Statue in the Main Square of Lunahuaná

It is interesting to see how tourism in Lunahuaná grows during the rafting season. I already wrote about how to get to Lunahuaná in my previous blog post.

When I visited Lunahuaná for the first time, I couldn't do rafting because of a health problem, but had the opportunity to go during the days of february and march, which is the best season of the year for rafting and I cannot recommend more your visit there, if you can even more than once.

There are many hotels you can find in Lunahuaná, as camping centers for the most adventurous that prefer a direct contact with nature without spending too much money.

Among the camping options, there are some specialized zones that are located in different places in Lunahuana. It is not difficult to find one available. In general, you can find them between one or two kilometers from the main square, close to the river. There is also one that is very close to the street that goes to the main square.

If, instead, you prefer to go for a hotel and wish to be comfortable, you can ask for Hotel Embassy or Embassy Rio as some options. Below you will find some pictures of their infrastructure:

Hotel Embassy is a 3 star hotel that has also a swimming pool, soccer and tennis yards, and even a convention center. Their rooms are clean and very adequate if you need relax and comfort. The location is around 3Km from the main square. The price per night varies from 30 dollars to more, depending on the type of room. It is also good to know that the Embassy Río is a bit more expensive than the Embassy, because you can have a direct view of the Cañete River.

Another option is the Villasol Hotel, which is also a 3 star with a swimming pool and the prices are similar to the previous one.

After you have placed your stuff in the hotel or even if you are going for only one full day, the adventure begins discovering all the things that this destination can offer us.

It is good to mention that if you are going to Lunahuana between the months of february and march, where the rafting season is high, you will notice that the restaurants where you can find the best available dishes will get full very fast and you won't be able to find available places to enjoy the local food if you go there at normal lunch time.

So, in order to know how to maxime your time in the best way and you don't lose time waiting at the lines trying to get in, I recommend you to choose your lunch time before midnoon. 12:30pm is already too late and you will see how the lines are growing and how the people start waiting outside of the restaurants. Between 1pm and 2pm is very difficult to find available places to try to delicious chupe de camarones that are prepared in these restaurants.

Where to eat? There are many options, but I will recommend you these two:

• Restaurant El Pueblo, that is located one step from the main square. There you will have multiple options of typical dishes of the area and some criolla food. If you have the opportunity to get in there, do not forget to try the Chupe de Camarones, because you will not find another similar in other places of Peru. This one is prepared with river shrimps of the area and is particularly delicious.
  
  
  
  
• Camping Restaurant Mi Rosedal, that is located 2 Km. from the main square of Lunahuaná, going through the main highway Cañete-Yauyos (Km. 41.7, Uchupampa N. 151), that goes to Catapalla. It is a very nice place and as usual, it also gets full during high season.
  
  
  
  
  

There are also other alternatives, like the restaurant Gladys, camping restaurant Del Valle and the tourist restaurant Puente Colgante, apart from others, but I will let you discover on your own.

Cañete is one of the places that you must visit during the Pisco Route, because its valleys posess a variety of grapes that produce a very high quality pisco. This variety is called "uvina", and it is cultivated without much water along the whole valley.

Visiting the vineyards and piscoyards in Lunahuana is a very interesting experience, that helps you understand more why our Pisco is so much appreciated in the markets, either national or international, but I will leave that for another blog post, which is coming soon. Keep tuned.

Next:

• Tour in Lunahuaná: Travel Notes, Part 3
• Tour in Lunahuaná: Travel Notes, Part 4

Previous:

• Tour in Lunahuaná: Travel Notes, Part 1