Exploring Peru: A Family Adventure

Visit Machu Picchu and cruise Lake Titicaca on this family-friendly Peruvian adventure

Day 1 — Arrive Lima
Upon arrival in Lima, your family is met and transferred to the hotel. Rest and relax after your long journey. Overnight: Costa del Sol

Day 2 — Lima to the Sacred Valley
Start the day with an orientation and welcome breakfast at the hotel, then return to the airport. Fly to Cuzco, ancient capital of the Inca Empire, where your first stop is at the enormous fortified ritual site of Saqsayhuaman. Here you can admire the meticulous Incan stonework, and enjoy fabulous views of Cuzco. Next stop is the Awanacancha Llama Center, where you can learn about llamas, alpacas, and other New World camelids, which have been important to the way of life here for centuries. Continue to the Sacred Valley, with an in-depth walking tour of Pisaq ruins. This site is known for its meticulous stone terrace, its aqueducts, Sun Temple ruins, and one of the largest known cemeteries from the Empire, yet no one fully understands what its original purpose was. The nearby friendly village of Pisaq boasts a dynamic marketplace. Pay a visit to renowned ceramicist Pablo Seminario, whose work is dedicated to rediscovering and preserving the ceramic techniques and designs of ancient Peruvian cultures—an important part of this area’s cultural heritage. Overnight: Casa Andina Private Collection (B,L,D)

Day 3 — Sacred Valley
Spend this morning exploring Ollantaytambo ruins, village, and surroundings. The village is the best surviving example of classic Inca town planning. Many of the original Inca walls, compounds, and irrigation channels date back to the 15th century or earlier. Ollantaytambo is so well preserved it serves as a veritable replica of a typical community during the reign of the Incas. Be sure to stroll along the river and take a peek in the buildings, a unique glimpse into the life of this long-lost culture. Lunch is at the Kuchuwasi restaurant, a quiet haven in a shaded back street of Ollantaytambo that is operated by a local family. After lunch, walk down the street to the train station to board the train to Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu. Enjoy spectacular views of the valley and of the Vilcanota River as the train winds its way to Aguas Calientes. Overnight: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 4 — Sacred Valley
Spend a full day at the citadel of Machu Picchu. The guide will work out how this day unfolds based on the interests of the group. Together the group will hop the shuttle bus up to the ruins for exploration of the trail system and surrounding ruins. After a tour and explanation of the ruins, the guide will offer an exciting hike up to the sacred summit of Huayna Picchu, the rocky knoll overlooking Machu Picchu. The trail is steep, at some points protected by guardrails, and at one point you pass through a natural cave just before emerging at the summit. The view from the top is extraordinary.

Those who seek a less strenuous route are encouraged to hike back along the famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu to the Inti Punku, the Gate of the Sun. This is a walk of one mile distance, and approximately 1,000 feet vertical gain. The view down to Machu Picchu from the ceremonial platform here is a classic. The remainder of the afternoon will be free at leisure; the park closes at 5:00 p.m. Overnight: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 5 — Sacred Valley to Cuzco
Return to Ollantaytambo and transfer to the nearby village of Chinchero. Here you can enjoy a traditional highland huatia—potatoes roasted in an earth oven, served with other food that is traditionally offered when family members join together to harvest the new crops. Visit the Cuzco Traditional Textiles Center, where a local expert gives a one-hour talk and demonstration of Andean backstrap weaving techniques and discusses the meaning of weaving in the local economy. Meet some teenage girls who are learning to make wool sweaters, and learn how the CTTC fits into their world-view. Late this afternoon return to Cuzco, where dinner is on your own. There are many wonderful restaurants to choose from! Overnight: Hotel Novotel Cuzco (B,L)

Day 6 — Cuzco
The temples and buildings of Cuzco once shimmered with gold, but the Spanish conquest left its architectural mark, wiping away any traces of richness. Your city tour begins this morning with a visit to the Koricancha temple, the Incan temple that was dedicated to the worship of the sun. Transfer to the San Pedro market, Cuzco’s largest, to meet Cristina Olivera, who supports her family by preparing meals for the many popular street festivals in Cuzco. Here you spend one hour assisting Cristina with her shopping amid the bustling aisles and mountains of produce. Then continue to Cristina’s house in the San Cristobal neighborhood, where you can meet her family and participate in a lesson in Peruvian country-style cooking. After lunch, transfer by van to the Plaza Regocijo, where you resume your walking tour with a visit to the Plaza de Armas, the Hatun Rumiyoq stone, and artisans’ shops in the San Blas neighborhood. Return on foot to the hotel. Dinner is included tonight at the Tunupa Restaurant, with its lively music and dance show. Overnight: Hotel Novotel Cuzco (B,L,D)

Day 7 — Cuzco to Puno
Depart for Puno on an overland journey, heading southeast, up the valley of the Vilcanota River (the same river which flows by Machu Picchu and through the Sacred Valley). You will pass many small villages and farms, and your first stop is the town of Raqchi, where you visit the Viracocha Temple, an unusual Inca structure. Continue up the valley to reach the La Raya Pass at 14,202 feet, and descend onto the Peruvian Altiplano, the high plain surrounding Lake Titicaca. As the valley broadens out, you might see large herds of alpacas and llamas grazing in the moist pasturelands along the river banks. Stop at Sillustani ruins, just outside Puno, which is a spectacular site of burial towers overlooking Lake Umayo. Continue on to the hotel in Puno, where you can check in and enjoy dinner. Overnight: Hotel Jose Antonio (B,L,D)

Day 8 — Puno
Head to the port to board a small chartered boat to cruise out onto Lake Titicaca. Your destination is a floating reed island Uros community in Puno Bay—this lively visit is very popular, and you will have time to explore these unique islands and talk with some of the residents. Returning to port, drive southeast, leaving the main highway to follow a secondary road over a low range of hills and down to the lakeshore. Here, in tiny valleys tucked between folds of wind-eroded sandstone, the members of the community of Santa Rosa farm, fish, and raise a few animals. Hike to a ridge-top viewpoint, meet some local villagers, and make the most of the spectacular rural surroundings. Return to your hotel this evening for dinner. Overnight: Hotel Jose Antonio (B,L,D)

Day 9 — Puno to Lima
Return to Lima by plane this morning. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in the Miraflores district, where you can rest, relax, and enjoy some lunch. This afternoon you can opt to visit the Mercado Indio, a popular open-air market which features the best of folk art from all over the country. Your farewell dinner is at Rosa Nautica. The compass-rose-shaped restaurant, located on Pier 4 above the Pacific, is famous for its wonderful food and for the dramatic waves that roll and break among the pilings below. Overnight: Casa Andina Private Collection (B,L,D)

Day 10 — Depart Lima and arrive U.S.
Families are transferred to the airport for their departing flight. (Note that flights often depart Lima shortly before or shortly after midnight, in which case families would be transferred to the airport after the farewell dinner.)