Joanne’s cycle tour of Lima – in Peru

Think of Peru and cycling may not instantly spring to mind, but read on to find out how you can see the sights of Lima by bike.

My friend Joanne read about Bike Tours of Lima when planning her trip to Peru and decided to book on one of their sightseeing tours of the city. It was ideal for Joanne who was travelling alone, as she was able to see the sites as part of a group, but with a rather more interesting perspective than the usual guided tour.

The tour started at the Bike Tours of Lima offices in the Miraflores district at 9am where the group were kitted out with bikes and helmets and a bottle of water each. Apart from Joanne there were only three others on the tour that day, although normally the groups are a bit larger. After a quick introduction they were off, with leader José at the front setting a challenging pace and his sister Marie bringing up the rear and taking photos throughout the day. Once they had persuaded him to slow down a little, they continued through quiet residential streets and local parks of the Miraflores district.

First stop was the Bosque El Olivar or Olive Grove, a large park containing over a thousand olive trees which were once part of a nobleman’s hacienda. Today it’s forbidden to pick the olives, as they are harvested and the proceeds are used for community charity projects, although it didn’t stop the man they saw picking them up from the ground as they cycled by.

Then they visited the Huaca Huallamarca, and ancient adobe pyramid dating back to 500 AD, which was in the middle of a smart residential area. There was no-one on the gate as they wandered in to climb up the pyramid, but in the visitor’s centre on the way out, they were shown the well preserved mummy of a woman complete with intricately plaited hair braids, which Joanne found rather disturbing.

Luckily the roads were fairly quiet as many had been closed for a festival in a nearby square, although there were a few hair raising moments as they crossed a busy intersection near the centre of town, with much honking of horns. At Plaza San Martin they stopped to have a look at the statue on a plinth in the centre. On one side of the plinth is a statue representing the nation, which has a Llama resting on her head – apparently she was supposed to have a crown of flames, known as llama in Spanish but the sculptor got confused and gave her the animal instead. Joanne had previously enjoyed afternoon tea at the Gran Hotel Bolivar on the corner of the Plaza under an elegant stained glass dome.

They moved on into the old district around Plaza Mayor, where the colonial houses are known for their ornate carved wooden balconies which overhang the street. In this area they stopped for lunch, which was included in the tour, at the oldest bar in Lima, which was famous for curing it’s own ham. The choice was between sweet ham or peppered ham in a roll, accompanied by a pisco sour, although Joanne stuck to the non-alcoholic Miso Morello, a local drink made from corn flarvoured with cinnamon and cherries.

They passed by the magnificent yellow church and convent of San Francisco, which Joanne had already visited on a previous day. She saw the catacombs with beautiful painted tiles and bones laid out in patterns, as well as the church and courtyards.  Joanne also recommended the excellent gift shop in the inner courtyard which had beautiful artisan gifts and jewellery. The tour ended at Plaza San Martin, where the bikes were picked up in a van by José’s father, and you could continue with your own sightseeing, although Joanne got a lift with them back to her hotel.

Although at that point Joanne had already visited some of the major sites such as the Cathedral and Church of San Francisco, she found that the cycling tour gave her a behind the scenes view of Lima, with the benefit of a guide with local knowledge. Joanne highly recommends the tour and thought it was good value for money.

Have you been cycling anywhere unusual or interesting and did it give you a different point of view?

To find out more about the bike tour, visit the website of Bike Tours of Lima or take a look at their blog for videos of the tour.

See Joanne’s photos of Peru on Flickr

Related Posts
A grown-up backpacker at Machu Picchu
Meeting Margariette in Lima
The lady at Mcdonalds at Cusco in Peru

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Peru photos by Joanne photoset

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