The buggy dives across sandy slopes in Huacachina, Peru, bringing to mind the movie Dune. Our driver parks and pulls out a snowboard. I lay face first, long legs behind me. Was it the pisco that made me do it?
Pisco, Peru’s signature spirit, is distilled from grapes, and packs a punch with up to 48% alcohol. No trip to Peru is complete without a tasting. Between cocktails, I explore Paracas, glimpsing wondrous wildlife, surf massive dunes, and hike to Machu Picchu.
Riding the Pisco Route
Pisco Cocktails
I tried a pisco sour on a press trip to Chile, and couldn’t get enough of the sweet, tart cocktail. Pisco sour is made with simple syrup, lime juice, egg white, and a dash of bitters. On my Peru trip, I aim to sample other pisco cocktails, including the Machu Picchu (colorful layers of liquid with a cherry on top), the Maracuya Sour (made with passion fruit), and the Aguaymanto Sour (made with berries).
Pisco Tasting
Grapes used for pisco must be grown in one of five locations: Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua, and Tacna. At CulturPisco in Ica, two native grape varieties, quebranta, a red grape, and torontel, a white grape, are used. Pisco is distilled in copper, to between 38 and 48 percent alcohol, and aged for at least three months.
“Workers crush the grapes with their feet,” says the guide, then adds, “Don’t worry, they wash their feet first.” I try five types of pisco. My favorite is the Maracuya Sour. Following the pisco tasting, I visit the Ballestas Islands.
The Poor Man’s Galapagos
A boat from Paracas heads for the Ballestas Islands, a series of rock formations and caves, considered the ‘poor man’s Galapagos’. I watch mesmerized as hordes of birds swarm fishing boats, scrounging for anchovies. Sea lions jockey for position on a green metal buoy, rocking back and forth. And Humboldt penguins waddle and flap their wings in the sun.
The Islands are covered in guano or shorebird poop, once considered as precious as gold. There were so many poop miners that the government set up a national reserve and required permits to protect the poopers. Today, poop mining is only allowed three months a year. We went from Pisco tasting to Paracas to sand-surfing all in one day.
Surfing Sand
I climb a steep sandhill, bordering a turquoise lagoon in Huacachina, and strap myself into a neon green buggy. The driver’s eight-year-old son sits in the backseat, so how dangerous could this be? The next thing I know, I’m flying up and down enormous mounds, which reminds me of roller coaster rides with my kids when they were small. I thought I was done with that. I guess not.
The driver pulls out a snowboard. I lay face-first on my stomach and woosh down, glad for the pisco-tasting at CulturPisco. The dune buggy and sandboarding tour in Huacachina is an amazing thrill ride. I have sand everywhere possible. And I mean everywhere. I am proud of myself and try not to notice the 20-somethings surfing higher hills. After all, ‘comparison kills joy’. I had another chance to get high on the way to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu, My Way
When I was younger, I envisioned a 4-day hike on the Inca Trail, camping along the way. Then I turned 60 and thought my days of adventure had ended. Not so.
The 1-day, 6-hour hike was the perfect challenge. The weather was clear, affording perfect views, and I reached Machu Picchu at the end of the day, when all of the tourists had left. At the end of the tour, an Alpaca nibbled on my favorite yellow sweater. It was hard to shake loose. I ended up leaving the sweater behind as a gift.
The trip to Peru checked all the boxes, wildlife viewing, active adventure, and culinary travel. I got outside my comfort zone, my way. And I look forward to more fun in the future.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Where would you like to travel? Which trips would you like to do but think you may be too old for? Why put them off? Is there a way to do the trip that you can manage? What’s your favorite cocktail? Would you like some pisco sour recipes?
