All the brown roofs in the hills surrounding Lima is where you go. An amazing chance to see how the people live and meet some truly inspiring individuals. The cemetery is interesting and I took some great pictures from the hilltop.This was my favourite day while in Lima. Definitely worth it and I 100% recommend doing this tour.

Can’t speak highly enough of Alfredo and our half day tour of Lima with Alternative Peru! We saw and learned things very few other tourists get to experience. Best of all, the cost includes financial support for the communities and people we visited. We learned a lot about about Peruvian culture and the amazing work the less fortunate are doing to support each other. Wish we had more time to do the other tours that Alternative Peru offer.

This tour was amazing! I've been to Lima probably 25 times (I was born in the US but both parents are Peruvian and extended family are all still there so I've visited throughout my entire life) so I really thought I 'knew' Lima. But this is my first time taking this type of tour and it was *fascinating*. I thought it might be risky but it was totally safe, everyone we met was absolutely wonderful. On the tour you'll learn about the 'human settlements', their evolution and history, how they are self-governed and self-reliant. The ability of these communities to strive and thrive, even under the most challenging of circumstances, is a true testament to the human spirit! Alfredo and the driver picked us up from our hotel in Miraflores (there were 4 of us) and from there it took about 45 min to get to the first stop. The tour is nicely paced, very organized and super informative. Alfredo and this tour company have a true passion for uplifting these communities and they do a great job of bringing awareness and insight into this often overlooked (but very important) aspect of Lima's society. 1000% recommend!!

As cool as the touristy areas of Lima are, those places don’t really represent the lifestyle of many if not most Peruvians - this tour made venturing Into the lesser known and somewhat intimidating areas much more approachable and I learned so much about the country, its culture, and some of its most pressing issues. My guide Alfredo, along with everyone he introduced me to, was great. I won’t spoil the tour by giving much away, but highly recommend!

Thank you, Alfredo, for showing us the different sides of Peru outside the main city. Our tour was very unique, memorable, and Educational!

After an Amazon visit we had an extra day in Lima before traveling home. This social tour gave us real insights into the lives of the people living in the settlements outside of Lima. I highly recommend this tour with Alfredo as it provides the human side of Peruvians who work together facing challenges foreign to many of us visiting their country

Our tour guide, Alfredo was absolutely amazing. He took care of us in every way possible. His English was perfect, he had very detailed and profound knowledge of the history of Lima and Peru as a whole (we asked a lot of questions, and he answered all of them), took us to the greatest restaurants, and made us feel comfortable and at home. If you’re looking for a tour that will take you through the real, authentic Peruvian experience, I 100% recommend you touring with Alternativa Peru. They make sure to cover all of the touristic areas, while at the same time, showing you areas where common Peruvian citizens visit and love. This was the best tour that I have taken in my life.

Alfredo was on time picking me up from my Miraflores hotel, and in English gave me quite a bit of background on Lima, and the areas in which we headed. I'm a sucker for tours where you can visit local areas, and get a authentic feel for the way of life, and culture of others. Hearing first hand their challenges, and their opportunities is really moving. Tours like this, which I've taken before in other countries, really go to show that hospitality is not lost and even through challenges the human spirit is strong!

I had a great time learning from Alfredo. I learned more about Peru from this tour and how so many families struggle. Visiting San Juan de Miraflores should be at the top of your list when visiting Peru.The safest way to do that is with a tour guide like Alfredo. Overall, costly tour but worth it.

I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend the day with Alfredo on this local community tour! He has such a calm nature to him and is so passionate in making a positive change for the less fortunate families in Peru. I learnt so much from this trip and being able to see the hard work that these families and the non-profit organisation are putting has been eye-opening. Alfredo was also nice enough to send some links and the day's itinerary to me which I really appreciate. Thank you Alfredo for the humble experience :)

Thank you Alternative Peru and Alfredo for such an insightful, warm and eye opening experience - my friends and I really appreciated this tour in Lima! The connections we made with local community members were extremely valuable. We took this tour on our last day in Peru (traveled for 3 weeks in the country) and it really gave us a meaningful and wholesome perspective. I would encourage everyone who is interested in local learning and engaging in the community to book a tour with Alternative Peru - it's worth it!

