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

If you like your wine trip with a little history and a lot of tasting, this Pisco Route tour is a strong choice. You start at Hacienda Tacama, known as the oldest winery in South America, then you keep going through other Ica icons in a tight half-day plan.

I like that the tour gives you guided time in English and Spanish, not just a quick walk-through. I also like the tasting lineup, which includes pisco, wines, and even pisco creams, spread across more than one winery so you are not stuck sampling the same thing over and over.

One heads-up: the tour fee does not include the Tacama winery entry ticket, so you will need cash for that stop. Lunch and drinks are also not included, so plan for extra spending if you want to eat at the vineyard restaurant.

Key highlights worth planning around

• Hacienda Tacama, South America’s oldest winery, with guided tasting of multiple products
• Monday swap: if Tacama is closed, the stop is replaced with Hacienda Vista Alegre
• La Vieja Bodega Lovera founded in 1867 by Francisco Lovera and Ursula Moreno, still run by family descendants
• Tastings of pisco and wine included, plus pisco creams mentioned in the experience
• Authentic Spanish cellars from the 16th and 17th centuries at the Cutur Pisco stop
• 1 hour of free time for lunch at the vineyard restaurant (lunch not included)

How the 5-hour Ica pick-up and group pacing works

This is a group tour with hotel pickup in Ica or Huacachina. They come to your pickup spot about 15 minutes before the activity time, and you ride in a van to the wineries with time marked at about 20 minutes for each transfer.

The big practical value of a scheduled, fixed-time route is that it keeps you from having to arrange multiple drivers or track opening hours yourself. The trade-off is pace: you will spend about 2 hours at the first winery, then around 1 hour at each of the next two stops, with photo opportunities built in.

Language is another practical win. You get a live guide in English and Spanish, which makes the tastings and winery history easier to follow, even if your Spanish is rusty. Just note that this is not a private tour, so if you want to linger in one cellar, you will likely need to do it fast.

Also, since this is a tasting-focused route, you will want to plan your day around it. Wear comfortable shoes, bring your camera, and keep your phone charged. Cash matters here too, because at least one winery entry fee is not included.

Hacienda Tacama: the oldest winery stop and what you’ll do there

Your first major stop is Hacienda Tacama, at Av. Camino Real 390 in Ica. This is the anchor of the whole tour, because Tacama is described as the oldest winery in South America and it focuses on producing wines, pisco, and sparkling wines using fine grapes.

At Tacama, you are not just tasting and leaving. You get a guided tour plus a wine tasting session. There is also a photo stop, which usually means quick time to grab pictures before you move into the winery experience.

What makes Tacama especially worth your time is that it sets the tone. The guide helps connect what you taste to how the grapes are turned into different products. That matters because later stops also lean into pisco and artisan traditions, and you will notice the differences more clearly when you start with a benchmark winery.

Plan one important logistics detail: Tacama entry is extra. The winery ticket is listed as 25 soles, and on holidays there is an additional 5 soles. The tour does say you skip the ticket line, which helps, but you still should expect to pay the entry fee on-site.

One more timing wrinkle: Mondays. On Mondays, Hacienda Tacama has a break, so the Tacama visit is replaced with a visit to Hacienda Vista Alegre, a winery in the same category. If your travel dates land on a Monday, you will still get the same style of experience, just at the swap winery.

La Vieja Bodega Lovera: a family-founded 1867 winery you can feel in the room

After Tacama, the tour moves to Lovera Winery, located at PE-1S 70 in Ica. The specific visit is to La Vieja Bodega Lovera, described as the mother winery for Lovera de Ica.

Here is what you can look forward to, beyond the tasting: this winery has documented roots. It was founded by Francisco Lovera and Ursula Moreno in 1867, and the experience is described as family-run, now in the 4th generation responsible for the winery.

During this stop, you will get a guided visit and a wine and pisco-focused tasting. The main attraction is listed as piscos, vinos, and cachinas. If you are new to pisco, this is one of those stops where it helps to slow down and pay attention to differences in flavor and presentation, even if you are only lightly tasting.

Timing is also good for this stop: it is around 1 hour, so you get enough time to take in the story and sample the specialties without feeling like the day drags.

The biggest downside here is simple: the focus is narrow by design. If you want a broader variety of wines or a lot of food pairing, you may feel this is more “pisco and spirits route” than “wine flight with a full meal.” For most people on a pisco route, that is exactly what they signed up for.

Cutur Pisco at Fundo Hotel El Arrabal, plus the old Spanish cellars

Your final winery stop is at Fundo – Hotel El Arrabal in Ica. The experience continues along the Pisco Route and includes a visit to the artisan Tourist Winery Cutur Pisco.

This is an artisan stop where the tradition in wine and pisco production is said to be preserved through the years. In practical terms, that usually means you are not only tasting a finished product, you are also seeing the working side of production and older facilities.

The experience also includes something special that you can ask about during your visit: the winery interior keeps authentic Spanish cellars from the 16th and 17th centuries. Even if you are not a history buff, cellars like this tend to change the whole mood of a tasting. Cooler, quieter, and older than most modern visitors expect, they give you a physical sense of time.

