Ballestas, Paracas & Pisco Route

Description Complete tour in Ica and Pisco

With the Complete Tour in Ica and Pisco or Tour to the Ballestas Islands, Paracas National Reserve & Pisco Route, you will know Ica from its valleys, crops, vineyards and wineries; but also the Ballestas Islands and the Paracas National Reserve, its range of unique fauna and flora. A tour for those who love nature, beaches and the observation of animals that do not exist in other latitudes, for those who love good wine and the distillate that is Peru’s trademark: Pisco.

ICA, treasures many secrets in the desert. In the valley, good grapes abound for making pisco and wine and it is there where the first vineyards in South America were harvested, brought by the Spaniards from the other side of the Atlantic. Ica stands out for its extensive agriculture and agro-export, located in the middle of the Pacific Desert. Important are the cultivation of grapes, asparagus, date palms, pecan nuts, cotton, mangoes, avocados, among many other products, many of which make the valley one of the most successful cases of agro-export.

WINE from Ica is a beverage obtained from grapes through the alcoholic fermentation of its must or juice, and PISCO is a liquor obtained by distilling fermented Pisco grapes brought by the Spanish conquistadors to fertile lands in South America.

It was made from grapes that were not used for wine production. Peruvian pisco is made only from selected grape varieties grown in certain regions of coastal Peru. The varieties of Pisco grapes that are used to make Peruvian Pisco are non-aromatic, among them; Quebranta, Mollar and Negra común and aromatic such as; Moscatel, Albilla, Italia and Torontel.

Here we will learn about winemaking: Harvest, destemming, vatting and cold maceration, alcoholic fermentation and devatting. Harvest: It is the first step in the production of Pisco. Destemming: It is the process by which the rachis or stick is removed from the bunches of grapes. Maceration: the crushed grapes, with pulp, skin and seeds or pips are left for a few days so that the juice or must that contains them and with the fermentation already begun, acquires the typical characteristics of each type of Pisco grape, especially that which is in the grape skins.

Pressing, the grapes are pressed or the solids are drained from the macerating grapes, leaving the liquid or must, free of solids so that it can finish its fermentation and fermentation: The must, now 100% liquid, continues fermentation, which is a natural process carried out by the yeasts contained in the grapes. This process lasts approximately 14 days and at the end of this period the sweet juice of the grape becomes a must or wine (alcoholized).

Distillation: It is one of the most important stages in the elaboration of Pisco, this is only done in stills or falcas. Distillation is the action of eliminating the undesirable components of the must or wine by boiling it, thus separating and purifying the components. Resting: Pisco must rest for at least 3 months or more. The resting is done in innocuous tanks to reach an optimal level and enhance its organoleptic characteristics before being bottled, only in glass or ceramic containers, the Pisco is filtered to remove any natural residue it may have, enjoy everything in the Pisco Route.

Enjoy the complete tour in Ica and Pisco.

MAIN POINTS OF VISIT

• Lima (30 masl)
• Paracas (7 masl)
• Ica (406 masl)

Day 1: Lima – Paracas National Reserve – Ica – Lima

• Beginning of the Paracas National Reserve Tour: 03.45 hrs We will depart from Lima to Paracas National Reserve by CRUZ DEL SUR (Javier Prado Av.).
• Paracas Reserves Tour: 07.15 hrs We will arrive to Paracas Bay, we will have assistance at the terminal and transfer to El Chaco dock.
• Tour Ballestas Islands Paracas: 08.00 hrs BALLESTAS ISLANDS: At the pier we will board the boat, we will appreciate El Candelabro, a large geoglyph that serves as a lighthouse for sailors. The Ballestas Islands are composed of rock formations where you can find an important marine fauna with guano birds, you can also see Peruvian penguins, varieties of sea lions (sea lions and sea lions) and other mammals. The entire visit will last approximately 2 hours.
• 10.30 hrs Return to El Chaco pier.
• 11.00 hrs PARACAS NATIONAL RESERVE: we will visit the Interpretation Center, where we will be given detailed and didactic information about the fauna and flora of the area, then we will go to La Catedral this impressive rock formation is 28 to 40 million years old and resembled a giant cathedral; we will also stop at the viewpoint Supay Beach to appreciate a landscape of cliffs, and move on to the beautiful beach of Yumaque, we will explore this beach of clear sand.
• 13.00 hrs approx. Time for lunch.
• Beginning of the Pisco Route Tour: 14.00 hrs We will go to a wine cellar to learn about the process and tasting of Peruvian wines and piscos. WINE is a beverage obtained from the grape through the alcoholic fermentation of its must or juice and PISCO is a liquor obtained by distillation of fermented grapes brought by the Spanish conquistadors to fertile lands of South America.
• It was made from grapes that were not used for wine production. Peruvian pisco is made only from selected grape varieties grown in certain regions of coastal Peru. The first vineyards were planted in the valley of Ica, around 1550. The wine industry was prosperous until the 17th century, when the Spanish crown prohibited the importation of Peruvian wines, as they competed with those from the peninsula.
• What the national wineries did was to turn to the production of the distilled grape liquor known as pisco. Today, this area concentrates a large number of wineries, and 85 of them still use the same artisanal techniques for the production of our flagship liquor.
• The varieties of Pisco grapes that are used to make Peruvian Pisco are non-aromatic, such as Quebranta, Mollar and Negra común and aromatic such as Moscatel, Albilla, Italia and Torontel.
• 15.00 hrs Return to Paracas to board the 16.00 hrs bus that will take us to Lima.
• 20.00 hrs Arrival to Lima.

BREAKFAST – HOTEL / LUNCH and DINNER – PASSENGER