restaurant serving local delicacies, mainly potato based), potato conservation (the TĂ©cnicos researching potato biodiversity with the support of an NGO called Andes), and ecotourism (home stays and treks in the park).
We had an amazing lunch prepared by the gastronomy collective, featuring 10 varieties of potatoes, mountain cheeses, herbal teas, and sopa de Aji.
Highly recommended, I will likely come back for a trek or home stay.
The Potato Park is an association of 5 Quechua communities in the mountains near Pisac where the residents have formed small economic collectives (micro enterprises) that share proceeds with their communities. There are 5 collectives: handy crafts (alpaca and wool products), medicinal plants (shampoos, soaps, medicines, and salves), gastronomy (a excellent restaurant serving local delicacies, mainly potato based), potato conservation (the TĂ©cnicos researching potato biodiversity with the support of an NGO called Andes), and ecotourism (home stays and treks in the park).
We had an amazing lunch prepared by the gastronomy collective, featuring 10 varieties of potatoes, mountain cheeses, herbal teas, and sopa de Aji.
Highly recommended, I will likely come back for a trek or home stay.
Written 7 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
375audreyr
Boston, MA4 contributions
July 2014 • Family
Our family of four had a very interesting day in the highland agricultural communities above Pisaq. We arranged the visit by calling the number on the website, which otherwise has very little information. They need 2 days' lead time for a visit. We arranged for a "long visit," which meant that we ate lunch in the restaurant and returned to Pisaq in mid-afternoon. The visit started in one community with an overview of the project (several communities have come together to share and promote their community agriculture and efforts to preserve potato varieties). Then a woman explained the various products they make using different kinds of medicinal plants. We then drove to another community, where the lead "potato technician" told us about the hundreds of varieties of potatoes, showed samples, demonstrated tools. We were were given a delicious potato snack. We then drove to a lake at the end of the road where people were sorting and drying potatoes. Along the way, we saw burros threshing beans and people working in the fields wearing the traditional clothing of their individual community. We then drove to the restaurant where a full meal had been prepared for us, with many potato elements of course!
The trip was quite well organized, but if English interpretation is critical, that should be confirmed in advance. The explanations and demonstrations were all in Quechua; our driver translated into Spanish, and then one member of our family translated into English for the others. The driver was arranged by the person whom we contacted to the arrange the trip and was very good. The trip was not inexpensive, but a good value for everything that we did and the full meal that was prepared for us.
The trip was quite well organized, but if English interpretation is critical, that should be confirmed in advance. The explanations and demonstrations were all in Quechua; our driver translated into Spanish, and then one member of our family translated into English for the others. The driver was arranged by the person whom we contacted to the arrange the trip and was very good. The trip was not inexpensive, but a good value for everything that we did and the full meal that was prepared for us.
Written 27 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
trolleyed
Manchester UK16 contributions
Aug 2022
Not mass tourism - real people living real lives and offering the opportunity to share this with others. We loved learning about the potatoes as well as medicine and other traditional crafts. Sharpen up your language skills and take the opportunity to experience the real sacred valley
Written 5 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kabingha
Wesley Chapel, FL473 contributions
June 2018
We visited as part of our G Adventures tour. We had already seen one weaving demonstration so it felt repetitive. I enjoyed the discussion about potatoes. It was really cold while we were there and it started to rain. It cut down on our time in Pisac. There is a place to buy weaves goods. We bought a couple of key chains and found them 1/3 of the price elsewhere.
Written 23 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hola, estoy queriendo organizar una visita al Parque de la Papa, y quisiera conocer experiencias o sugerencias para hacer una visita de un dia desde la ciudad de Cusco.
Muchas gracias
Written 12 August 2019
El Parque de papa esta ubicada aproximadamente a 02 horas y media de Cusco, en las alturas del poblado de Pisac, camino a la zona arqueolĂłgica por una carretera sin asfaltar por las comunidades de Amaru y Paruparu donde las personas se dedican al arte textil y sobre todo a la producciĂłn y conservaciĂłn de mas de mil papas nativas y de diferentes lugares del Valle Sagrado.
Written 13 August 2019
Is there cell phone signal there?
¿hay señal de teléfono en el área?
thank you
Written 31 March 2019
Hola! Viajo la semana proxima a peru y quisiera saber el tiempo q lleva hacer esta visita.. Por ejemplo en un dia puedo hacer pisac, el parque y alguna parte mas del valle? o me ocuparĂa todo el dia?
Written 3 September 2018
We want to visit on Oct 18th (Sunday) maybe before or after visiting the market in Pisac. We have a private driver to take us. Will it be possible to visit the Parque on that day and get a feeling of how the community exists?
Best Barbara
Written 15 September 2015
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