From Ica or Huacachina: Tour to Tacama Vineyard and Artisanal Winery.

The most interesting part of this outing is its mix of old and family-run wineries. Tacama traces its identity to South America’s oldest winery, while La Vieja Bodega Lovera remains a fourth-generation family operation founded in 1867. You get more than a tasting room: you see how Ica’s wine and pisco traditions fit together.

I like the easy hotel pickup from Ica or Huacachina, and I like that the tasting covers wine, pisco, and pisco creams rather than just one local drink. The main drawback is cost clarity: the $25 tour price does not include Tacama’s 25-sol entry fee, or 30 soles on holidays, and lunch is extra.

Key points to know before you go

• Tacama is the headline stop: Visit one of South America’s oldest wineries, with a guided tour and tasting.
• Mondays follow a different plan: Tacama closes for its weekly break, so the visit moves to Hacienda Vista Alegre.
• Lovera adds family history: La Vieja Bodega Lovera was founded in 1867 and is now run by the fourth generation.
• Lunch is not included: You get about an hour at the vineyard restaurant to buy regional dishes and drinks.
• Pickup covers both Ica and Huacachina: The group van collects you about 15 minutes before the scheduled start.
• Budget for extras: Tacama admission costs 25 soles, or 30 soles on holidays, while lunch and drinks are separate.

Why this Pisco Route is worth your half-day

Ica is closely tied to pisco, Peru’s grape brandy, and this tour gives you a useful introduction without requiring you to arrange several winery visits yourself. The route connects large historic production with smaller family tradition, so you can compare the character of each place instead of seeing only one polished facility.

The tour lasts about five hours and includes transport, guided visits, and tastings. The listed schedule includes roughly 20 minutes in the van each way, two hours at Tacama, one hour at Lovera, one hour at the Cutur stop, and one hour for lunch. Since those sections add up to more than five hours when counted separately, allow some flexibility in your day.

That timing matters if you have a bus, flight, or another booked activity in Ica. Group tours can also move at a set pace, so you will not have unlimited time at each winery. In exchange, you avoid the trouble of finding transport between separate sites.

The $25 price is reasonable if you want a guided introduction and hotel transfers. It is not an all-inclusive wine day. Add Tacama’s admission fee, lunch, and any drinks, then carry cash for purchases and small expenses.

Starting from Ica or Huacachina

Pickup is included from your hotel in Ica or Huacachina. The van collects you about 15 minutes before the activity time, and this is a group tour, so be ready early rather than waiting until the exact departure minute.

The drive portion is listed at about 20 minutes each way. That keeps the day focused on the wineries rather than turning it into a long road trip. If you are staying in Huacachina, hotel pickup saves you the need to reach central Ica before breakfast or arrange a separate taxi.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Winery grounds can involve walking, and the tour materials specifically recommend a camera, biodegradable sunscreen, biodegradable insect repellent, and a charged smartphone. Cash is useful because lunch, drinks, and Tacama admission are not part of the base price.

English and Spanish guiding is available. If you need a particular language, confirm it when checking the available departure time.

Tacama: the grand opening stop

Tacama is the main reason to choose this route. The winery is presented as the oldest in South America and produces wine, pisco, and sparkling wine from fine grapes grown for those products.

You spend about two hours here, including the visit, guided explanation, photo stops, sightseeing, and tasting. That is much more time than a quick cellar stop, so you can expect Tacama to provide the broadest look at the production tradition on the route.

The tasting is not limited to wine. You are invited to sample different products, including pisco and pisco creams. This gives you a better sense of how one grape-growing region produces several distinct drinks.

The important catch is the separate admission fee. Entry to Bodega Tacama costs 25 soles, with an additional 5 soles on holidays. That fee is not included in the $25 tour price, so bring enough cash and treat the advertised price as the transport and guided excursion cost rather than the final bill.

Tacama closes on Mondays for a break. On that day, the tour replaces it with Hacienda Vista Alegre, described as a winery of the same category. If Tacama is your main reason for booking, avoid Monday or confirm the replacement before you pay. If you are happy with a historic winery route rather than one exact property, the substitute keeps the day intact.

La Vieja Bodega Lovera and its family story

After Tacama, the route continues to La Vieja Bodega Lovera. This is the mother winery of Lovera de Ica and was founded by Francisco Lovera and Ursula Moreno in 1867.

The winery remains in family hands, with the fourth generation currently responsible for it. That detail gives this stop a different feel from the first one. Instead of focusing only on the scale or age of a major winery, you get a look at a long-running family business tied to Ica.

The visit lasts about one hour and includes a guided tour, photos, sightseeing, and tastings. Piscos, wines, and cachinas are the main attraction here. Cachina is part of the local wine tradition, and sampling it alongside pisco helps you see that Ica’s drinks culture is wider than the better-known spirit alone.

The information provided does not promise a meal at Lovera, so do not plan to use this stop for lunch. Save your appetite for the later restaurant break, and keep some cash available for any drinks or purchases not covered by the tasting.

Cutur Pisco and the one-hour food break

The final winery visit takes you to the tourist winery Cutur Pisco, located at Fundo, Hotel El Arrabal. It is described as an artisan winery where wine and pisco production traditions have been kept over the years.

