Go with the whole family to Peru and experience the fantastic wildlife in the Amazon, the Inca ancient capital Cuzco, penguins and sea lions at Islas Ballestas, the sunrise over the Machu Picchu ruins and the huge dunes at Huacachina, where you can sandboard. Learn more about Peru on diseaseslearning.
This travel proposal has been adapted for both children and adults. The route has been specially prepared so that you move calmly and gently upwards in order to avoid altitude sickness. The overnight stays are specially selected for families – several of the accommodation places have a swimming pool, for example.
The journey begins in Lima and then continues to Paracas, where you can experience penguins and sea lions at Islas Ballestas. Then the whole family can measure their strength in sandboarding on the huge dunes at Ica. From Ica you head to the pleasant city of Arequipa, where you can go on a day trip to Colca Canyon to experience huge condors floating over the ravine or enjoy life in the city’s pleasant squares. From Arequipa you fly on to the ancient Indian capital Cuzco where you pay a market visit and then have dinner with a local Peruvian family. A special experience that provides a unique insight into the life of an ordinary family. From here it continues by train to Aquas Calientes, where you have the chance to take a swim in the city’s hot springs. The next day you will experience the Machu Picchu ruins together and learn more about the history and culture of the Inca people. From the mountains, the tour continues for four days to the Amazon, where you can experience the unique wildlife together before you travel home to Sweden.
Day 1: Departure from Scandinavia and arrival in Lima
Departure from Scandinavia towards Lima, Peru’s capital, where you usually arrive late in the afternoon depending on the airline. You will be picked up at the airport and driven to your hotel located in the pleasant district of Miraflores.
Day 2: On a voyage of discovery in Lima
The day is free at your disposal. Lima is an exciting and contrasting city, where natives mix with business people. Experience the city’s historic center with i.a. The Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace and the San Francisco Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ( F )
Day 3: By bus from Lima to Paracas
On this day, the journey continues by night bus to Paracas. Here you can enjoy a swim at the beach Playa de la Mina or experience Candelabra, a figure carved in the landscape that many believe is connected to the famous Nazca lines. ( F )
Day 4: Islas Balletas and Ica
The day begins with a wilderness cruise to Islas Bellatas, also known as the “poor man’s Galapagos”. Here you can experience everything from curious sea lions to adorable penguins. When the tour is over, you take a bus to Ica in the Peruvian desert. Here you live in the small oasis Huacachina, where you have the opportunity to take a swim in the city lagoon. ( F )
Day 5: Sandboarding at Ica
You have all day to explore the huge dunes. You can choose to drive sand buggies (smaller off-road vehicles) over the dunes or to ride them yourself in a quad bike (ATV). You can also sandboard (snowboarding on sand) or sled down the dunes – a fun activity for everyone in the family. ( F )
Day 6: By night bus from Ica to Arequipa
You spend the day in Huacachina on your own relaxing by the hotel pool or spending another day in the desert on four-wheeled motorcycles before taking the night bus to Arequipa in the evening. ( F )
Day 7: Arrival in Arequipa
In the morning you arrive in Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city with about one million inhabitants. The city is beautifully situated with the three volcanoes El Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu as fantastic backdrops. The city is called the “white city” because all the houses are built in light volcanic rock that looks completely white in the sunshine. The city has a nice center, and just like in most other cities in Peru, the city’s residents and tourists gather around the Plaza de Armas, which is the city’s central square. Here you will also find a large selection of restaurants and cafes. Arequipa contains a wide range of interesting sights. Among other things, visit the convent of Santa Catalina, which is one of the city’s biggest attractions. Another highlight is the Museo Santuarios Andinos, where you will find the very well-preserved ice mummy Juanita. Her fate provides an exciting historical insight into the lives and victims of the Inca people. (F )
Day 8: On adventures in and around Arequipa
