Family Adventure in the Andes

Day 1: Lima
Arrive in Lima from your evening international flight, where you will be met by our representatives and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Lima.

Day 2: Arequipa
Take your morning flight to Arequipa, the "White City." Have a full day visit city, including the frozen Inca mummies at the Museo Santuarios de Altura and the 16th-century Convento de Santa Catalina. Overnight Hotel Posada del Puente.

Day 3: Colca Canyon
Take a five-hour spectacular drive in your 4x4 vehicle to the Colca Valley. Along the way you'll see local wildlife and fabulous scenery. Overnight Parador del Colca.

Day 4: Colca Canyon
The highlight today is viewing the condor, the largest flying bird in the world, from the Condor Lookout Point. Afternoon activities for the children at the lodge (feeding animals, trout fishing in the pond, harvesting vegetables from the organic garden, making their own herbarium). Teenagers and parents may want to go hiking or everyone may want to enjoy the thermal baths. Overnight Parador del Colca.

Day 5: Cuzco
Drive back to Arequipa for your flight to Cuzco. Meet your rainforest guide for a briefing and then enjoy the afternoon and evening in the lovely town of Cuzco. Overnight Hotel Monasterio del Cuzco.

Day 6: Manu National Park
This morning fly to Manu on a chartered aircraft with space for 12. Enjoy spectacular views as you cross the Andes and into the Amazon, which emerges like a thick green blanket below. Upon your arrival at Boca Manu you'll transfer to a motorized canoe for a 90-minute journey down the Madre de Dios River to the Manu Wildlife Center. The 44-bedroom Manu Wildlife Center is located in a private 40,000-acre rainforest reserve adjacent to the Amarakaeri Reserved Zone. This is the only lodge in the Manu lowlands that has private, ensuite bungalows. Have a briefing about activities for parents and children for the next few days. After lunch begin exploring the 30 miles of forest trails surrounding the lodge. You may encounter some of the 12 species of monkey that live here, including the Monk Saki and the Emperor Tamarin. After dinner, you will go on a short night excursion to explore the nocturnal life of the rainforest. For the duration of the stay in the rainforest, there will be specific activities tailored for children, so they learn to appreciate and value nature, and the importance of conservation. Overnight Manu Wild Life Center.

Day 7: Manu National Park
Rising before dawn, you travel by boat downstream for 25 minutes to the only large macaw and parrot ‘clay lick’ in the Manu area. From a floating catamaran blind you will be afforded excellent views of the hundreds of medium-sized and large parrots arriving at the lick, followed by the large Red and Green Macaws arriving to eat the clay. This detoxifies the seeds and nuts they ingest during the day. You have a choice of lunch options: eat at the Center, or pack your lunch for a leisurely 60-75 minute hike to the Amazon’s largest known tapir clay lick. Here you will climb a observation platform, perched six meters (20 feet) above the ground, to wait for the lumbering tapirs to arrive. Overnight Manu Wildlife Center.

Day 8: Sacred Valley
Return trip to the Manu landing strip and flight to Cuzco, where you will be transferred to the Sacred Valley. En route to your lovely hotel you will visit the magnificent ruins of Pisac and hike down to the village to visit its famous market. Children will be introduced to pottery techniques while in the market. Overnight family villas or bungalows.

Day 9: Ollantaytambo
Children will participate in a pottery lesson this morning at the hotel, while grownups visit the Inca site of Ollantaytambo, magnificent in its location and quality of the stonework. For lunch parents and kids will meet at the lovely Hacienda Huayo Ccari. After lunch, the whole family may enjoy an easy two-hour ride on lovely Peruvian Paso horses. Pizza evening at the hotel, where everybody will bake and eat their own pizzas. Overnight family villas or bungalows.

Day 10: Huchuy Qosqo
This is the perfect trek for the whole family. Varied, but not terribly long. Donkey and mules will be available for the children (and grownups) to ride if they get tired. An added bonus is camping at the wonderful site of Huchuy Qosqo, a little-visited but remarkable Inca site. The grade of this trek is easy. The total distance of the trek is approximately 14 km. Maximum altitude is 4300m. Overnight in tents.

Day 11: Huchuy Qosqo
After breakfast you will begin your walk on a steep downhill path towards Lamay, for approximately two hours, and from there go straight to Chinchero. Lunch at a local restaurant. In Chinchero, the children will have a three-hour traditional weaving session specially tailored to their age, where they will learn bout and have a chance to weave. Parents will have a guided visit of the archaeological site at Chinchero, and the village church built on an Inca Temple. Overnight family villas or bungalows.

Day 12: Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Take the train to Machu Picchu; one hour before Aguas Calientes disembark with your guide for the one-day Inca Trail. Hike for five hours through lovely landscapes along Inca roads, visiting the magnificent Inca Site of Winay Wayna. Overnight Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

Day 13: Machu Picchu
Enjoy Machu Picchu early in the morning when it is quiet. Later you can go down to the lovely Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, a charming hotel nestled in the cloud forest. Aside from comfortable bungalow-style rooms, the hotel has a very nice restaurant with and lovely landscaped gardens, along with a number of delightful nature-related activities for children and grown-ups. Overnight Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

Day 14: Cuzco
Morning activities at the hotel befor ecatching your afternoon train to Cuzco. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel. Overnight Hotel Monasterio.

Day 15: Cuzco
Today you will have a full day guided visit of Cuzco, including the Cathedral, Korikancha (the Sun Temple) and the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Quenqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. You will also visit the Pre-Columbian Art Museum of Cuzco, where children will have the chance of drawng some of the pieces. Overnight Hotel Monasterio.

Day 16: Lima / Home
Transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Lima. In Lima, you will be collected and transferred to your hotel where you have a day room booked. You will have a car and driver at your disposal should you wish to go shopping or visit a museum. Transfer to the airport to catch your international flight.