Family Adventure in Peru Tour Detail Page

Touch down at Jorge Chávez International Airport and transfer privately to your hotel in Miraflores — Lima's most elegant district, perched dramatically above the Pacific Ocean. Spend the afternoon getting acquainted with the neighborhood at your own pace. The Malecón clifftop promenade delivers sweeping Pacific views; Larcomar shopping center sits cantilevered into the cliffside, and Parque Kennedy — famous for its resident cats — delights younger children immediately. For the historically curious, the ancient adobe pyramid of Huaca Pucllana rises unexpectedly from the middle of the neighborhood. Tonight, dinner at one of Miraflores' celebrated restaurants — order ceviche, causa, and lomo saltado, and let Peru's extraordinary food culture begin its work.

Lima's most creative neighborhood delivers one of the trip's most memorable days. A guided tour of Bohemian Barranco winds through colorful Victorian mansions, extraordinary street art, and across the famous Bridge of Sighs — where holding your breath while crossing is said to grant a wish. Stop for an artisanal ice cream tasting featuring extraordinary Peruvian flavors like lucuma, chirimoya, and passion fruit. The MATE photography museum rewards curious teenagers, while Barranco's boardwalk stairways and clifftop views entertain everyone in between. As darkness falls, the Magic Water Circuit in Parque de la Reserva delivers a spectacular illuminated fountain and light show that leaves the whole family completely spellbound.

After breakfasting your private transfer heads south along the Panamerican Highway — a three-to-four-hour journey through a dramatic coastal desert where the Andes meet the Pacific in a landscape of extraordinary austere beauty. Arrive in Paracas and check into your hotel on the shores of the bay. The afternoon is intentionally unhurried — enjoy the hotel facilities, take a sunset walk along the Paracas waterfront promenade as the light turns golden over the bay, and wander El Chaco fishing port for fresh seafood at the local restaurants. The Paracas National Reserve stretches along the coastline in every direction, and the sense of having arrived somewhere genuinely wild settles immediately.

Paracas delivers its most extraordinary day. Rise early for a boat excursion to the Ballestas Islands — teeming with hundreds of thousands of Humboldt penguins, sea lions, pelicans, and cormorants in a wildlife spectacle that leaves children completely speechless. En route the boat passes the mysterious Candelabra geoglyph etched dramatically into the desert cliff face above the bay. In the afternoon, board UTVs for a high-speed desert treasure hunt adventure through the extraordinary sand dunes and coastal landscapes of the Paracas National Reserve. For families preferring a quieter alternative, guided kayaking along the protected bay shores offers equally beautiful scenery at a gentler pace. Return to the hotel for a celebratory sunset dinner.

A big travel day with extraordinary rewards at the end. Your private transfer returns north to Lima for your domestic flight to Cusco — the flight over the snow-capped Andes is itself a highlight, the peaks stretching in every direction far below. Land at Cusco's airport and continue directly by private transfer down into the Sacred Valley at 2,800 meters — a significant altitude relief after Cusco's 3,400 meters. Check into your hotel as the Andean evening settles over the mountains. Drink plenty of coca tea — the traditional Andean altitude remedy — enjoy the hotel's extraordinary facilities and embrace an early night. The valley and its treasures will await tomorrow.

The Sacred Valley reveals its extraordinary depth today. Begin at Manos de la Comunidad where local Quechua women demonstrate ancient natural dyeing and hand weaving — inviting the family to try the techniques themselves in a genuinely moving cultural encounter. Continue to the vibrant Pisac Market where stalls overflow with handwoven textiles, silver jewelry, and painted ceramics — perfect for children practicing their Spanish bargaining skills. After lunch, explore Ollantaytambo — a living Inca town where ancient water channels still run through cobblestone streets and the extraordinary, terraced fortress rising above is one of the Sacred Valley's most impressive sights. The rooftop café overlooking the ruins is the perfect lunch stop.

An active and beautifully unhurried day in one of the world's most stunning natural settings. A guided stand up paddleboarding session on the Urubamba River puts the family on the water with snow-capped Andean peaks rising above and ancient Inca terraces stepping up the valley walls on both sides — a completely unique perspective on the Sacred Valley. The afternoon is entirely at leisure — adventurous families can explore the extraordinary circular terraces of Moray and the Maras salt mines, older children can tackle a guided mountain bike descent through the valley, or teenagers can zip-line above the Sacred Valley for an extraordinary aerial perspective. A spa evening back at the hotel rounds off a perfect day.

The day the whole family has been building toward. Board the extraordinary Peru Rail Vistadome 360° train at Ollantaytambo — panoramic glass panels frame the breathtaking descent from high Andean valley into lush subtropical cloud forest alongside the Urubamba River gorge. Arrive in Aguas Calientes, board the bus up the mountain, and as the clouds part and Machu Picchu reveals itself in all its extraordinary glory — the whole family falls completely silent. A guided tour brings the ancient citadel vividly alive before lunch in Aguas Calientes — where a soak in the town's natural hot springs baths perfectly restores tired legs before the afternoon train back to Cusco.

Cusco — the ancient capital of the Inca Empire — reveals its extraordinary layers today. Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun, tells the story of the Spanish conquest through the extraordinary sight of Inca stonework of impossible precision forming the foundations of a Dominican convent built directly on top. At Sacsayhuamán, massive stone blocks weighing up to 300 tons fitted together without mortar leave children completely awestruck by the genius of Inca engineering. In the afternoon the family heads to the ChocoMuseo for a hands-on chocolate demonstration — grinding cacao beans, mixing ingredients, and creating handmade Peruvian chocolates to take home. The Plaza de Armas and San Pedro Market reward a colorful early evening wander.

A completely free day to explore Cusco at your own unhurried pace. The cobblestone streets of San Blas neighborhood wind through artisan workshops and boutique galleries perfect for a slow morning wander — browse silver jewelry, alpaca textiles, and handmade ceramics along Calle Hatunrumiyoc for extraordinary gifts at excellent prices. Lunch at Chicha by Gastón Acurio or MAP Café inside the Pre-Columbian Art Museum delivers two of Cusco's finest dining experiences. The evening Planetarium astronomy session is extraordinary for families — exploring the Inca's remarkable knowledge of the southern hemisphere night sky in one of the world's finest stargazing locations. Active families can hike to the nearby ruins of Tambomachay and Puca Pucara in the morning.

Fly back to Lima and transfer to your hotel for a final night in the capital. The afternoon explores Lima's extraordinary UNESCO-listed historic center — the grand Plaza Mayor, the baroque Cathedral, and the fascinating Convent of Santo Domingo built directly on top of an ancient Inca temple. A traditional churro tasting at a local Lima café — long, crispy, cinnamon-dusted churros served with thick Peruvian hot chocolate for dipping — is a highlight for children and adults alike. As the afternoon light softens, Parque del Amor on the Miraflores clifftop delivers a breathtaking Pacific sunset beneath the famous mosaic lovers' sculpture — one of Lima's most beautiful and memorable views.