Peru Family Holidays
You might begin in the Amazon, drifting quietly along jungle waterways in search of wildlife, before climbing into the Andes where the emerald Sacred Valley slows the rhythm and ancient traditions still shape daily life. Then comes the moment many families talk about for years – watching the morning light rise over Machu Picchu, shared together before the day fully begins.
What makes Peru so special for families is how naturally these worlds connect – jungle, mountains and culture layered into one thoughtfully planned journey, with space for adventure alongside moments to simply pause and take it all in.
You'll be enthralled by the colourful mixture of traditional cultures in Peru, not least the ancient Incas. Historic practices are often best preserved in rural parts of the country, where the communities are relatively isolated.
The indigenous Uru consider themselves to be the rightful owners of Lake Titicaca, and made the floating Uros Islands to protect themselves from attack. You’ll learn not only about the building materials and architectural style of the islands, but also see the same reeds being used for boats and other everyday items. It is possible to stay with an Uru family on Isla Khantati, which is a more immersive experience as you’ll fish, learn about Uru culture, and eat traditional meals together.
The Inca’s Sacred Valley is a territory well suited to family adventures, from hikes to bikes to horseback rides. The Inca Trail is the most famous, of course, but there are plenty of other routes - often wilder and less busy - with stunning viewpoints and local villages along the way. You may also choose to trek up the “rainbow mountain” of Vinivunca for stunning morning views.
Beyond hiking, you’ll find many other exhilarating activities. Take to the skies and paraglide in the Andes, don a life jacket and raft the rivers –both will have your hearts racing – though a calmer option is horseback riding along the many trails. In Maras you’ll also find the longest zip line in Peru, which is a stunning way to appreciate the valley from the air without having to take a flight.
The Peruvian Amazon is the least populated part of Peru, though there are pockets where indigenous communities inhabit the jungle. These people are the long term guardians of the forest, and when they become your guides and teachers, you will see the trees, birds, and animals around you through new eyes. Every moment is one of discovery, and the thrill is that you never know what you will encounter next.
Combine your rainforest hike with a canopy tour to see the Amazon’s birdlife, including colourful, squawking parrots and tuxedoed toucans, up close. You can zip line from 100 ft up in the air, which is a truly exhilarating ride!
Most people think of sandy deserts being in North Africa and the Middle East, but Latin America has its fair share, too. In Peru, the Sechura Desert is squeezed between the Pacific Ocean and the Andean Mountains. The sun bleached sandy dunes contain intriguing sites to explore. The Sechura’s Nazca Lines have left scientists and archaeologists perplexed.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site was created some 2,000 years ago by the area’s ancient culture, but no one is quite sure how or why. The artwork of a pelican is 285 m long! Inspire your children and stimulate their imaginations. What theories do they come up with? What artworks would they create?
Peru has three distinct seasons, summer, winter and shoulder season. The varying altitudes within the country have different climates but generally speaking April to October are the best months to travel. During this time you can expect clear, sunny, dry weather which is ideal for outdoor adventures.
It is still possible to visit during the summer from November to March, and it will be warmer during these months, however you should expect some rainfall, particularly in the Amazon Rainforest.
Why Peru Works So Well for Family Travel
- Private, tailor-made journeys allow each day to flow around your family’s interests and energy levels
- Families with older children and teenagers often find Peru especially rewarding, thanks to hands-on experiences, exciting wildlife encounters and opportunities for real cultural connection
- Ideal for multi-generational travel, with private guiding, flexible pacing and carefully chosen lodges that suit different rhythms and needs
- Altitude handled thoughtfully – with time built in to acclimatise naturally as you travel through the Andes
- One of the rare destinations where rainforest, high Andean landscapes, desert scenery and vibrant cities can all be experienced within a single itinerary
From the Team
“What families often love about Peru is how naturally it brings everyone together. One day you might be learning about ancient cultures, the next you’re spotting wildlife or sharing a walk through the mountains – it creates shared moments without forcing the pace.”
How We Shape a Family Journey Through Peru
Designing a successful family holiday in Peru is as much about judgment as inspiration. We sequence regions thoughtfully to manage altitude and travel time, pairing iconic moments with quieter ones and balancing active days with time to slow down and simply enjoy being together.
