Lima Cultural Experience: Immersion into Local Communities Beyond Tourist Attractions

Immerse yourself in Lima’s local communities and go beyond the tourist attractions. Discover unique places, meet amazing locals, and support local projects. Experience the city’s history, culture, and positive initiatives firsthand.

Duration: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Chorrillos - The first stop of the day is only a 15-minute drive away, the fisherman’s district of Lima. You’ll first visit a small, local artisanal fish market and its pier with a beautiful view of the coast. The guide will tell you more about the daily life of the small-scale fishermen before going on a 20-minute boat ride, weather permitting….
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Expert local guide
  • Lunch included
  • Refreshing beverages
  • All activities covered
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Seeking a distinctive, genuine, and grass-roots journey through Lima? Curious to explore the city’s depths beyond the usual tourist spots? This enlightening and culturally immersive quest is exactly what you need! You’ll discover exceptional locales and engage with extraordinary local residents in areas typically unseen by tourists. Moreover, your…

Location
Chorrillos
Balneario sur
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(38 Ratings)
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Alexia_r
Nov 10, 2024
Great Local Experience - Great experience if you're interested in an authentic view of Lima with the chance to talk to locals
Review provided by Viator
Franlyondugin
Sep 23, 2024
The Name Fits This Tour! - Wonderful day with Alfredo and his driver. The tour included SUCH interesting people and places, nothing like you would see in the tourist trap areas. We heard amazing stories of the lives of the people, shared a meal made by a local woman who had created her own food business and was a leader in her community, and visited a nonprofit working to improve the lives of children. The fishing area was interesting and, again, showed us the lives of working people in the city. Informative, safe, interesting, exhilarating day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariakl8919zs
Jul 26, 2024
What a unique experience! - Alfredo took us on a trip way outside of the touristic side of Lima - to human settlements built from scratch by indigenous people of Peru. He was a very knowledgeable guide who gave us a thorough historical background of the places and the people. Another huge value of the trip was visiting the locals and learning about their ways of improving their lives there: from selling handcrafted items, through cooking for community kitchens to educating children and young women about their rights. Through joining the trip we were supporting the projects financially. The trip was very insightful and eye opening, completely crushing the stereotypes one might have about poorer neighbourhoods of South America. Without Alfredo we would never be able to see those places and meet the amazing people. If you’re a curious traveller, this trip is a must!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bentzep
May 10, 2024
Truely authentic and alternative life in Lima - This tour company, tour and guide were 100% from start to end! The booking+payment was easy, the guide and driver arrived exactly on time (10min early) and the tour was fantastic! Truely authentic and alternative life in Lima. Alfredo the guide was friendly and warm. Along the drive to the cemetery he explained about the different neighbourhoods we travelled through and about life in Lima. The cemetery was indeed eye opening from its size to the story of how it was established. Next we went to see and learn about the human settlements which are the main part of the tour. We met our local guide, Evelyn, and then visited with 3 different woman who shared their personal story and how they formed their community and what it does. We had a homemade lunch at Ms Ninfa's home and got a chance to ask, and answer her, questions. After lunch we visited Evelyn's community centre and learnt about the amazing things it does. If you want to experience something truely unique and authentic, this tour is for you. I had an amazing experience! Thanks Alfredo!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Avlwanderer
Feb 27, 2024
Don't miss this tour - What a wonderful day in Lima. We were so looking forward to our day here and our time with Alfredo did not disappoint. So much to see and do, from a unique (and massive) cemetery, to visiting a local artisan, to a wonderful lunch in a local home to visits within the community. A full and rewarding day that we can heartily recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adventure53766975977
Jan 12, 2024
Really great tour!! - This is a truly wonderful tour. On this tour, you will have many experiences and encounters that you would never get by just visiting ordinary tourist spots. I wanted many people to know about this tour, so I will briefly describe the flow of my experience on the day (I will not write in detail. Please participate and experience it for yourself). In the morning, we boarded a small boat at the fishing port and toured Lima and the surrounding area from the sea, and then drove up a steep hill near the coast to see the statue of Christ and saints at the top. After that, in the afternoon, we headed to the San Juan de Miraflores district. I was staying in the San Isidro district, but as we drove, the atmosphere of the city changed so much that it was hard to believe we were in the same country. This district did not have running water, and trucks sold water, and people lived by storing water in tanks. On the way there, we could see the city, such as the market, from the car window, and also visited the second largest cemetery in the world. In the same area, we visited the home of a person who was a victim of the terrorist attacks in the 1980s and heard about