After such a go-go-go three weeks in Peru with multiple tours and long travel times, I wasn't sure I'd have enough energy to go on a final tour the day before our flight departure. That said, I'm so glad we went on this tour with Alternative Peru. We were picked up at our hostel in a super comfy minivan that we were surprised to have all to ourselves (there were three of us). Alfredo, our guide, was so open in sharing his knowledge, insights, and thoughts on Lima along with info on Peru's history, social conditions, and political climate. Interesting coincidence that he lived in the Philippines for a year and watches Turkish dramas (I'm from the Phils. and one of my friends in our group is from Turkey!). My friends and I took the Half-Day Local Communities Tour in the afternoon (about 4.5-5 hours including driving time), driving about an hour southeast to learn more about Lima's human settlements. It was very interesting to know more about the districts and barrios work and to know exactly which district we were driving to as we headed to Cementerio Virgen de Lourdes, the world's second largest cemetery, located in the district of of Villa María del Triunfo. I was really surprised to learn that 2 out of 11 million people in Lima live in human settlements, which are not government planned and basically invaded by people who need a place to live - therefore, they have no running water, electricity, and other basic infrastructure (although some, over time, have become recognized by the government and eventually get basic utilities or become well-developed). Having stayed and toured mainly Miraflores, Baranco, and Downtown Lima, this tour really gives a glimpse into the daily experiences of many people in the city that are invisible to most visitors. As someone who took a Death & Dying class in my last year of university many years ago, I'm admittedly fascinated with how other cultures view death and dying. Visiting Cementerio de Virgen de Lourdes was a great place to learn more about this. First of all, the place is massive and could be its own city (I was immediately reminded of the Land of the Dead in the movie "Coco)! There are apartment style tombs housing families and loved ones as well as underground burials with plants planted on top, Spanish and Incan style respectively. While we were there, there was a funeral procession with musicians. Alfredo shared that the month of November is especially busy and especially on November 1st, where it is one giant party for people to visit their loved ones. At this cemetery, there is also a 200-year old church that might have been placed on ancient burial ground. After the cemetery visit, we drove to another nearby district, San Juan de Miraflores (in the sector Nueva Rinconada, which is in the zona of Pamplona Alta), which is also a human settlement. We visited Señora Tomasa's house and also met her lively and smart four-year old daughter. Señora Tomasa was kind enough to serve us a delicious meal of ulluco with chicken (this was our first time coming across ulluco, which reminded me of potatoes, on our trip). It was really inspiring to hear more about Señora Tomasa's story - from what I remember, she is originally from a village in the Amazon and came to Lima with her three children. She sells food at the market in Lima and also does volunteer work as a leader in her community to advocate for services to the government. Her other two older children are in school and it was enlightening to learn a bit of what the opportunities are for kids who go to public school vs. private school. Like many other human settlements, the home we visited had no running water and no toilet - in fact, Señora Tomasa was in the process of digging up her own toil (through thick rock)! Next, we accompanied local guide Eveli to visit a nearby non-profit Group Jugando Aprendo (Playing, I Learn Group) to learn more about the amazing work they do in supporting local child domestic workers and their mothers with things like after-school tutoring, leadership programming, and activities to build better relationships between kids and their parents. We got to meet some of the kids and the workers there. Despite the fact that the building has not been fully developed, you can really see the community's support for each other, their appreciation for the small things, and their resilience. I've come across similar responsible tours in the Philippines and while I took other tours that gave the opportunity to try a local activity or visit a local artisan, I haven't yet taken one like this. It was very eye-opening and if anything, gave a much more well-rounded perspective of the city. Alfredo also suggested a great museum (Museo Larco) we could catch after the Alt Peru tour and before our early morning flight and got the driver to drive us there.