- The Sacred Valley as a Foundation
The Sacred Valley plays an important role in many family journeys. At a slightly lower altitude, it offers time to acclimatise naturally while enjoying rich culture, open landscapes and a softer rhythm before travelling deeper into the Andes. - Machu Picchu, Carefully Timed
Machu Picchu is planned with care. We prioritise private guiding, thoughtful timing and realistic visit lengths so the experience feels inspiring and engaging rather than rushed or demanding.
- Amazon Rainforest Experiences
We often introduce the Amazon as a place to slow the pace and immerse in nature. Lodge stays or river journeys are chosen for comfort and guiding quality, with activities shaped around your family’s interests and energy. Active Elements, Used Selectively
Cycling, kayaking and hands-on cultural experiences can be woven in where they feel right – especially for families with teenagers – always balanced with flexibility and time to pause.
Peru Journeys, Designed Around You
These journeys offer a sense of what’s possible in Peru. Each holiday we arrange is shaped privately around your interests, timing and pace, and adapted entirely to the way you like to travel.These journeys offer a sense of what’s possible in Peru. Each holiday we arrange is shaped privately around your interests, timing and pace, and adapted entirely to the way you like to travel.
A thoughtfully paced journey combining wildlife, culture and gentle adventure, designed for families travelling together – with private guiding, flexible days and experiences that engage all generations.
A refined journey through Peru’s most iconic regions, combining exceptional guides, characterful places to stay and carefully sequenced experiences, shaped entirely around your interests and timing.
An energetic exploration of Peru’s landscapes and culture, blending walking, cycling and outdoor experiences with private guiding, comfortable lodges and the freedom to tailor the pace.
Peru for Different Family Types
Different families experience Peru in different ways – and shaping the journey accordingly makes all the difference.Different families experience Peru in different ways – and shaping the journey accordingly makes all the difference.
Teenagers thrive in Peru, drawn to adventure and variety. Wildlife encounters, active moments and cultural experiences combine to create journeys that feel engaging, educational and exciting.
Peru works beautifully for multi-generational travel when journeys are privately guided and thoughfully paced, balancing shared experiences with time to rest and explore at your own rhythm.
Younger children enjoy Peru when itineraries are gently paced and centred around nature, wildlife and community experiences, keeping travel days manageable and the rhythm relaxed.
Thoughtful Planning for Families
- Altitude managed thoughtfully, with comfort always in mind
- Trusted private guides and drivers throughout
- Lodges chosen for comfort, space and genuine warmth
- Seamless logistics arranged in advance, with 24/7 support while you travel
Why Families Travel with Journeysmiths
Working closely with trusted partners across Peru, we shape every journey around your family – from pacing and guiding to the places you stay.
If you’d like to explore whether Peru could be right for your family, we’re always happy to talk it through.
Another Wonderful Holiday Booked Through Journeysmiths
“…decided to use them again for this year’s 32-day holiday to Peru, Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands…
Joanna’s expert knowledge & enthusiasm for these countries, together with really knowing all the places we visited and stayed, ensured we had the most memorable and magical experience which we will not forget for a long time!
We have total confidence in Joanna and Journeysmiths…”
Experiences That Bring Peru to Life
These experiences can be woven into a private journey through Peru, shaped around your interests, pace and the way you like to travel. They offer just a starting point – each journey is designed entirely around you.These experiences can be woven into a private journey through Peru, shaped around your interests, pace and the way you like to travel. They offer just a starting point – each journey is designed entirely around you.
One of the world’s highest and most luxurious trains, the Andean Explorer promises a sleeper train journey like no other.
The train itself is ornate, sophisticated and tastefully decorated, so beautiful, in fact, that people often remark that it’s hard to believe they’re even on a train. Wide windows adorn the carriages, allowing you to take in the views of Peru’s mountainous landscape. Snaking through the Andean highlands, you’ll enjoy unrivalled levels of comfort, service and dine like royalty in the train’s restaurant.
Hiking the Inca Trail is a bucket list experience. If you have the time and the inclination, you can enjoy a multi day trek through the high Andes to Machu Picchu. For those who prefer a shorter hike, starting at KM104 is ideal.
Boarding the early morning train to Aguas Calientes, you will disembark with your private guide at KM104 and spend the day hiking to the Inti Punku Sun Gate. The hike will take between five and eight hours and your reward for those efforts - the most mesmerising views down over the 500-year-old Incan architecture of Machu Picchu.
If you want to experience authentic Peruivian culture, then the market town of Chinchero is ideal.