their devastation and hardships. It was heartbreaking to hear how difficult and painful it was. She does sewing and sells cute embroidery products that you can buy. We had lunch at a local person's home. This person also had a very hard time, and we learned how harsh the era of terrorism by the Communist Party, such as Sendero Luminoso, was. Finally, the tour ended with a visit to a school attended by many children. The above is the flow of my experience on the day, but as you can see, it was really packed, and by visiting many places and meeting many people and listening to their stories, you can gain a lot of knowledge. Our guide, Alfred, was a very kind and good young man who loved and cared about his community and the Quechua people who live there. And he spoke very polished English. I am not fluent in languages, but he spoke polite and beautiful English slowly, so it was no problem at all. Also, the main destination, San Juan de Miraflorens, is described by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and tourist guidebooks as "one of the most dangerous areas in Lima. You should never go there." However, thanks to Alfredo, I did not feel unsafe at all. Instead, I met many kind, earnest, and gentle people, listened to their current situations, learned how terrorism and social unrest cause people pain, and saw the enormous disparity between rich and poor, how that disparity divides the people, and how the wealthy even build physical walls to discriminate against others. I was able to see, hear, and learn a lot. I think this is an experience and knowledge that you can never get on a trip that just goes around tourist spots. It's a tour that you can learn and experience a lot, and I highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
636kerryy
May 14, 2023
A real adventure into the less touristy areas of Lima - I highly recommend this tour for anyone who wants to adventure into the less touristy areas of Lima and experience everyday life in Peru. The highlight for us was our lunch with señora Ninfa's house (best salsa I have ever experienced) and our visit to the education center run by a local non-profit organization Grupo Jugando Aprendo (Eveli is the coordinator is amazing, btw). Grupo Jugando Aprendo focuses on empowering and supporting child domestic workers in the area and they do an amazing job! Our tour guide, Alfredo, was also incredible and so knowledgeable. We would choose to go any tour that he is leading.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davec753
May 11, 2023
"They're just people" - My wife, Lyndall, and I are lucky. We were born in Australia to loving parents and grew up in stable families. We have been lucky to receive a tertiary education and work in well paid jobs. And we have been fortunate to be able to travel and see some of the world with all its splendour and chaos and beauty and tragedy. So, when Lyndall found the immersion experience we had to do it. To see how 1/3 of the world's most vulnerable live and over 1 million people in Lima. Alfredo was an excellent guide. His English flawless and his manner courteous and respectful at all times. He politely and competently answered all our many questions and spoke with passion and sincerity about the work he was doing in the Human Settlements. The tour encompassed the fish markets where we meet the local fishermen and took a short ride on the water where we saw sea lions, pelicans, and birds diving for fish. From above the harbour, we got fleeting views of the rugged coast and back across the city. We also learned of Lima's dark history with invading colonists, Chili's occupation, and the late 20th century civil unrest. Then we visited the second largest cemetery in the world. In the dank, cool mist of the morning, it's silence was broken only by the baying dogs that live among the dead. At a house high on the slopes of the Human Settlements we met Balbina whose skill with the sewing needle was all that stood between her and desolation. Her products were made with care and love and brightly coloured in the tradition of her ancestors. Lunch was enjoyed with the wonderfully beautiful Neffi. A lovely meal of chicken, rice and beans. Neffi's smile belied the tragic life she had led but emitted a human spirit that was infectious. The final stop was at the after school centre which provided a safe environment for the children and helped with their homework. The overall plight of these people is daunting and almost beyond belief. But there was also hope and joy here. And a belief in the future that was uplifting and inspiring. I asked Alfredo "what should I take away from this experience? What should I tell the people back home? What can I learn?" Without hesitation, he turned to me and said, "remember they're all people, just like everyone else." A great experience and one which we would recommend to anyone visiting Lima that counts themselves among the 8 billion inhabitants of this world we share!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
A7719bijohnn
Apr 9, 2023
See the unexpected side of Lima. Go where you would never get to without this tour. - This tour was awesome. It definitely showed a side a Lima that the average North American tourist would not see without taking this type of tour. It was well worth the money and we would recommend it to anyone who wants to see some of the hardest working, modest and friendly people. Alfredo was an excellent guide. His explanations were clear and he is obviously very passionate about the the people his company is trying to help.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Petar
Jan 12, 2023
Great way to learn about Lima - Very good way to see parts of Lima outside of the tourist bubble. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and I learnt a lot more about Lima with this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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December 2024
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