Peru 2027 Trip Deets: Food, Culture, the Sacred Valley

I think we’ve collectively tried to wipe the horrors of 2020 from our memory because looking at them straight on is too much. But I remember.

I remember feeling trapped. First in an apartment, then a house, neither of which I was particularly happy in. I had just quit my job. I didn’t know how entrepreneurship was going to work out. I didn’t know how the world was going to work out.

What I knew was that I’d been a diplomat before I was a creator, and a traveler before I was a diplomat, and somehow none of that was showing up in what I was making online. Feed the Malik (now @theanelamalik) didn’t even exist yet, it was all food and restaurants. There was a whole part of me that was going unused, and lockdown made the absence of it feel unbearable.

So I waited until I was vaccinated, and I started pitching. Eventually I landed my first travel partnership.

It took me to Peru.

I trekked the Inca Trail in 2022. There were moments on that trail where I thought, girl, look what you got yourself into. Clambering over steep stone steps at altitude, listening to the most upbeat album I could find downloaded on my phone to get me through. But I made it. I want to do it again one day, but that’s a different post.

What got me wasn’t the trail. It was Peru.

The cobblestones in Cusco. The way music drifts out of doorways. The colors of the markets. Ceviche every single day. The chocolate. The coffee. The soft knit sweaters and the warmth of the people. I left saying I have to come back here.

I’ve come back every year since.

In two weeks, I’m going again. This time it’s a vacation with bae, not work. 2026 has been a year. We’re tired. Neither of us has 25 hours of trip-planning in us right now, and we both know what happens when two tired people try to plan a vacation from scratch. It’s a fight in a hotel lobby in a country neither of you really wanted to be in.

So I said: let’s go somewhere I already know. He’s never been to Peru. I’m taking him.

The funny thing is, I’m taking him on a lighter version of the trip I’ve built for you for spring 2027. Same starting hotel in Lima. Same food tour, which is the best food tour in one of the best food cities in the world. Same restaurants in Cusco. Same favorite spots.

But the trip I built for you goes deeper.

I am so, so excited to announce that Peru is one of our destinations for our 2027 group trips. It’s one of my favorite places in the world, and this itinerary is the best of my experiences in Peru all put together, with time to rest and moments of luxury and all the things I think we need and deserve in our lives.

Lima. We start in the best food city in the world and we take full advantage. One day is dedicated entirely to Afro-Peruvian heritage. A guided walk through the history. Lunch at El Rincón que no Conoces, a famed example of Afro-Peruvian food tradition. An afternoon dance class, because you don’t really understand a culture until you’ve felt the rhythm of it. We also do my absolute favorite food tour in Lima, which is saying something.

The Sacred Valley. We have lunch and a chocolate-making workshop at a local NGO. We spend three nights at a five-star resort right on the Urubamba River with views of the mountains that make it hard to go inside. We do a hands-on ceramics workshop, visit remote villages, and meet the community to learn about weaving traditions that have been passed down for generations. We sit down together for Pachamanca - a meal slow-cooked underground with hot stones for incredible flavor. We even visit a traditional chichería to learn about chicha de jora, the ancestral fermented corn drink at the heart of Andean culture.

Machu Picchu. Of course we’ll visit Machu Picchu and tour it with an expert guide. But we’re not being marched back onto a train half dead afterward. Instead, we have an afternoon and evening in a beautiful mountain town afterward, with time to actually process what you just saw.

Cusco. Think cobblestones and color and music coming from the plaza. One morning we do yoga inside an ancient temple before the crowds arrive. We’ll eat at my favorite restaurants and yes I’ll take everyone to the jeweler who makes custom gold and silver pieces that you’ll wear forever. We visit a local market and then cook together - a three-course farewell dinner guided by a professional Peruvian chef

I’m proud of this trip. It’s not a look-and-see experience. We’ll be doing, trying, getting ourselves in the mix. I built it with a partner on the ground I trust, who has negotiated the hell out of this to get the best value for us even as prices rise everywhere.

Dates: April 1 to 11, 2027. Trip starts in Lima and ends in Cusco so you can explore more on either end if you want to.

Group size: 14 travelers, plus me and our local guide.

Hosting: I’ll be on this departure personally.

This trip is $6,500 for double occupancy, $7,800 for single.

A similar 11-day Peru group trip with the same caliber of hotels and inclusions will run you $14,000 to $16,000 per person with another operator. With the Amazon, theirs is closer to $16,000 minimum.

I keep these trips intentionally accessible, and part of how I do that is we don't pay for ads. Because you all show up, I'm able to pass the savings right back to you.

To hold your spot: a $1,650 non-refundable deposit is due at registration. Interest-free payment plans are available at checkout.

One note: if you’re both a prior traveler and a founding member, you can only use one discount. The larger one applies. Please don’t try to stack them.

For travelers who want to go further, end your trip with a 4-day, 3-night extension to the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. We’ll stay at an ecolodge inside a locally owned reserve.

The extension includes transfer from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, all meals, guided wildlife walks, a 40-meter canopy tower with views over the rainforest, an oxbow lake catamaran ride looking for the resident family of giant river otters, and a sunrise visit to a parrot clay lick.

$3,200 per person. All rooms are single occupancy. Couples who want to book the extension together, please email [email protected] first so we can sort the rooming.

The extension runs April 11 to 14, picking up the day the main trip ends.

All Unfiltered & Fed subscribers will get an email with the registration link and the full itinerary once trips open.

Get on the waitlist! For Peru we can open a second April departure if there’s enough demand. The waitlist is the first place we go when a spot opens up.

Around 70% of our travelers come solo and room with someone they meet on the trip. We do roommate matching ahead of time around things like temperature preferences and noise sensitivity, so you’re not walking in blind. Solo is the move and these trips make sure your plans don’t get stuck in the group chat.

This trip moves at a thoughtful pace with time to rest, but we’ll spend some time at higher altitudes. Cusco sits at 11,150 feet. Most days involve walking on cobblestones, uneven stairs, or moderate hiking. You should be comfortable on your feet for several hours. Machu Picchu involves steep stone steps with no railings in places. If you have specific concerns, email me before booking and we’ll talk.

Arrival/departure flights to and from Peru. Meals not listed in the itinerary. Tips for your primary guide. Anything personal (drinks at dinner, optional add-ons, that kind of thing). Travel insurance (required).

For May’s Unfiltered & Fed Supper Club, we’re doing it a little differently. I love building things from scratch, but I also want to make sure we’re plugging in and connecting with people who are already doing dope shit.

So we’re hopping into a series that some brilliant DC folks have put together.

On Wednesday May 27, we’re joining a seating with chef Erik Bruner-Yang (Maketto, Bar Providencia) and chef Yuan Tang (Rooster & Owl) for a five-course tasting menu that will only exist for one night. I’ve got a block of seats reserved. We’ll be seated together so we can vibe and yap.

A note on dietary restrictions: this is a fixed tasting menu, and the chefs can’t accommodate allium allergies or fully vegan diets. Other restrictions may be possible to work around. If you have allergies or restrictions, add them when you register and we’ll make sure the restaurant has that info in advance.