Then you get something that helps a lot on a half-day tour: free time for lunch at the vineyard restaurant on-site. Lunch is not included in the tour price, but you are given time to eat, which saves you from hunting down food between stops.

This last stretch is also where you should pace yourself. You have already tasted at least once at Tacama and again at Lovera, and then you will likely taste again at Cutur Pisco. You cannot take things too seriously if you are planning to drink much, so keep the tasting samples small and enjoy the experience, not the amount.

What exactly is included in tastings, and what’s not

The tour includes pisco and wine tasting. The highlights also mention tastings of wines, pisco, and pisco creams, and Tacama is specifically described as producing wines, pisco, and sparkling wines.

So what should you expect when you arrive? You should expect multiple tasting samples that explain how the same general grape tradition turns into different flavors. You should also expect pisco to play the starring role.

What is not included matters because it affects how you plan your money and your appetite. The tour does not include lunch and drinks. Even though lunch time is built into the schedule, you will pay at the restaurant if you eat there.

Also, the tour lists a clear rule: alcohol and drugs are not allowed. Since tastings are included, the rule is best understood as: do not bring your own alcohol or bring anything you are not supposed to. If you want to be extra safe, just stick to the tasting portions offered during the guided sessions.

Price and value: where the $25 fits, and where you should expect extra costs

At $25 per person for about 5 hours, the value is mostly in three areas: round-trip transport/pickup, a live guide in English and Spanish, and tastings you would otherwise have to pay for separately.

Your included items are:

• Pickup and return to your hotel in Huacachina or Ica
• Pisco and wine tasting
• Live guide
• Skip the ticket line

Now the extra costs to budget:

• Tacama entry fee: 25 soles, plus 5 soles more on holidays
• Lunch and drinks: not included

When you look at it this way, you are paying for organization and access, not only for the tasting. The tour is useful if you do not want to figure out transportation and timing across multiple wineries on your own. If you are comfortable driving or arranging drivers, you could potentially visit wineries individually. But if you prefer a guided, timed route where you show up, taste, and move on, this is the easy option.

Bottom line: the $25 price is a good deal as long as you plan for the Tacama ticket and optional lunch. If you do not, the surprise costs can feel annoying at the first stop.

What to bring for comfort, photos, and a smooth tasting day

This is one of those days where being prepared makes a big difference.

Bring:

• Comfortable shoes (you may walk around winery areas)
• Camera (there are photo stops at each winery)
• Biodegradable sunscreen
• Biodegradable insect repellent
• Cash (important for the Tacama entry fee and lunch)
• A charged smartphone

Also, keep it simple with what you wear. Comfortable clothes help you move between outdoor and indoor spaces, especially when you are going into older cellars.

One more note: there are restrictions on what is suitable for certain health or accessibility needs. The tour lists it as wheelchair accessible, which is good to know. But it is also listed as not suitable for people with epilepsy, visually impaired people, people with recent surgeries, or people with insect allergies. If any of those apply, it is worth reconsidering before booking.

Who this tour fits best, and who might want a different plan

This tour is a great match if you:

• Want a focused half-day introduction to Ica’s wine and pisco culture
• Like guided tastings where you learn what you are drinking
• Want a route that includes multiple wineries without planning transport
• Prefer having lunch time built in, even if you pay for your meal

You might want a different option if you:

• Expect a full meal included and all drinks included (they are not)
• Want deep, slow cellar exploration at every stop (this is timed and structured)
• Are sensitive to insects, since you should assume outdoor conditions around Ica and vineyards
• Need tailored support for visual access needs, since it is listed as not suitable for visually impaired people

If you are traveling with a tight schedule and you want a genuine, hands-on pisco and wine day, this is an efficient route.

Should you book the Tacama, Lovera, and Cutur Pisco tour?

I would book this tour if you want the easy path to tasting across three different Ica wineries, starting with the famous Hacienda Tacama. The combo of guided tastings, the family-run Lovera stop with deep roots, and the Cutur Pisco visit with 16th and 17th century Spanish cellars gives you more than one flavor of the region in a single day.

I would hesitate only if you strongly dislike extra on-site costs, since Tacama entry is not included, and lunch is also separate. If you are okay carrying a bit of cash and budgeting for the first ticket, you are set.

Also, if your trip date lands on a Monday, do not worry. You will still do a Tacama-style visit, just at Hacienda Vista Alegre instead. The tour keeps the structure, even if the specific stop changes.

FAQ

Is lunch included on this tour?

Lunch is not included. The schedule includes free time to eat at the vineyard restaurant during the final stop, but you will pay for your meal there.

Do I need to pay extra to enter Hacienda Tacama?

Yes. Entry to Bodega Tacama is listed as an additional cost of 25 soles, plus an additional 5 soles on holidays.

What tastings are included in the tour price?

The tour includes pisco and wine tasting. The experience also mentions tastings that include pisco creams.

How long is the tour?

The total duration is 5 hours.

Where do they pick you up?

Pickup and return are included to hotels in Huacachina or Ica.

What happens if I travel on a Monday?

On Mondays, Hacienda Tacama has a break. The Tacama visit is replaced by a visit to Hacienda Vista Alegre, described as the same category.