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    Home » Travel » South America

    Cusco Tour: Potato Park

    Published: Aug 20, 2018 · Modified: Jun 30, 2021 by Kelly Stilwell · This post may contain affiliate links 6 Comments

    A Cusco tour of Potato Park, also known as Parque de la Papa, is where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato. Exploring this part of Sacred Valley is a must.

    I was able to see Potato Park through an exclusive experience with G Adventures, the tour company I joined to explore Peru.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato. #PotatoPark #CuscoPeru #GAdventures #PeruVacation #SouthAmerica #AdventureTravelPeru #AdventureTravel

    Cusco Tour: Potato Park Purpose

    Potato Park is an indigenous community of 6,000 people currently working to preserve over 3,000 species of potatoes.

    Through the support of G Adventures and Planeterra, their non-profit partner organization, people are able to visit this serene setting and learn about Andean life.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    One of the reasons I enjoyed traveling with G Adventures is because of the way they give back. Through Planeterra, they identify a travel resource or community that is locally owned and run but could use better access to the global tourism economy.

    Once the resource is identified, Planeterra provides training and often kickstarts funding, as well. The next step is for G Adventures to add the resource to their tours, which brings in customers to help sales. It's different than charity; it's an investment in the community. As G Adventures says, "It's just good business."

    Because of this partnership, Potato Park is part of the G Adventures Explore Machu Picchu tour and other tours in the area.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Potato Park has a fascinating seed conservation program that is storing indigenous potato seeds in conjunction with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    As more and more indigenous products are going by the wayside, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault wants to ensure as many seed samples as possible are kept in the Seed Vault.

    The country of Norway covered all costs associated with the building of this vault, and the storage of the seeds are free to any community that wants to participate.

    With over 20 million seeds in storage, including approximately one-third of the world's most important food crops, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is like a safe deposit box to protect seeds from all over the world from loss, whether through accidental catastrophes such as natural disaster, disease, war, or simple mismanagement.

    Being able to see how the community of Potato Park is doing their part in preserving Andean culture is an amazing experience.

    Cusco Tour: Potato Park Experience

    The tour of Potato Park begins with a welcome from the people of the community.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Even the littlest members of the community were out to greet the new visitors.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    A local guide explained why Potato Park is so important. It's actually believed that the potato originated in Peru.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Traditional planting methods are explained.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    This immersive learning experience is the best way to experience Potato Park.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    As the people of Parque de la Papa speak Quechua, a G Adventures guide translated the information to visitors. Time is allowed for questions, as well.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    The people of Potato Park are excited about sharing this knowledge handed down from their forefathers.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Through the partnership with Planeterra, more tours are coming through Potato Park, which means there is funding for other programs, like the Ccaccaccollo Women's Weaving Co-op.

    Cusco Tour: Women's Weaving Co-op

    Through this tour, which is right on sight at Potato Park, visitors can learn more about the alpaca and llama wool used to make the items sold at the market.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Traditional methods are still used to produce the yarn, hand-spinning the wool.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    The women of the community are able to bring income to their families through this program. Many of the women we spoke to were carrying their sleeping children on their backs.

    Being part of the co-op allows the community to maintain a traditional way of life.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Through this demonstration, visitors also learn about the different dyes used to color alpaca and llama wool.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Many different plants, minerals, and other products are used to dye the wool.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Our G Adventures guide interpreted this part of the tour, as well.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Visitors can watch a demonstration of the different colors produced by individual dyes.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    So many colors can be created by combining natural dyes.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    When you learn that the alpacas are only sheared once every three years, it's understandable why the alpaca blankets, scarves, hats, and other items are more expensive than other wool products.

    No visit to Sacred Valley Peru is complete without this Cusco tour of Potato Park, locally referred to as Parque de la Papa, where guests can learn about the most important crop to Peruvian cuisine, the potato.

    Potato Park has an on-site market where handmade items can be purchased.

    When you learn that the alpacas are only sheared once every three years, it's understandable why the alpaca blankets, scarves, hats, and other items are more expensive than other wool products.

    Combining this tour with a meal of traditional Peruvian food at Parwa Community Restaurant was a great way to experience the region. Both tours are part of the G Adventures Explore Machu Picchu tour, along with the experiences below:

    Things to do in Lima Peru

    Best Time to Visit Machu Picchu

    Sacred Valley Visitor's Guide

    Cusco Peru Traveler's Guide

    Are you planning your next vacation? An immersive trip with G Adventures offers the experience of a lifetime. Explore Machu Picchu is only one of the tours offered in Peru and is in partnership with National Geographic Journeys.

    G Adventures offers trips all over the world and may have your next bucket list trip coming up soon. Simply search by country to see what trips are being offered and to start planning your G Adventures vacation.

    This post was written in partnership with G Adventures and contains affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please let me know if you have questions about this trip and I'll be happy to answer them or connect you with a G Adventures rep.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ruben

      November 22, 2018 at 6:53 pm

      What an amazing way of spending time in Peru.
      Definetly the country has a lot to offer.
      Cusco is so full of energy, everywhere you go, there is always so much to see, but the people fills you in with so much love.

      Reply
    2. Brianne Manz

      September 20, 2018 at 6:09 pm

      I found this so interesting. I didn't know there was actually a place called a potato park and that they would have that many different types of potatoes. What a neat place to get to visit and learn about.

      Reply
    3. Myrah Duque

      September 20, 2018 at 1:34 pm

      Peru has been in my bucket list for years. It's such a fascinating and interesting culture. Your pictures are gorgeous.

      Reply
    4. Scott

      September 19, 2018 at 7:29 pm

      I would so love to visit Peru someday. I had a trip planned to Lima once, but we had to cancel it at the last minute for a family emergency..

      Reply
    5. Kerrie Mendoza

      September 19, 2018 at 11:26 am

      Wow - what an amazing experience!
      I've traveled to Ecuador but not Peru. This would be exactly the kind of trip I would enjoy. Truly understanding the way people live in a country is really important to me.
      Great photos - makes me want to visit more!

      Reply
    6. Kristi

      September 18, 2018 at 9:39 pm

      What a great way to travel and get a deeper look at the culture and learn about the local people and economy.

      Reply

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