What is the ideal travel itinerary through Peru with kids? Peru is a beautiful country, where you can make a very nice tour with the family! In Peru, you can visit one of the new wonders of the world with Machu Picchu and this beautiful ancient Inca city alone attracts many tourists a year to this country. In this blog, we put together a great 2-week itinerary through Peru for families with kids and give tips on how to expand this itinerary to other destinations.
Ideal travel time Peru with kids
Basically, you can visit Peru year-round with the family. Each period has advantages and disadvantages. For example, the dry season in Peru is from May through September. That is also often considered the best travel time to visit Peru with kids. You won’t experience much rain then, but it is the winter season in Peru, so the temperature will be a lot lower.
During the country’s summer months (December through April), it is a lot warmer, but you are more likely to get rain. In terms of temperature, it also makes a difference what city you are in. The capital city of Lima is located at an altitude of 150 meters and, as a result, temperatures in this city are higher than the city of Cusco which is located at an altitude of 3399 meters.
This also makes it wise to pack clothes for different weather conditions for the kids. You have areas where it can be very hot like Huacachina which is in the desert and Cusco which is so much higher and where the temperature is usually around 17 degrees. High season in Peru is in the months of June, July and August because of international vacations, and then it can be very crowded at sights like Machu Picchu. Consequently, the prices of accommodations can be a lot higher than during the rest of the year.
Transportation in Peru
Most tourists who visit Peru do so by bus or plane. The roads in the country are not of super good quality, which is why not that many families rent a car in the country. The buses in the country are very luxurious, but the distances are also enormous at times. That’s a big disadvantage of the country, though. Very quickly, you spend quite a few hours on the bus to arrive at the next destination.
Especially with kids, though, this can be a big disadvantage. You also don’t want to spend more than 10 hours on the bus to arrive at the next destination. You could possibly choose to take a night bus then, but that’s not super ideal with kids either.
Altitudes in Peru
As we mentioned in the previous section, in Peru you have to deal with heights, and that is something to consider, especially with kids. Kids can suffer from altitude sickness and this can have serious consequences if it lasts for several days and people die from this disease every year.
It is therefore important to keep a close eye on whether anyone in the family is affected by altitude. Tips to combat altitude sickness is to take it easy the first few days at altitude and not exert too much physical effort. Drinking plenty of water also helps against altitude sickness (urine should be light-colored).
Keep this in mind in your itinerary through Peru as well, that this can happen and make sure you can be flexible in your trip. Descend to lower areas if the kids or you continue to suffer from headaches and nausea.
Peru itinerary 2 weeks
You do need at least 2 weeks to see some of the country of Peru with kids. Below, we put together an itinerary that takes about 2 weeks and allows you to see some of the country’s highlights. Of course, there are plenty of destinations where you can stay much longer or much shorter, but of course that is up to you as a family.
Lima
Lima is the capital of Peru and often the place where most families with kids start their trip through Peru. In fact, most families with kids arrive here at the airport. Lima is not a very interesting place to visit, but it is nice if you can recover from the long plane ride and get used to different time zones.
You can take the family to the zoo in Lima and take a fun guided bike tour of the city. In the evening you and kids can take a look at the city’s fountain show, and a fun city where you can have great family snacks and drinks is the Miraflores neighborhood.
In addition, it is fun to take a tour of the center with the kids. If you end up spending 3 days or so in the city then it is more than enough (2 days at the start of the tour and 1 day before departure). If you want more information about this city, read the blog Lima with kids, where we have listed all the activities.
If you are looking for family-friendly accommodation in Lima, the following options are very suitable.
Budget accommodation: Casa Verde Jesús María – Zona Residencial
Mid-range accommodation: Hotel Andesmar
Luxury accommodation: INNSiDE by Meliá Lima Miraflores
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Lima, take a look here.
Huacachina
From Lima you can take a luxury bus that will take you to the city of Ica in about 4.5 hours, and from there it is another short ride to the destination of Huacachina by cab. Huacachina is located in the desert and it is recommended to take a hotel with a swimming pool here. You can then take some time to acclimate from the trip and there is plenty to do in the area for kids.
You can race through the dunes here with kids in a baby carriage and slide down the dunes on a surfboard. In addition, in the Huacachina area you have nice day trips you can take. For example, you can visit Paracas National park, where you can spot different animals such as penguins and sea lions.
It is also fun to take a day trip to Nazca and take a helicopter to explore the Nazca lines. We found this very impressive! You quickly lose 4 days in Huacachina because of this. We wrote the blog Huacachina with kids about this destination.
If you are looking for a family-friendly hotel in Huacachina, the following options are very suitable.
