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A Fun Tour of Peru’s Cusco and Machu Picchu With Kids and Teens
Type of Trip: Cultural, Family Length: 9 days Season: April-December Rating: Grade II
Machu Picchu, the “lost city of the Incas.” It sparks the imagination of kids and adults alike. All members of the family will find “wow” moments and make lifelong memories with this colorful family-oriented itinerary.
You’ll find experience-rich interactive fun for the kids and fine dining and creature comforts for parents – all combined with active easy-to-moderate outdoor adventure and eye-opening cultural exchange that everyone can share.
Southwind offers two versions of this trip: the first is for families with kids ages 5 and up, and the second is for more active families with teens ages 12 and up.
Trip Highlights:
- Get up-close with wooly llamas, vicuñas and alpacas and learn to tell them apart
- Practice counting in Spanish as you bargain for handcrafted souvenirs in lively local markets
- Learn about a day in the life of young Peruvian students at a village school visit
- Spot the Southern Cross and other night sky wonders at a planetarium and observatory
- Get hands-on with clay at an artistic ceramics workshop
- Watch the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu emerge from the clouds
- Find out why the Incas chose this spot for building Machu Picchu at the Manuel C. Ballón Museum
- Learn about an endangered species at the spectacled bear conservation project
- Get creative in the kitchen with a Peruvian cooking class
- Dance and play inside the enchanted water fountains in Lima’s “magic water circuit” park
Brief Itinerary
DAY 1: USA / LIMA OR CUSCO
Arrive to Lima this evening and spend the night.DAY 2: LIMA / CUSCO / SACRED VALLEY
Fly to Cusco, and descend into the Sacred Valley to the town of Pisac and its local marketDAY 3: SACRED VALLEY/OLLANTAYTAMBO
Get inside the Sacred Valley through a ceramics workshop or a school visit and mountain biking, plus stop at a local home, and the Inca salt mines.DAY 4: MACHU PICCHU
Arrive by Vistadome train or on foot via the Inca Trail to the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu.DAY 5: MACHU PICCHU
Spend a second day at Machu Picchu for early morning light and optional Temple of the Moon or Huayna Picchu hiking.DAY 6: MACHU PICCHU / CUSCO
Wildlife and bear conservation exhibit, then return by Vistadome train and private vehicle from Machu Picchu to colonial Cusco.DAY 7: CUSCO
Take a private, fun kid-oriented tour of Cusco’s best markets, squares, and nearby pre-Columbian sites, then try a Peruvian cuisine cooking class.DAY 8: CUSCO / LIMA OR USA
Flight to Lima and guided sight-seeing including the “magic circuit of water” before boarding an overnight flight home.DAY 09: USA
Make your onward connections home.
All Southwind itineraries are fully customizable to your personal interests and travel dates. Please contact us for firsthand knowledge and help with your travel plans.
Detailed day-by-day itinerary (PDF) for families with kids ages 5 and up
Departures
On request any week throughout the April-December season.
You can pick your own dates and have Southwind design a custom itinerary anytime during the season for a minimum of two participants. Please contact our Travel Specialists.
2024 Land Cost
4-6 participants: from $5,800 p.p.d.
7-12 participants: from $5,400 p.p.d.
Single Supplement: from $1,500p.p.d. = per person based on double occupancy. Price does not include international or local flights.
Detailed day-by-day itinerary (PDF) for families with kids ages 5 and up
With full trip profile, inclusions/exclusions, estimated airfare, and other info.Lima: Costa del Sol
After a long flight to Lima travelers can step out of the International Terminal, walk a short distance, and enter the lobby of Ramada’s newly constructed Costa del Sol Hotel. This stylish four-star, 130 guest room hotel is the perfect place to unwind before exploring the wonders of Peru.
Sacred Valley: Sol Y Luna Lodge
Designed to promote the allure of nature and the magic of the Sacred Valley, the 4-star Sol Y Luna Hotel features 14 bungalows distributed throughout a delightfully landscaped site. Each bungalow is an integration of adobe, wood, stone from the area, resulting in a construction that lives in harmony with nature.
Machu Picchu: Inkaterra Pueblo
The Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel is a unique, 4-star ecological hotel situated in a cloud forest above the Urubamba River. Featuring 83 spacious, sunlit rooms, the style is Spanish colonial with stone archways and red tiled roofs. Cottages and gardens are reminiscent of a traditional Andean village.
Palacio del Inka
The city’s first 5-star hotel, the former Hotel Libertador Cusco is ideally located within the historical center of the city, only three blocks from the main square and across from Santo Domingo Church and Coricancha Inca site. It occupies the fabulous Casa de los Cuatro Bustos, where Francisco Pizarro once lived.