Much of the Chinchero archaeological site is now beneath a colonial church, however, agricultural terraces remain and your private guide will divulge all we know about what the Incas originally built here. The market is full of local people selling beautiful, vibrant hand woven textiles, as well as bread, cheese, and fresh fruits and vegetables - this isn’t just a place for the tourists.
After your private tour of the ruins of Machu Picchu, enjoy a different perspective of the Incan citadel by climbing Huayna Picchu Mountain.
Every year, thousands of visitors travel to Machu Picchu, walk to Huayna Picchu, and take in the breathtaking vistas of the valleys and mountains around them. Although not very difficult, the walk to Huayna Picchu is steep at several points. The climb takes roughly two hours, and once there, you will have a birds eye view of the Incas' lost metropolis.
Thrill-seekers, you need look no further for a Peruvian activity to get your adrenalin pumping. The Urubamba River flows through the Sacred Valley and is perfect for a white water rafting trip alongside some spectacular scenery.
As you enjoy tackling class II - IV rapids, your raft bobbing up and down through the water, you’re flanked by Peru’s signature majestic hillsides. Of course, you’ll stop for an al fresco lunch to refuel too.
Hundreds of years ago, the Uros people, an indigenous Peruvian community, built floating islets from totora reeds in an effort to protect themselves from Inca attack. Today, the community continues to construct and live on these man-made islands in Lake Titicaca.
Hop on a boat and visit for a couple of hours, or, if you want to truly immerse yourself in the Uru culture, we can arrange for you to stay with a local family, learning to fish with them and enjoying food together.
As part of our commitment to sustainable travel, we support Awamaki, a non-profit enterprise which creates various programmes that promote financial and educational independence for local women through the creation of heritage textiles.
You can see the organisation’s work first hand, learning more about local weaving and spinning, and even trying your hand at spinning on a drop spindle and weaving a bracelet. After spending time with the artisans, you can join them for a traditional lunch in their home and visit the textile markets nearby.
Known as the King of the Andes, the Andean Condor has a wingspan of around 10 feet and is the largest flying bird in the world.
Watch as they spread their enormous wings, soaring through the air in search of food and effortlessly navigating the hot air that rises from the ground here. In order to preserve energy, the condor rarely flaps its wings and watching as they glide through the air before you is both beautiful and hypnotic.
This trek packs an enormous amount of history into a four day trail through the Sacred Valley, culminating at Machu Picchu, the famed city of the Incas. This is a strenuous hike but with ruins, half a century old, along the way and surrounded by Andean peaks, it’s easy to enjoy for those with a good level of fitness.
When you arrive at Machu Picchu, unbelievably breath-taking whether shrouded in cloud or basking in the sunlight, you’re overwhelmed by its majesty. Finish with a tour of the site before taking some well-earned rest!
Explore one of the world’s most famous rivers in the lap of luxury. In the morning, you’ll wake and watch through your cabin window as the sun shines over the glistening river.
Throughout the day you’ll enjoy excellent service and delicious cuisine interspersed with Amazonian exploration, before putting your feet up in your spacious cabin. Enjoy the adventure that cruising the Amazon brings: kayaking, night-safaris by boat, paddle-boarding, or disembarking and discovering the rainforest on foot, but without compromising on comfort.
Which Areas of Peru Should You Visit?
Paddington’s not the only treasure to have burst forth from deepest, darkest Peru. Machu Picchu, the Inca wonders of the Sacred Valley, and the mysterious Nazca Lines geoglyphs reveal the first layers of the country’s ancient civilisations, complementing the country’s rich natural history.Paddington’s not the only treasure to have burst forth from deepest, darkest Peru. Machu Picchu, the Inca wonders of the Sacred Valley, and the mysterious Nazca Lines geoglyphs reveal the first layers of the country’s ancient civilisations, complementing the country’s rich natural history.
Delicately draped across a mountain, this Incan city is a must see. Machu Picchu is one of those destinations we all dream of visiting. Whether you first saw it in a National Geographic photographic spread, read Hiram Bingham’s account of the city’s discovery, or were inspired after watching Charlton Heston in Secret of the Incas, these iconic ruins are once seen, never forgotten.
The incredible Amazon rainforest covers 60% of Peru, yet the country holds just 13% of the total Amazon. This expansive, lush rainforest is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.
The Incas moved into this part of Peru around 1,000 years ago, probably because the valley was at a lower altitude - and thus more suitable for agriculture - than other parts of the Andes Mountains. They divided the conquered land between the emperor, the religious community, and the farmers, and it’s for this reason that there are the ruins of so many royal and religious buildings here. While Machu Picchu steals the show, the “Sacred Valley” is filled with fortresses, observatories, temples, and mysterious unexplained structure.
