From the soil paddocks to your plate and palate – win the chance to joins us for this soil restoration, farming, scientific, culinary, cultural and sightseeing adventure!!
About the trip
Health & Fitness: the B4SS biochar adventure experience in Peru is appropriate for travelers in good health with good mobility. You should be able to comfortably participate in up to five hours of physical activity per day on most days, including walking at an easy pace, sometimes on uneven terrain and mountainous tracks under warm climatic conditions (30 – 35°C), climbing stairs, moving your luggage a short distance and standing in meetings and workshops. If you are more than 70 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is highly likely that you will find this adventure challenging. You may have to miss several activities and will not get the full value of the B4SS experience. Your booking will not be guaranteed until after you have discussed your situation with Starfish Initiatives.
Itinerary
The 8-day B4SS biochar adventure experience in Peru largely consists of the following itinerary:
Day 1: Saturday 17 March 2018
Arrival into Jorge Chavez International Airport, Lima, Peru, where the organisers will welcome you.
Car transfer to a boutique hotel conveniently located in the safe neighbourhood of Miraflores to have some rest and/or freshen up.
Dinner at a gourmet restaurant, located at walking distance from the hotel, where you may enjoy a degustation of one of the best traditional Peruvian cuisine and a wide range of pisco sours.
Walk back to the hotel.
Day 2: Sunday 18 March 2018
Relaxed breakfast at the hotel
A three to four hour sightseeing tour of the colonial and modern Lima. We will visit historical monuments and buildings, such as the Government Palace, City Hall, Cathedral of Lima at the Plaza Mayor and the 17th century San Francisco convent. We will also travel through the modern districts of San Isidro and MIraflores and finish at the ocean front for a great view of the Pacific Ocean.
Lunch at an emblematic upscale restaurant, which is located over the sea, on a pier that offers calm and tranquility plus outstanding Peruvian cuisine that specializes in seafood — vegetarian options are also available.
Time to relax for 1-2 hours at the hotel
Afternoon tour in the historical but nowadays upbeat neighbourhood of Barranco to walk around the various small plazas, the “Puente de los Suspiros” (the bridge of the sighs), the central park, and the “Bajada de Baños” (an elaborated walkway that goes underneath the Bridge of Sighs and which the fishermen used to take to get to the sea). If interested visiting a couple of churches is also possible.
Dinner at another great restaurant to enjoy more typical Peruvian dishes; in Barranco the focus may be on creole cuisine. If interested, a visit to a traditional music creole bar with live music is also recommended in Barranco.
Transfer to the hotel
Day 3: Monday 19 March 2018
Relaxed breakfast at the hotel
Transfer to Lurin to visit to a poultry farm, which provides feedstock for biochar production, and the B4SS research and demonstration station.
Detailed explanation of the B4SS project in Peru.
Demonstration of the operation of the Super Roo pyrolyser and the metal Kon Tiki kilns.
Lunch at the B4SS research station.
Demonstration of the biochar production technologies continues.
In the afternoon, if there is some time to rest transfer back to the hotel, otherwise we will go directly to a restaurant in the Miraflores neighbourhood for another great Peruvian dinner, close to the hotel.
Transfer to the hotel.
Day 4: Tuesday 20 March 2018
Early transfer from the hotel in Miraflores to the airport to take the flight departing from Lima at 5:20am and arriving in Jauja at 6:10am.
Car transfer from Jauja to San Ramon.
Breakfast at a restaurant somewhere on the way to San Ramon.
Arrival in San Ramon before 10am and welcome by APRODES staff.
B4SS training and demonstration workshop with B4SS participant farmers at around 10am.
Lunch cooked in a traditional pacha manca (earth oven), which farmers have compared with the Kon Tiki soil pit.
Visit to some of the participant farmers near APRODES camp site to see their farming practices including biochar application.
Transfer to the eco-lodge in San Ramon. This hotel has a beautiful botanic garden with a variety of ornamental plants and fruit trees.
Dinner at the eco-lodge in San Ramon.
Day 5: Wednesday 21 March 2018
Early breakfast at the eco-lodge in San Ramon.
Biocar stove in use for cooking, Peru.
Early transfer to Pampa Hermosa National Sanctuary to visit the protected area. Pampa Hermosa hosts endemic fauna and flaura, and has more than 10 waterfalls with some of them being appropriate for swimming. We may take packed lunches for the first day as there is only one restaurant in the sanctuary that we may not be able to visit during lunch time. This visit includes mountainous trekking through various terrains.
Overnight at the only eco-lodge available in Pampa Hermosa.
Day 6: Thursday 22 March 2018
Early breakfast at the eco-lodge in Pampa Hermosa.
If time and weather allow, early trek in Pampa Hermosa.
Transfer to Palma Pampa to see one of the B4SS demonstration sites, where maize and coffee have been planted, and visit other farmers in the area.
Transfer to a restaurant in San Ramon for a relaxed lunch to enjoy typical food from the jungle.
Visit to the waterfalls El Tirol near San Ramon.
Transfer to Jauja for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: Friday 23 March 2018
Early transfer from the hotel to the airport to take the flight departing from Jauja at 6:40am and arriving in Jauja at 7:30am.
Car transfer to Novotel Lima for breakfast and to participate in the final country B4SS workshop at 10am.
Light lunch included in the B4SS workshop.
Check in at the boutique hotel in Miraflores.
Free afternoon in Lima to buy souvenirs and/or visit museums. The museum “Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion” is particularly recommended.
Farewell dinner at the No. 1 best restaurant in Latin America, according to S. Pellegrino rating.
Day 8: Saturday 24 March 2018
Breakfast at the hotel in Miraflores.
Free time and transfer to the airport.
(visit to Cusco and Machu Picchu and/or the Amazon region is recommended but not included in the prize).