You have all day to explore Arequipa on your own. Among other things, you can go on a day trip to Colca Canyon, where you can experience huge condors floating majestically over the ravine. If you want to be more active, it is also possible to arrange mountain bike tours in the area, or hiking tours to the surrounding volcanoes. ( F )
Day 9: Flight from Arequipa to Cuzco
You organize your own transport to the airport, where flights have been booked to the Inca people’s old capital Cuzco. Here are two nights at a nice hotel in the center of the historic district. ( F )
Day 10: On a journey of discovery in and around Cuzco and dinner with a local family
You have all day to explore Cuzco on your own. Around Plaza de Armas, Cuzco’s pleasant squares surrounded by impressive colonial churches, there is always life and activity. Here you will find many restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops. You can also enjoy a smoothie at the city market, where you can experience the local trade. In the afternoon you visit a local family in their home here in Cuzco. They take you to the market and then back to their home where you have dinner together. A different experience that gives a unique insight into the life of an ordinary family. Around Cuzco there are many interesting archeological sites that you can visit yourself, or you can book an arranged tour with a guide. There is also the opportunity for active trips in the beautiful nature, for example with mountain bike or kayaking trips. Cuzco has something for everyone. (F , L )
Day 11: Train journey and hot springs at Aguas Calientes
After breakfast you will be picked up and driven to the train station. Here awaits a beautiful train ride through the mountains along the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes, where the legendary ruin of Machu Picchu is located. The afternoon is spent on your own in Aguas Calientes, where you can, for example, visit the hot springs. ( F )
Day 12: Sunrise over Machu Picchu and train to Cuzco
Early in the morning, your English-speaking guide will meet you and take you by bus the short distance up to Machu Picchu. The guide gives you a four-hour tour and tells you about the place’s great historical and religious significance. Next to Machu Picchu is Mount Wayna Picchu. Wayna Picchu is 2,720 meters high and is 360 meters higher than Machu Picchu. From here you get a magnificent panoramic view of the entire ruin area. It takes about an hour to get up, but it is a tough hike with small steep steps, and you have to be in good shape to reach the top. Only a limited number of visitors are allowed to climb the summit per day, so if this is something you want to experience, you should book a place and pay for it from home. At noon you take a bus back to Aguas Calientes, from there by train back to Ollantaytambo and from there by bus the last bit to Cuzco. In Cuzco you will be picked up and driven to your hotel. (F )
Day 13-15: On an adventure among the wild animals of the Amazon, Corto Maltes Amazonia Lodge
More than half of Peru’s area is covered by rainforest, but only a limited part of this rainforest is accessible. The Amazon has a fantastic animal and plant life that is relatively easy to get close to. In contrast to Brazil, the Peruvian authorities have managed to maintain a good balance between nature and tourism. Today the tour continues with a flight to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon rainforest, where your English-speaking guide will meet you to take you to the lodge deep in the rainforest. You will stay here for the next three nights, and all activities and meals are included. The following days, together with your nature guide, you will explore the Amazon on hikes through the rainforest and boat trips along the Amazon River. Here you get the opportunity to experience the unique animal and plant life that exists in this untouched part of the Amazon. You get to hear, see and breathe rainforest both during the day and at night. In and around the lodge there is a chance to see jaguars, giant otters, tapirs, monkeys, toucan birds, crocodiles and many other animals. (F , L , M )
Day 16: Return from Puerto Maldonado
After breakfast, the tour returns to Puerto Maldonado, from where you fly back to Scandinavia. ( F )
Day 17: Arrival in Scandinavia
Arrival in Scandinavia. The time of arrival depends on which airline you fly with.
Overnight stays
Two nights in Lima at 3-star hotel
One night in Paracas at 3-star hotel with swimming pool
Two nights in Ica at 3-star hotel with swimming pool
One night in night bus from Nazca to Arequipa
Two nights in Arequipa at 3-star hotel with swimming pool
Two nights in Cuzco at 3 star hotel
One night in Aguas Calientes at tourist hotel
One night in Cuzco at 3 star hotel
Three nights at lodge at Corto Maltes Amazonia Lodge
