Peru is paradise for children aged seven and over, a travel playground that can be curated to your family’s imagination.
It’s definitely not a resort holiday. Peru is an outdoor and cultural adventure, to a great variety of wonders and places.
You don’t need to be a very adventurous family to enjoy Peru. This is a comfortable destination that makes adventurers out of almost everyone.
Peru is the destination you and your kids are going to remember for many years to come. And summer is the best time to go. Here’s why.
A Country of World Wonders
Machu Picchu is completely worth it. Exploring the lost Incan city is an experience that moves even the most well travelled.
Imagine how it feels when you’re ten years old, wandering amid the giant stones, mystical carvings and llamas of Machu Picchu? It’s such a powerful experience
Machu Picchu is only the most famous place the Incas left behind. There is much more to discover, especially in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. And the Incas are only one ancient civilisation to explore in Peru.
Peru is also where you could explore one of the world’s deepest canyons, Colca Canyon, where condors soar alongside you.
It’s where you could fly over the Nazca Lines and wonder at their ancient meaning.
The Amazon Rainforest dominates the country’s east and yes, it can be comfortable for kids. We recommend either a lodge-based stay near Puerto Maldonado in the south, or a cruise in Papaya Samiria National Reserve to the north.
A volcano experience? A mountain experience? A blissful alpine lake? Peru has far too much for a one-week trip!
Usually we don’t recommend fitting Peru into a multi-country itinerary. It deserves a dedicated holiday
Even with two weeks you’ll need to make tough choices about what to do and what to miss.
Some families prefer a busy itinerary, moving place to place every few days. The options are almost endless.
Others families prefer to only move once. For these families we recommend at least one week in the Sacred Valley – it’s a relaxing and scenic base surrounded by Peru’s many different types of experiences.
Peru Also Offers Relaxation and Downtime (but it’s not a resort holiday)
Yes, Peru is also the destination where you can slow down, disconnect from the rest of the world, and have some quiet days doing nothing with your family.
The Sacred Valley is ideal for this, where we recommend basing yourself in a boutique hotel like Rio Sagrado. We also know some private serviced properties ideal for families in this area.
From the Sacred Valley you can take historical and cultural day trips to Machu Picchu, Cusco, colourful Peruvian towns and spiritual places. Combine these with outdoor activities tailored to your family.
In Peru you could also relax on a quiet beach in the north, where we know some superb private residences on vast stretches of sand.
Also have your downtime in the mountains. Or on a lake. But you won’t do it in a resort with over 50 rooms and many other families.
Peru is not a resort holiday. The hotels are fantastic: small, boutique, original places full of soul. They’re not large properties with a wide choice of facilities, restaurants and amenities.
The best hotels will really immerse you in Peru and put you centerstage to explore what the country has on offer. This isn’t where you go for a kids club, it’s a destination that can be curated to your family.
Curating an Adventure Specifically for your Family
The number one reason why we love for Peru for families is that absolutely everything can be curated specifically for your family.
Like a treasure hunt for kids in Cusco. A specialist children’s guide taking you around Machu Picchu. Or learning how to track jaguars in the Amazon.
Go mountain biking, kayaking and hiking, whether it’s a few kilometres or a long adventurous day. Go rock climbing, ice climbing, horseback riding, surfing, paddle boarding, zip lining, rafting and fishing.
Discover the origins of chocolate on a full-day workshop. Or create your own Peruvian fabrics.
Silvia Rico is the founder of Enigma, our local partner in Peru. We love her approach to travel design.
We strive for experiences that provide freedom for travellers, from stress, labels and routine. Freedom to explore and feel alive and nourish the child inside all of us.
We always enjoy working with Enigma because they focus on real people, not the standard tourist attractions.
The experiences are raw, original and inventive, a real immersion in the country. In our experience, children absolutely love it and are usually more open and adventurous than their parents.
There are very few other destinations that offer such opportunity to enjoy authentic experiences, that cater for the ages, interests and fitness of everyone in your family.
Peru is Also Easy and Comfortable
But wait. Isn’t this a challenging place to travel as a family? Of course for some families it will be.
In our experience, Peru is a great place for expanding your travel boundaries. It’s not only for adventurous families, it’s for families who want to try something different on their summer holiday.
It’s a one-stop flight to Lima from most cities in Europe, typically via Amsterdam, Paris or Madrid.
Lima is a modern capital city with a world-famous food scene. It’s not the greatest of destinations for kids but it is comfortable. We recommend staying at the relatively new Miraflores Park, a Belmond Hotel.
Destinations are best connected by internal flights. From Lima you can go anywhere in Peru, while even Cusco and the Amazon Rainforest have a direct flight link.
Also consider the Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train, an overnight train experience on par with the Orient Express in Europe. It’s far less known and it travels through far more remote landscapes.
Altitude sickness can be a challenge in Peru’s Andes, although many people mistakenly believe Machu Picchu is the problem.
Cusco (3400m) is far higher than Machu Picchu (2400m), yet standard itineraries typically go to Cusco first. We recommend first staying in the Sacred Valley (2000 – 2600m) where you will have time to acclimatise.
Machu Picchu is not a high mountain peak but just feels that way due to its remoteness and mist. Later go to Cusco and stay at Palacio Nazarenas (more modern) or Monasterio (more historical), both Belmond hotels where oxygen is subtly pumped into the rooms to help combat the effects of altitude.
Silvia Rico from Enigma adds:
Peru was a backpacker destination 20 years ago. Belmond played an important role in developing the country as a luxury destination. At the same time we asked, why does everyone on the Inca Trail have to sit on the floor at eat cold spaghetti. Why not create amazing comfort on the trail?
We’ve been very impressed how our local partner Enigma can take the most extreme adventures in far-flung areas of Peru, and turn them into comfortable activities suitable for children. It’s all about tailoring the details.
Tailoring a Summer in Peru for Your Family
Travelling with your kids is not the same when they’re 10 and 12 as when they’re 13 and 15. A trip for a seven year old is different to a trip for an eleven year old.
Yet most agencies start with the same trip template, essentially mainstream tourist trips with a couple of activities specifically for kids.
At EliteVoyage we start from a blank canvas. The interests and needs of you and your children should be central to everything about the trip. So two families will have completely different trips, across Peru or any other country.
We love Peru because it offers such an endless choice of options. It’s where we can be at our most creative. We encourage you to explore the possibilities.
Ultimately, Peru is the destination your family will still be talking about 20 years from now.