Lake Titicaca links Bolivia and Peru. The origins of the unusual name are unknown, but it may be a reference to a lead-coloured puma which features in an Aymara rock carving on the Island of the Sun. There are a huge number of islands within Lake Titicaca. On the Peruvian side, many of them are man-made floating islands, inhabited by the indigenous Uru people. They consider themselves to be the ancestral owners of the lake, and we can take you to visit their islands close to the town of Puno.
Indigenous groups lived in the area around Lima in pre-Columbian times, but it was the Spanish Conquistadors who founded the city in the 16th century. The fact that the area is seismically active means that Lima’s gone through a number of reincarnations, but historic buildings do survive from each of its major periods. Feast your eyes in the capital’s architectural melting pot.
Cusco’s history begins long before the arrival of the Spanish, and you can learn about its early development in the superb galleries at the Museo de Arte Precolombino. The museum building began life as an Inca ceremonial courthouse, but it was converted into a mansion by the conquistador Alonso Díaz Moreno. The Palace of Inca Roca experienced a similar transformation, later becoming the Archbishop’s residence. The twelve-angled stone in the walls was part of the original Inca stonework and is now the emblem of the city. Walking through the Old Town you’ll see plenty of such Inca-Spanish fusion.
Centrally located along Peru’s coastal highlights is the Paracas National Reserve, where we can take you on a marine safari among the humboldt penguins, sea lions and humpback whales. The Paracas Candelabra – a mysterious 183 meter tall geoglyph was also made in prehistoric times. Moving south, you come to the town of Ica, on the edge of the Atacama Desert. The town boasts stunning Spanish colonial architecture, and the pisco made in Bodega El Catador is said to be amongst the best in the world. Visit to see this delicious grape brandy being made, and at harvest time to press the grapes yourself under foot.
Peru Family Travel: Your Questions Answered
Planning a family holiday to Peru often raises practical questions – from suitability and pacing to cost and logistics. We’ve answered some of the most common ones belowPlanning a family holiday to Peru often raises practical questions – from suitability and pacing to cost and logistics. We’ve answered some of the most common ones below
From gentle mountain biking, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding to horse riding, wildlife encounters and hands-on experiences such as chocolate-making, days can be shaped to suit different ages and energy levels. With private guiding, thoughtful pacing and altitude managed quietly in the background, family journeys feel exciting and immersive rather than hard work – often creating shared moments that stay with families long after they return home.
As a general guide, a privately guided 10–12 day Peru itinerary for a family of four would usually start from around £7,000 per person (approximately $8,800 USD). This would typically include highlights such as Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and the Amazon.
Families often choose to extend their journey to include places such as Lake Titicaca, or to combine Peru with destinations like the Galapagos, which would increase the overall investment.
We’ll always talk costs through clearly and help you prioritise what matters most to your family.
If you'd like to see what a Peru journey could look like for your family, we're always happy to talk.
As a guide, a journey including the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu typically works well over 6–8 nights, while adding time in the Amazon rainforest often brings the total to around 10–12 nights. Families who wish to include Lake Titicaca, Arequipa or the Colca Valle may prefer closer to two weeks, allowing the journey to flow comfortably without feeling rushed.
Peru also combines beautifully with destinations such as Ecuador and the Galápagos, Costa Rica, or Chile and Argentina. In these cases, we often design a more compact Peru itinerary as part of a longer, multi-country adventure, shaped entirely around your family’s interests and pace.
We often recommend owner-run or family-owned lodges, where hospitality feels personal and flexible. These properties are usually very well set up for families, with hosts who genuinely enjoy welcoming children and adapting experiences around different ages and energy levels.
The best family accommodations do more than provide comfort, they open the door to shared experiences. Imagine spotting wildlife together, exploring local culture, soaking up the great outdoors, or simply enjoying some downtime in a spacious retreat between adventures. With the right choice, where you stay becomes part of the fun, delighting toddlers, teens, and grandparents alike.
Truly Amazing Experiences
Over the years we have been lucky enough to travel to a number of countries in Africa but also to Peru and Brazil/Argentina and wherever we have been, we have had truly amazing experiences. Quite simply this is because we have been dealing with a team who not only take the time and trouble to find out what we really want but also who have the detailed personal knowledge of the places that they recommend.
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