Recommended highly and repeatedly by:

LONELY PLANET, PERU ...

The ever active Lucho Hurtado of Incas del Peru(Telf 223303;www.incasdelperu.org;Giraldez 652), in the same building as the restaurant La Cabaña,organizes most activities . He is a local who speak English and knows the surrounding area well.Mountain bikers can participate in easy one day tours, relaxing two-days tours or for the really adventurous and fit ,12-day Andean cycling marathons that cover over 100kms of rigorous mountain biking . You can also participate in an Andean mountain trekking expedition to the lake and glacier of Huaytapallana for up to three days ;the three day trek cost US$105 per person. Incas del Peru arranges Spanish and even Quechua lessons,which include meals and accommodations with a local family (if you wish)starting at US$110 a week for the budget course through to US$260 per week for the busy interactive course . Lesson can be modified to fit your interests.You can also learn to cook local dishes ,find out how to make jewelry, engage in gourd carving ,try your feet at dancing, dabble with natural dyes , play the panpipes, create back strap or pedal -loom weavings or make a stab at other locals crafts...
More about us ...

http://www.lonelyplanet.com

Let's Go Peru,Ecuador & Bolivia

"Incas del Perú Giraldez 652 (223 303; fax 222 395), attached to Restaurante La Cabana. Run by the charismatic Lucho Hurtado, who speaks near-flawless English. Dedicated to promoting authentic cultural experiences in Huancayo and the Rio Mantaro Valley, Lucho offers crash courses in Spanish, Quechua, weaving, and pan flute. Ask about volunteer/work programs, which include Spanish lessons and a local homestay. Open daily 9am-1pm and 4-7pm. SAE and student discounts. AmEx/DC/MC/V.

http://www.letsgo.com

MOON HANDBOOKS...

“Lucho Hurtado at “Incas del Perú” speaks flawless English and is full of adventurous options for the Huancayo area. He is well-connected among the artisans in the valley and offers a great crafts tour to shops in several villages ….. a great chance to see how locals live and do some rough-and-tumble exploring. Lucho is a gifted teacher who helps people understand their surroundings."

More about us ...

http://www.moon.com

REISE PERU BOLIVIEN 2003

". . . La Casa de la Abuela, Av. Giráldez 691, Tel. 22-3303, fax 22-2395; Haus im Kolonialstil, bp, Ww, familiäre Atmosphäre, Garten, preiswert, UF, TIP! Der Besitzer, Lucho Hurtado,, macht auch auf wunsch erlebnisreiche tagesaufluge zu den campesinos der umgebung, zum mittagessen gibt es eine zeremonie zu ehren Pachamama, empfehlenswert, ca. 35e auch fahrradtouren."

". . . La Cabaña, Giráldez 652, letzterez ein beliebter Treff unter Reinsenden und eine gute Infobörse. . . "

http://www.reise-know-how.de

BRADT
PERU & BOLIVIA:

"Huancayo has another great advantage: Lucho Hurtado, who runs language and other courses, as well as working as a guide. He either owns or is related to the owner of some nice hotels and restaurants too. If you need something in Huancayo, talk to Lucho! . . ."

"Useful Address
Incas del Peru Av. Giráldez N, 652 Tel. (5164) 223303; fax/ans: (5164) 222395 ...Apartado Postal No 510. Language courses in Spanish and Quechua. Also weaving, natural dyes, Peruvian cooking, and traditional musical instruments (panpipes, flute, charango).
Lucho Hurtado (address as in Incas del Peru) will organise trekking in the area, especially the Mantaro Valley, the Huaytapallana area and to the cloud forest of Chanchamayo. Also mountain biking . . ."

By Hilary Bradt ... recommends "INCAS DEL PERU for its learning programs and Lucho Hurtado for trekking. Also recommends staying at La Casa de La Abuela."

http://www.bradt-travelguides.com

The Rough Guide to PERU

Dilwin Jenkis . . .

"Restaurants and nightlife . . . Also worth trying is Lucho Hurtado’s Pizzeria,       La Cabaña, Av Giraldez 652 ."
"Accommodation La Casa de la Abuela, Av Giraldez 691, Basic, but with good                                facilities including table tennis, a darts board and an electric shower . . . "

http://travel.roughguides.com

SPANISH.ABOUT.COM

"So if you really want to practice your Spanish while traveling, you're better off going to a place where you can't fall back so readily on your English skills. Yet, chances are you also like some of the amenities that come with visiting an area that regularly welcomes large numbers of tourists."