Budget accommodation: Ecocamp Huacachina
Mid-range accommodation: Carola Lodge
Luxury accommodation: DM Hoteles Mossone – Ica
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Huacachina, take a look here.
Cusco
By now you have been on the road in Peru for a week and the second week of your itinerary through Peru, you can then spend in Cusco and the Cusco area. From Lima, there are several flights a day to Cusco. So be aware that you are at altitude in Cusco and this will take some getting used to. In Cusco, it is fun to take a tour of downtown Cusco and soak up the atmosphere.
In addition, Cusco has many Inca ruins and it is fun to visit at least some of them with kids. You can also make several day trips in Cusco to, for example, Rainbow Mountain which is a mountain with all different colors. You can also visit Sacred Valley from Cusco with kids, where you can go see the salt flats.
In total, you can easily spend about 4 to 5 days in Cusco and then you will have the other 2 days of this second week left to visit one of the highlights of the country: Machu Picchu. If you want to know exactly what you can do in the city of Cusco, read the blog Cusco with kids for more information.
Options for family-friendly accommodation in Cusco include the following.
Budget accommodation: Hostal Cusco de mis Sueños
Middle Class Accommodation: Kori Gems Inn
Luxury accommodation: El Balcón
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Lima, take a look here.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a great place to visit in Namur with kids and you can take the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes just fine. From this village you can then visit Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is hugely popular, which is why there have been quite a few rules imposed on visiting the city in recent years.
It is recommended that you spend at least one or two nights in Aguas Calientes so that you can visit this ancient Inca city at your leisure. You can walk several guided routes around Machu Picchu, and you must reserve a time slot in advance if you want to visit Machu Picchu.
Surely, we thought this was the highlight of our tour of Peru. If you want to know all about exactly what you can do in Machu Picchu and how to get there, read the blog Machu Picchu with kids for more information.
Peru travel itinerary 3 weeks or longer
The Peru itinerary we described above is an itinerary for about 2 weeks, but there are plenty of other places you can go in Peru with the family. We describe these destinations below.
Arequipa
One of the more beautiful cities in Peru is Arequipa which is also called the white city. Arequipa has a beautiful and photogenic center, where you can definitely take a stroll around with kids. In addition, it is possible to go rafting in the city! Especially with older kids, of course, this is a very cool activity to do.
In the city itself, you still have an Alpaca farm that you can visit with kids and a beautiful viewpoint, but other than that, there is not that much to do in the city for families with kids. You will have seen this city in a day or two. From Arequipa, you can take a day trip to the Colca Canyon which is about a 3-hour drive from Arequipa!
You can also have a great overnight stay here and take beautiful walks with the family in this valley. For more information read our blog Arequipa with kids.
You can spend a great night in Arequipa with kids in the following accommodations.
Budget accommodation: Holidays Hostel Arequipa
Mid-range accommodation: El puente Hotel Boutique
Luxury Accommodation: La Posada del Puente
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Arequipa, take a look here.
Lake Titicaca Peru
From Arequipa it is about 5 hours travel by luxury bus to Puno on Lake Titicaca. This lake is beautiful to visit. Of course it is touristy, but still, especially with kids, it is fun to see how the people here still live in a traditional way. By the way, keep in mind that Puno is more than 3,800 meters above sea level, so you may suffer from altitude sickness here.
From Puno you can easily visit the lake and the various islands, and you can also cross over to Bolivia from here if you want to visit some destinations in Bolivia as well. If you have several weeks then you can also visit this country just fine and Puno is the place to travel on to Bolivia. If you want to know what you can do around the lake with kids, read the blog Lake Titicaca with kids.
You can stay in Puno with kids just fine. These are fun family-friendly options.
Budget accommodation: MADA Guest House Puno “Hospedaje”
Middle Class Accommodation: Uros Lake Titicaca Lodge
Luxury accommodation: Sol Plaza Hotel
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Puno, take a look here.
Huaraz
If you are a family who loves hiking in the mountains, then you can easily add the destination of Huaraz to your itinerary through Peru. You can do many different walks in Huaraz, and there are certainly suitable walks for families with kids as well. Just keep in mind that in Huaraz you will be at altitude again and you won’t be making a big effort on the first day.
Puerto Maldonado
You can also go to the jungle in Peru with kids. Puerto Maldonado, then, is a good destination for that. Puerto Maldonado is the jungle capital of Peru and from this city you can book several trips into the jungle. So you can go on a boat trip through the jungle and spot all kinds of animals such as monkeys, turtles and all kinds of colored birds.
As you can see, Peru is quite diverse, so you can put together a very nice itinerary here with kids. We have described the country’s most beautiful destinations in this blog and check for your family which ones appeal to you the most!