The tour was just amazing! You get to know about the real Lima and what is happening behind the scenes by talking to people about their life and daily struggles. I have met inspiring people and it is a pleasure to be part of such a good cause - supporting locals through another type of tourism! Thank you to Alfredo for all the information he was sharing with us every part was as interesting as the other!

The best part about the half day trip my friends and I took with Alternative Peru was becoming truly immersed in the culture of Lima. This tour was not your typical tourist-attraction highlight tour, we went into the Human Settlements to meet with families and community leaders, to hear from them about their culture. Our tour guide Alfredo was extremely helpful in answering any questions we had about Lima and was also great to hang out with on the bus rides! I will definitely be recommending an Alternative Peru tour to others.

My four friends and I went on the Half-Day Authentic Lima tour with Alfredo, and it was the most eye-opening, yet enjoyable tour I have ever been. Despite being someone who typically doesn't like tours, the trip's structure of interacting with children in afterschool programs, getting coffee with leaders in human settlements, and breath-taking views of the Latin America's largest cemetery. Even the one hour commute was lively as Alfredo answered all questions and kept a lively conversation. This tour offered a glimpse into a poor, yet hand-made and flourishing community - allowing us to see a side that almost all Lima tourists would never have seen. For that, we are incredibly grateful and would recommend this to anyone!

Alfredo, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and flexible to accomplish what we wanted to see. He was very helpful with my wife and accommodated her needs as well as meeting my expectations for the tour. This was very informative and we really appreciate the women who let us into their homes and shared their history. Highly recommended tour for anyone interested in the local culture.

This tour was very interesting; it was nice to see tThis tour was very interesting; it was nice to see the "other side" of Lima and get out of the tourist areas for a while. Our tour guide, Alfredo, was amazing and informative. The local guide that joined us in the human settlements was a nice addition and good to hear a different perspective as well. The group was only 4 in total which made for an intimate, unique experience!he "other side" of Lima and get out of the tourist areas for a while. Our tour guide, Alfredo, was amazing and informative. The local guide that joined us in the human settlements was a nice addition and good to hear a different perspective as well. The group was only 4 in total which made for an intimate, unique experience!

Alfredo was a wonderful tour guide, picked us up on time at the designated hotel. I really thought this tour would impress my adult children, boy was I right, it impressed everyone (there were 6 of us, three adult children, my husband and I and my mother). This is the most "real" tour I have ever taken, they weren't trying to hide anything, no tourist traps just real people trying to make it, we got the stories behind the places we stopped, at the cemetery, the local woman's house that learned how to create a business to feed her family, and the local woman who we had lunch with who, while very, very poor herself managed to create a soup kitchen for the poor of her neighborhood. My only hope is that my family is more understanding and grateful after learning about other peoples struggles.

Superlatives can only describe my experience on this tour. Dubbed "the reality tour", I was transformed as a human being touring the human settlements on the hillsides of Lima. The cemeteries were like nothing I had ever seen before and they gave me a historical perspective on the migration of the indigenous peoples to the urban city of Lima. It wasn't always a pleasant journey as romanticized by the tourist books. Meeting the community leaders in the settlement gave me a perspective like none other. Best was my Quechua tour guide, Alberto, whose fluency in English painted the area in broad brilliant strokes. When you book for this tour, ask for Alberto and his driver, Jonny, They are the best tour guides I have met in all my international travels. This tour is highly recommended.

I went on the half day tour of the local communities, with Alberto as my guide. Alberto was very knowledgeable and we started with very good conversation about the different questions I may have regarding Lima, Peru and also the local communities on the way to the local communities (as it was major traffic jam on a referendum day where people had to go out and vote). The sight at the Nueva Esperenza cemetery was amazing. It was also great to see the authentic side of Lima where people live and a great chance to interact with the locals. It was a pity that my stomach was not feeling very well - as a nice dish of anticuchos was prepared for lunch, I was able to try a bit and it was delicious! Also would like to thank Evelie for her explanations on the local communities and their work for the community centre, and also her hospitality in inviting me to her home. Thank you for the nice cup of herbal tea that also soothed my upset stomach. It was very thoughtful. Thanks again for the great experience!