"Hundreds of destinations probably fit those qualifications, but I'm going to suggest a place I visited last month: Huancayo, Peru. The city of about 430,000 has most of what most visitors would expect in a destination worthy of several days: comfortable (although not luxurious) hotels, easy access, safe and pleasant restaurants, reasonable prices, moderate weather, and interesting places to visit during day trips. What it doesn't have are hordes of American tourists or an abundance of establishments where English is spoken. In fact, in three days of visiting the best of what the Huancayo area had to offer, I heard only one local person who spoke English well."

http://spanish.about.com/

TIMES ON LINE

".. .And in Lima's grey and misty dawn a little group of intrepid obsessives was gathering. They were led by Lucho, a long-haired Peruvian of fine, part-Indian features. But he is no hippy: with his tour company, Incas del Peru, he has worked tirelessly to badger the railway company into keeping the door open to passenger excursions. A practical obsessive, he is showing how railway mania and Andean adventure can mix. He wants regular excursions with stops for sightseeing in the little towns climbing the fertile valleys that line the dusty desert rock of the descending Andes with green. I think he will succeed. ."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk

FOOTPRINT
South American Handbook 2000 

Ben Box . . . "La Cabaña, Av. Giráldez 652, outstanding pizzas, ice-cream, calientitos, and other dishes, great atmosphere, repeatedly recommended, owned by Beverly Stuart from New Zealand and Lucho Hurtado (also speaks English), also rents rooms (La Casa de La Abuela), organize Spanish courses for beginners, including accommodation with local families, recommended, weaving, playing the pan flute and Peruvian cooking, they also have maps and a book exchange ... Lucho also works as a guide and runs trips in the mountains or jungle and hires bikes for tours of rural communities."

http://www.footprintbooks.net/

FOOTPRINT
Peru Handbook

Alan Murphy . . . " La Cabaña, Av. Giráldez 652, Great pizzas, ice-cream, calientitos, and other dishes, folk music at weekends. Great atmosphere, repeatedly recommended, owned by Beverly Stuart and Lucho Hurtado (also speaks English), they also have 2 rooms, G including breakfast, with hot water, washing and cooking facilities. They organize Spanish courses for beginners for US$200 per week including accommodation with local families, as well as weaving, playing traditional music, Peruvian cooking and lots of other things. They also have maps and a book exchange. Lucho also works as a guide and runs trips in the mountains or jungle, and hires bikes for tours of rural communities. Contact him in Huancayo (luchoh@incasdelperu.org) or through the South American Explorers Club in Lima . . ."

http://www.footprintbooks.net/

ONE FOR THE ROAD

. . . "I actually wanted to go to a different hotel but the taxi driver opined that the Casa de la Abuela was a much better place and drove me there; and as it turned out it was a good idea, because it is probably the most comfortable hostel in Huancayo. As a little welcome I got a voucher for one Calentito at La Cabaña, a cosy bar and restaurant opposite the hostel and owned by the same guy who owns the hostel, Lucho, with very good business acumen as one can see. After I had put my things in the small dormitory and had refreshed myself a bit, I decided to try one of these Calentitos and have an early night, and just as I closed the door behind me I bumped into Rosario (she is the web designer for Lucho's Incas del Peru site), " ...

http://wickedwaves.typepad.com

PERU / WESTBOLIVIEN

". . . INCAS DEL PERU veransteltet u.a. tagestouren im Mantaro-tal mit besuch der interessantesten Dörfer und archäologischen stätten. Der camino Huanca, eine fünftägige trekkingtour, führt in die einsame bergregion des Nevado Huaytapallana (5557m.) darüber hinaus kann man auch tages- bvw. 2-tagesflüge zum gletsjer des nevado Huaytapallana und mountainbike-touren unternehmen ..."

http://www.stefan-loose.de/buecher-reiseziele/amerika/peru-und-westbolivien/

GUIA VIVA / PERU

".. Otros Datos de Interes ... Otro lugar interesante es la Organización Incas del Perú que avalada por los Ministerios de Educación y Turismo ,ofrece información turística y proporciona clases de castellano para extranjeros y un gran numero de actividades culturales y artesanas como talleres de burilado de mates, clases de quena y charango ,cocida local , taller de joyería, danzas típicas ... además excursiones y marchas por los alrededores. Sin duda una de las mejores propuestas de inmersión y turismo cultural .Preguntad por Lucho Hurtado en Avda. Giraldez,652 ;email : incas_peru@hotmail.com ; www.incasdelperu.com ..."

http://www.anayatouring.com/

EISENBAHN-KURIER

"... Friday 23rd of may We are in Lima in front of the tower of Lima’s station, Desamparados. With us are 90 more travelers waiting, (mostly tourists) to be let in to the - because of the lower situated presidential palace, - strictly guarded train station. We meet up with Lucho Hurtado, a Peruvian railway friend, who will accompany us on our journey on the highest train in the world. With a 2 hour delay, we leave Lima at 9 am. Instead of a clean passenger train, all of a sudden we are riding in a GmP, after which both wagons were simply attached to the susposed cargo train, efficiency principally goes before exclusiveness. The heavy shaking makes us doubt our decision to endure this 13 hours. The train’s horn is ready to warn crossing people and cars. The journey goes trough the povertystricken district of the 8 million metropole, when we’ve left the chaos of Lima behind us, the journey becomes a lot more bearable. "..

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http://www.eisenbahn-kurier.de