Guides to traveling South America with kids, including adventures in Peru and Machu Picchu. Learn what to expect, how to plan, and how families can explore the region comfortably with young children.
Cusco was the highest stop on our Peru itinerary, and traveling there with a 6-month-old baby and 2.5-year-old toddler meant we needed to think carefully about the altitude. Rather than making Cusco our first extended stop in the Andes, we worked our way through the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu before spending two nights in…
Aguas Calientes is where everyone visiting Machu Picchu passes through, but few travelers are actually traveling to Aguas Calientes itself. We were no different. Machu Picchu was our goal, but this tiny mountain town became part of the experience of getting there. We visited Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo, with our 6-month-old…
Ollantaytambo is easy to treat as little more than a stop on the way to Machu Picchu. I’m glad we didn’t. We spent two nights in Ollantaytambo with our 6-month-old baby and 2.5-year-old toddler as part of a two-month round-the-world trip. I deliberately built the town into our Peru itinerary before Machu Picchu and Cusco,…
Lima wasn’t the part of our Peru trip I was most excited about. Like many travelers, we were really heading to Peru for Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, and Lima initially felt more like a necessary stop along the way. After spending a day exploring the city, though, I was glad we didn’t simply…
Peru is one of the world’s most ecologically diverse countries and this diversity reflects back in Peruvian cuisine. A few friends and a little research told us to get excited about what we would eat in Peru which surprised us. We didn’t know much about Peru beforehand and it was unexpected but so true. After…
A sprawling metropolis of over 10 million people perched on cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, Lima is a rich fusion of past and present. A modern foodie haven, beautiful historic reflections, and family-friendly attitude make Lima a great place to explore. We had a fun day touring Lima with our baby and toddler. I wasn’t…
The Sacred Valley of the Incas (or the Urubamba Valley) is a historically-rich region nestled in the Andes in the southern region of Peru. We started our Peru trip in the capital, Lima, which sits on the western coast in the middle of the country. After 2 days in Lima, we flew down to Cusco…
I set my sights on Machu Picchu several years ago, but our travels mostly took us east and west rather than north and south. After our first baby was born, I considered Machu Picchu for his first international trip. I was worried away from that idea after a little research though. I considered it again…