Lima Upgrade Option: Miraflores Park Hotel
Located on the Malecon de la Reserva, the 5-star Miraflores Park Hotel has 81 suites offering guests the ideal space for work and rest. Enjoy ample private bathrooms in marble and granite, comfortable king-size beds, and a splendid ocean view.
Lima Upgrade Option: JW Marriott Hotel
Enjoy a view of the Pacific Ocean against the shoreline at one of Condé Nast Traveler’s Top-20 Latin American hotels, the JW Marriott Hotel Lima. This 5-Star facility has prime location near the Larcomar shopping and entertainment center, and luxurious amenities.
Machu Picchu Upgrade Option: Sanctuary Lodge
Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, by Belmond, enjoys a unique position at the entrance of the Inca Citadel ruins. The unequaled location of this upscale 4-star hotel allows guests easy access to Machu Picchu, as well as breathtaking scenery and bird watching.
Cusco Upgrade Option: Monasterio Hotel
Built in 1592, the original monastery was given the seal of royal approval in 1692. The San Antonio Abad Seminary and was converted into Cusco’s best and most delightful 5-star hotel in 1995. Only two blocks from Cusco’s main square, the Monasterio Hotel features 109 guest rooms.
Amazon Lodges
Length: 4 Days/3 Nights from Cusco or Lima
Season: April to December
Families and travelers with limited time, who want a taste of the Amazon Basin rainforests, will enjoy the Reserva Amazonica or Sandoval Lake lodges, 45 min by motor boat from Puerto Maldonado.Lake Titicaca Tour
Length: 4 Days/3 Nights from Cusco
Season: April to November
For those who want to experience authentic Quechua culture first-hand and feel like you’ve traveled back in time, nothing beats a visit with a family on Taquile Island.Arequipa and Colca Canyon
Length: 5 days/4 nights from Lima
Season: Mid-April to mid-November
Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, Colca in southern Peru is one of the deepest canyons in the world. Since its walls are not as vertical, the valley is filled with small towns that preserve their traditions.Paracas Reserve
Length: 4 Days/3 Nights from Lima
Season: Year-round
A visit to Paracas is a journey to one of South America’s most important protected coastal-marine systems. Whales, orcas, dolphins, sea lions and sea otters are just a few the 36 species of marine and land mammals found in the reserve.Manu Biosphere Reserve
Length: 5 Days/4 Nights from Cusco
Season: April to October
For travelers wanting to maximize their wildlife viewing opportunities in a short extension, few places in the Amazon Basin can compete with Manu National Park in southeastern Peru. It is considered to be one of the most pristine and important rainforest reserves on the planet!Northern Peru
Length: 4 days/3 nights from Lima
Season: Year-round
Long before the Incas controlled the country, sophisticated cultures existed along the Peruvian coast; and northern Peru is one of the best destinations for visiting the remains of their cities. Moche sites including the renowned Lord of Sipan and the pyramids.Nazca Lines Tour
Length: 3 days/2 nights from Lima
Season: Year-round
The mysterious lines etched into the coastal plains near the town of Nazca have fascinated scientists, archaeologists and visitors for decades. Best viewed from the air, Nazca figures such as the monkey, fish, hands and whale are highlights.Carnal Ruins
Length: 2 days/1 night from Lima
Season: Year-round
In 2001 researchers stunned the archaeological community by carbon-dating the ruins at Caral back to 2627 BC. Step back in time to an early civilization while touring this UNESCO World Heritage Site.Testimonials
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“We enjoyed the entire trip! Highlights for us include seeing all of the Inca ruins at Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Sacsayhuaman, and especially Machu Picchu. The Sacred Valley was so magnificent that even the train ride to Aguas Calientes was fun (we spent most of the time staring out of the window in awe). We also really enjoyed hanging out with the camelids, seeing the Maras salt mines, and visiting the weaving cooperative in Chinchero.”
Molly Koren – Denver, CO
★★★★★ -
“We have taken quite a number of “adventure trips” and this was one of the best organized. It was an excellent well-rounded, well-spaced program.”
Robert Biddulph – McHenry, IL
★★★★★ -
“We enjoyed the entire trip! Highlights for us include seeing all of the Inca ruins at Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Sacsayhuaman, and especially Machu Picchu. The Sacred Valley was so magnificent that even the train ride to Aguas Calientes was fun (we spent most of the time staring out of the window in awe). We also really enjoyed hanging out with the camelids, seeing the Maras salt mines, and visiting the weaving cooperative in Chinchero.”
Molly Koren – Denver, CO
★★★★★