Family Vacations to Peru

• Machu Picchu, Cusco
  The Valley of Machu Picchu is Peru’s biggest attraction. Tickets are limited to 2,500 per day and most visitors take the Inca Trail to the 8,000 foot high site. All tourism’s strictly managed here and the best way to see Machu Picchu with kids is with a registered tour.
• The Sacred Valley, Cusco
  This lush, fertile valley an hour north west of Cusco, was a main Inca settlement and contains several villages, monuments, temples and agricultural sites. The entire circuit is 100 miles and, again, works best with kids as part of a tour.
• Lake Titicaca, Puno
  Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in the world, 120 miles long and above 6,500 feet high. The small city of Puno is where its most accessible and several tours are available to the mysterious floating islands of Uros and Amantane. The lake’s surrounded by ancient myth and legend and Puno has more annual folk festivals and traditional celebrations than anywhere else in Peru.
• Colca Canyon, Arequipa
  Colca Canyon is one of the world’s deepest and over twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. It’s one of the only locations to see Andean Condor and the valley has several remarkable colonial towns, ruins, temples, monuments and traditional villages.
• Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve, Arequipa
  This reserve is remarkably accessible and an unforgettable experience for kids. It’s home to the Misti, Chachani, Pichupichu and Ubinas volcanos; hordes of wildlife including flamingos, vicunas, llama, alpaca and guanacos; traditional villages and ancient living cultures and the Sumbay Caves and Salinas Lagoon.

• Manu National Park, Arequipa
  This UNESCO World Heritage site contains the entire Manu River basin and is one of the world’s most bio-diverse areas. Thirty indigenous communities live within the park and there are over 200 different species of animals including spider monkeys, jaguar and capybara. The park can only be visited on a registered tour.
• Chan Chan, Trujillo
  The largest pre-Inca adobe city in the world is just outside Trujillo on the northwest coast. It’s part of the La Libertad complex of ancient temples and monuments.
• Tambopata National Reserve, Madre de Dios
  The national macaw sanctuary’s in this reserve and it’s one of the most accessible area in southeast Peru for Amazon River cruises and guided jungle trekking.
• Amazon Rainforest Tree Top Jungle Walks, Tambopata National Reserve
  Exploring the Amazon Rainforest tree canopy on a series of rope bridges, towers and platforms could turn out to be a Peruvian holiday highlight for kids.
• Amazon Rainforest Family Cruises
  Over two-thirds of Peru is Amazon rainforest and only accessible by boat. A wide range of cruises on delightful, historic boats are designed for families with children and give you a choice of itineraries and lengths.

Getting Around

You can rent a car and explore the northwest and southwest of Peru by road. Taking into account it’s the third largest country in South America, hot in summer and with very high altitudes, it’s understandable why most visitors choose to travel by train or plane. Some of the country’s sites can be visited independently, but many more are only accessible with a tour guide. If you’re traveling with children, a vacation with pre-arranged travel and accommodation is worth considering.