This stop also includes a notable architectural detail: authentic Spanish cellars from the 16th and 17th centuries are kept inside the winery. That gives the visit a visual and historical angle beyond tasting glasses. You may find this stop especially appealing if old structures and production spaces interest you as much as the drinks.

The scheduled winery portion lasts about one hour, followed by another hour of free time for lunch at the restaurant. Regional dishes from Ica are available, but lunch and drinks cost extra. You can use this break to try typical food from the area rather than rushing through another tasting.

Because you have already visited two wineries, this last stop works best as a slower finish. You can eat, take photos, and enjoy the setting before returning to your hotel. The tour then transfers you back to Ica.

What you will taste

The tasting program includes wines, piscos, and pisco creams. At the wineries, the focus is on products made from local grapes and on the different forms those grapes can take.

Pisco is the essential local specialty, but the tour does not treat it as the only product worth knowing. Wine, sparkling wine, cachina, and pisco creams appear across the route. That variety makes the experience useful for someone who knows little about Peruvian wine production and wants a single introduction.

Tasting does not mean every drink or bottle is included after the formal samples. Lunch drinks are separate, and the base price does not cover other purchases. If you want to bring bottles home, cash is a sensible addition to your packing list.

You should also pace yourself. There are several tasting stops, followed by lunch, and the tour lasts much of the day. The supplied rules prohibit alcohol and drugs outside the intended tasting context, as well as fireworks and explosive substances.

Lunch, costs, and the real value

The tour costs $25 per person, which covers hotel pickup and return from Ica or Huacachina, the group transport, the guided visits, and pisco and wine tasting. The low headline price makes it a practical way to reach multiple wineries without arranging separate rides.

Your extra costs are clear but easy to overlook. Tacama admission is 25 soles, or 30 soles on holidays. Lunch and drinks are not included, and the final stop provides free time at the restaurant rather than a prepaid meal.

I would budget for the winery admission, a regional lunch, drinks if wanted, and possible bottle purchases. That still may offer good value compared with arranging private transport to three separate properties, but it is not the right choice if you want every expense settled in advance.

The tour also offers reserve-now-and-pay-later booking and free cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity for a full refund. Check the available starting time before booking, since the tour has a fixed five-hour format and group pickup.

Who should book this tour

This is a good fit if you are staying in Ica or Huacachina and want an easy introduction to the Pisco Route. It suits you especially well if you value historic wineries, family-run production, guided tastings, and the chance to try regional food in one half-day outing.

It is also useful for anyone without a car. The route links Tacama, Lovera, and Cutur, then returns you to your hotel. You do not need to navigate the roads, find each entrance, or negotiate separate rides.

The tour may be less suitable if you want a private, slow-paced visit. It is a group experience, and the schedule gives each stop a set amount of time. You should also reconsider it if Tacama is essential and your only available day is Monday, since the route then uses Hacienda Vista Alegre instead.

The activity is listed as wheelchair accessible, but it is not suitable for people with epilepsy, visual impairments, recent surgeries, or insect allergies. Those restrictions should be taken seriously, particularly because the route includes winery grounds and outdoor areas.

Practical packing advice

Bring comfortable shoes and clothing, a camera, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a charged phone. The tour specifically asks for biodegradable sunscreen and biodegradable insect repellent.

Carry cash for Tacama admission, lunch, drinks, and any purchases. Your pickup is included, but the tour does not cover every cost once you arrive.

Avoid bringing alcohol or drugs, fireworks, or explosive substances. If you have a food, mobility, or medical concern, check the suitability details before reserving.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want a convenient, good-value introduction to Ica’s wine and pisco traditions, especially if you are based in Huacachina and do not have your own transport. Tacama supplies the major historic stop, Lovera adds a family connection reaching back to 1867, and Cutur combines artisan production, old cellars, and lunch time.

Skip it if you need a private schedule, an all-inclusive price, or a tour devoted only to Tacama. Before booking, check the weekday, add the 25-sol Tacama fee to your budget, and leave room for lunch and drinks. With those details understood, this is a practical way to spend a half-day on the Ica Pisco Route.

FAQ

How long does the winery tour last?

The activity is advertised as five hours. The schedule includes van transfers, visits to three winery stops, tastings, and about one hour for lunch.

Where does pickup take place?

Pickup and return are included from hotels in Ica or Huacachina. Pickup is scheduled about 15 minutes before the activity time.

Is Tacama admission included in the tour price?

No. Entry to Bodega Tacama costs 25 soles, with an additional 5 soles on holidays.

What happens if I take the tour on a Monday?

Tacama is closed on Mondays for a break. The visit is replaced by Hacienda Vista Alegre, which is described as being of the same category as Tacama.

Is lunch included?

No. You receive about one hour of free time to have lunch at the restaurant at the Cutur Pisco stop, but food and drinks are paid separately.

What drinks are included in the tasting?

The tasting includes wine and pisco. The experience also includes tastings of pisco creams, and the winery visits feature products such as cachina and sparkling wine.

Is the tour available in English?

Yes. Live guiding is available in English and Spanish.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Group van transportation is included between your hotel and the wineries, with the listed drive taking about 20 minutes each way.

Can I cancel the booking?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. The activity also offers a reserve-now-and-pay-later option.