Alcademics

Last year I visited 5 distilleries in Peru with Pisco Porton (read about that visit here and here): Vinas de Oro, Tres Generaciones, Lovera, Hotel El Carmello, and La Caravedo where Porton is made.

In other posts, I've written about the pisco distilleries that I visited along the pisco trail, aka La Ruta Del Pisco. This post is an overview of getting to the pisco region, where to stay, and things to see. 

As you can see from the below maps, to tour pisco distilleries there is a long drive from Lima (the northernmost pin on the map) down the west coast of Peru to Ica, the southernmost cluster, passing the pisco producing towns of Chincha and Pisco. 

In Ica we visited La Caravedo, the distillery that produces Pisco Porton. They were the host of my trip. 

Resources for Visiting the Pisco Region of Peru:

• This page on the Peru Tourism website has information about distilleries. 
• Here is a guidebook (PDF format) about visiting pisco distilleries in Ica. It's in Spanish but it has detailed information about distillery visits.
• Should you want to arrange a tour or book a visit of the distilleries from Lima, Porton recommends using LimaTours or ContactTours.

Sights along the Ruta Del Pisco

As you can see, there are several pins on the map. The topmost is Lima, then the next pin along the ocean the Asia district. This is a seaside town and beach that seems mostly filled with local families. We stopped off for a great meal there at the modern restaurant El Piloto, but I'm not sure there is much else there to see for the international tourist. 

The next two pins mark the city of Chincha and the distillery for Vinas de Oro. 

The next pin out in the water are the islands called Las Islas Ballestas, which are important for bird habitat and the production of guano.  

The district from which one takes a boat to Las Islas Ballestas is called Paracas. It is the most stylish of the towns we visited, with fancy hotels and it's where the wealthy residents of Lima come to relax. There are several large resort hotels, and it's probably the nicest place to stay if touring the pisco region of Ica, even though it's a big drive to Ica from there.

Ica is the city with lots of pisco distilleries, including La Caravedo (Porton), Bodega El Catador, and Hotel El Carmelo. On the outskirts of town is the oasis Huacachina.