Travelling in Peru as a family, solo or with reduced mobility

Three routes, three numbers of transitions

A change of accommodation means repacking your bags, checking out of the room, a journey, a new arrival: half a day, often more. To compare two programmes, count these changes before the kilometres.

Route A, two Andean bases, 12 nights, 3 changes. Lima 3 nights; flight to Cusco (about 1 hr 25 min) and a direct transfer to Urubamba, in the Sacred Valley (about 1 hr by car, 1 hr 30 min by bus, for some 45 km), to sleep first at about 2,870 m rather than in Cusco; 5 nights in Urubamba, with Machu Picchu by train from Ollantaytambo as a day trip; 3 nights in Cusco; 1 night in Lima before the return flight.

Route B, southern loop, 15 nights, 7 changes. Lima 2 nights; flight to Arequipa (about 1 hr 30 min), 3 nights; road to Chivay, in the Colca (about 3 hr to 3 hr 30 min for some 160 km), 1 night; road to Puno (273 km at altitude), 2 nights; road to Cusco (387 km), 3 nights; Machu Picchu Pueblo, 1 night; Cusco, 2 nights; Lima, 1 night.

Route C, a single base, 8 nights, no changes. Lima, with day trips: Pachacámac, the Palomino Islands, Caral, the neighbourhoods and the museums. See Lima and around.

Route B shows more places; it also means repacking your bags seven times, three long days on the road and a night at nearly 3,600 metres before Puno. That is not a flaw if it suits you; it is a choice to make with full knowledge of the facts. See also A first trip to Peru in 15 days.

As a family: ages, beds, breaks, activities

• Beds. Ask for the exact configuration: a “cama matrimonial” is a double bed, “dos camas” two separate beds; a triple or family room does not always have a real bed for each child. Have the number of beds and their size put in writing.
• Breaks. Plan a day without travel after each change of altitude or each early-morning flight, and meals at set times: Peruvian lunch, served between 13:00 and 15:00, comes late for some children.
• Transport. In a private car, ask whether a child seat is provided; do not assume it is. For intercity buses and trains, ask from what age a child pays for their place and whether they are entitled to a seat.
• Activities. For each outing, ask the minimum age, the real distance on foot, the equipment and what happens if the child cannot carry on. A “family” label in a brochure does not replace these answers.
• Altitude. Young children find it hard to express the symptoms of altitude sickness: discuss the itinerary with a paediatrician. See altitude.
• Documents. A child travelling with only one parent may need an authorisation to leave Peru: non-Peruvian minor who has stayed less than 90 days: no exit authorisation; non-Peruvian minor who is resident or has stayed more than 90 days, or Peruvian minor (including dual nationals): authorisation from the absent parent, drawn up before a notary in Peru or at a Peruvian consulate. See borders.

Alone: the cost per person and meeting people

What costs more alone. Everything paid per vehicle or per room. An example published in Cusco: an outing to Maras, Moray and the salt pans costs S/ 280 per vehicle, entry fees and guide not included. Alone, you pay the lot; as two, half each (S/ 140); as four, a quarter (S/ 70). A single room also often costs almost as much as a double.

What narrows the gap. Shared excursions, sold per person; private rooms in hostels; public buses for simple journeys. For a shared excursion, ask the minimum number of participants and what happens if it is not reached: departure cancelled, postponed or an extra charge.

Meeting people. A hostel with common areas, a cooking class, a guided walking tour or a trek in a small group offer chances to meet people without any particular organisation. Independent accommodation suits those who prefer peace and quiet.

Safety. Share your programme with someone close to you, take booked taxis in the evening, keep your confirmations offline. See everyday safety.

As a couple: choosing without doing everything together

Before building the route, each of you writes down three things you want to do and two things to avoid. One wants to walk, the other prefers towns; one likes to leave at dawn, the other wants to sleep. This list settles things more easily than an itinerary packed with popular activities.

A day apart is not a failure. In Cusco, one of you can go to Vinicunca, the Mountain of 7 Colours (a very early start and a long road), while the other visits the city and San Pedro market. At Machu Picchu, each of you can buy the route that suits you, a mountain route for one, route 3-B for the other, with a meeting point at the exit. Also keep some leeway in the budget for decisions made on the spot.

Reduced mobility: place by place

Accessibility information remains scarce and changes: always ask the place before you go. What we know, place by place:

For accommodation, ask for a ground-floor room or a lift, the width of the doors, a walk-in shower, and whether the property can be reached by car right up to the door. A taxi or a booked vehicle is often simpler than a public network. See getting around Lima and Lima’s museums.

Treks and altitude: advice for each person

Within the same group, each person reacts differently to the altitude, whatever their age or physical condition. The CDC recommends that pregnant women avoid sleeping above about 3,050 metres, and medical advice for people with a heart or lung condition. See altitude.

If someone in the group does not want to or cannot walk for several days, there is almost always an alternative: the train to Machu Picchu instead of the Inca Trail, the Llanganuco lakes, reachable by car, rather than the walk to Laguna 69 (about 4,600 m), a day in town while the others hike. See hiking.

Staying several weeks

Start with your usual journeys: work, family and friends, activities, shopping. A pleasant neighbourhood for three nights on holiday is not necessarily the one that suits everyday life. Also check the length of stay allowed for your nationality. See staying several weeks in Lima and borders.