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La Vendimia Wine Festival - Ica
Icas International Vendimia Festival 2012: March 2 to March
12thThe Vendimia, or Harvest, Festival has been realized in the
region of Ica during the first weeks of March since 1958 in honor
of the regions claim to fame - the best quality wines in Peru, and
theworlds finest piscos , the Peruvian grape brandy which
originated in this region.
During the festival, the city and countryside are transformed as
musical festivals celebrating theregion s Afro-Peruvian heritage
abound, with Marinera dance contests , shows exhibiting theunique
side-stepping Peruvian paso horse , open-air parties nightly,
folkloric shows , fireworks ,and more.
Youll definitely want to visit one of t he food fairs to
experience the regions cuisine, or check outthe sandboarding
competitions on the dunes outside of Huacachina Oasis. If you plan
a daytrip tothe oasis, you can even experiment with this unique
adrenaline-filled sport as well! Our agencydepartment, Pirwa Travel
Service, can arrange an sandboarding excursion for you to
HuacachinaOasis if you want to give it at try!
Other attractions include the Main Parade with its floats and
local and international beauty queenstossing bunches of grapes and
the Election of the Festival Queen , which was scheduled
pre-festival for Feb 25 th but has been postponed due to permit
issues. The Festival Queen and her courtwill tread the grapes after
the rite of the cutting of the bunches.
The main parade is on Sunday and is traditionally followed by a
yunza , whereby a tree is laden withtreats and prizes like a piata
and one by one people come to try and cut it down. Once the game
iscomplete attendees scramble for the treats.
One of the best activities that travelers can engage in is known
as the Pisco Route - visiting thevalleys wineries to learn about
the process of creating these artisanal wines and brandies
andenjoying tastings afterwards. During the festival the wineries
will often schedule fiestas with
traditional wine stomping, dance contests, cockfights, and
more.
Who are some of the confirmed artists thus far? Well, its been a
little difficult tracking down theofficial programme, which will
hopefully hit the web in the coming days. Columbian artist
TegoCalderon , one of reggaetons first superstars, often referred
to as The Street Poet, will beperforming at the campground on March
3 rd along with the Argentinean Wachiturros , who ve hada lot of
hits in Peru the last year. Classical guitarist Gianmarco will
perform on the 9 th, and Chinoand Nacho on the 8 th.
From there on, there are names being thrown around as disparate
as Evanescences Amy Lee andMexican rockers Man , but wer e still
waiting on the official roster, so check back here for the
programme because well be confirming as soon as its
available.
While in Ica
Well, first, you need to get there- Ica is ju st a 4 hour drive
south of Lima, so its easy to arrange for a bus trip. If you need
any assistance or recommendations, Pirwa Travel Service can help.
You canreach them at [email protected] , or, if youre s taying
in one of our hostels in Miraflores,Lima, simply stop by the
information desk which youll find in each of our hostels.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
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Of course, the number one item on your sampling list needs to be
the aromatic Peruvian pisco , butalso try another local drink known
as cachina. Together with the liquors, you can sample snackssuch as
the delicious tejas caramelized fruit filled with a rich caramel
sauce and coated withfondant, or in the case of tejas de pecanas ,
with pecans instead of fruit.
The Verano Negro Festival continues in Chincha, so this is a
great time to stop by Ica. If youre not
sure what activities youre interested in exploring while here,
check out our earlier blog post withour top recommendations in
Nazca.
Tackle the world- famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with Pirwa
Travel Service & theyll throw in afree tour highlighting the
sights of the former Incan Imperial capital of Cusco. Let Pirwa
Travelsexperienced guides immerse you in the mystery and ench
antment of the Incas legacy!
Remember: The city tour offer includes guide and transport but
you will need to pay your ownadmission by purchasing the General
Tourist Ticket that the Government of Cusco requires visitorsto buy
to enter archeological sites in and around the city of Cusco.
