Peru 2021
BRIEF
I planned this very special trip to Peru for an adventure-loving family with a 10 year old son. The family are self-confessed foodies and love authentic experiences and really getting to know the places they visit.
PLAN
Lima – Sacred Valley – Machu Picchu – Cusco
11 days / 10 nights
Peru is a country of astounding contrasts and treasures and offers an incredibly rich combination of ancient cultural heritage, history, stunning nature, geography and scenery and spirituality and tradition. Its geography is divided into three main areas: the desert coast, the high Andes mountains and the Amazon rainforest.
I designed the itinerary with every detail coordinated to guarantee a secure and stress-free experience. This included booking triple rooms in handpicked superior accommodation, private tours and transfers in Cuzco, and a private one-day Inca trail hike and lots of fun adventure activities thrown into keep the family’s son happy.
To ensure the most relaxing holiday my pricing included everything from flights and accommodation with breakfast to transfers, private services with local English speaking guides, entrance fees to attractions and some meals.
I also arranged the schedule so the family were acclimatising without realising it so by Day 6 when they embarked on the Inca Trail their bodies had got used to the altitude. It’s worth knowing that the Inca Trail has a limit of 500 permits per day regulated by the Peruvian government, so if you are keen to do this it's important to book way in advance.
I included some great foodie options along the way including a visit to one of the most iconic and picturesque markets in Lima where the family could see, taste and buy the most popular ingredients used in Peruvian cuisine including chirimoya, mango, passion fruit, aguaymanto and more.
Visiting the Sacred Valley of the Incas requires time to acclimatise due to the altitude. To allow for this, I incorporated a visit to the Piuray Lake in Chinchero for some early morning yoga and paddle boarding. This beautiful lagoon offers spectacular scenery, perfect flat water and plenty of birds to observe.
To keep the adventure quotient up, the town of Maras and the nearby Salineras salt fields were explored by mountain-bike.
Day 6 was allocated to the Sacred Valley. It began with visiting the Chachabamba archaeological complex (2150m / 7052ft), followed by a hike to Machu Picchu climbing 8km to the archaeological complex of Wiñaywayna (2650m/8692ft). On the way up are views of the Urubamba River valley, the Choquesuysuy archaeological complex and a beautiful waterfall located just a few minutes away from Wiñaywayna. The climb continued to Intipunku, where from here they descended to the sacred citadel of Machu Picchu.
