Peru with Kids: A Family Trip That Works at Altitude

Your eight-year-old steps off the boat onto a floating island in Lake Titicaca and stops dead, because the reeds give a little under each step, like walking on a giant mattress. A few days earlier the same kid had their face pressed to the train window as the Urubamba roared along beside the tracks. Those are the moments families bring home from Peru, and none of them needs a long hike.

Short answer: Peru works well with kids from about 6 years old, in our experience: the Sacred Valley is a gentle base, Machu Picchu by train is one easy day, and the Ballestas sea lions and Huacachina dunes win over teenagers. The CDC says children are as susceptible to altitude illness as adults, so plan slow first days and see your pediatrician.

Families ask us two things before anything else: will the kids be bored, and will the altitude hurt them. Bored, rarely. Peru gives children things they can touch and climb: reed islands that sink a little under your feet, a train along a roaring river, terraces built like giant stairs, salt ponds, alpacas, and a desert oasis ringed by sand dunes. Altitude is the real planning problem. The good news is that it comes down to order and pace, and those are two things a family can control.

Is Peru good for kids?

Yes, with a plan built around the youngest traveler. In our view the best age starts around 6, when children can walk a couple of hours, tell you how they feel and remember the trip. Toddlers travel too, carried in a backpack carrier, but the long van days and early starts are harder on them and on you. Teenagers often like Peru more than their parents expected, thanks to sandboarding, the train, the climb to the Sun Gate and a menu that includes guinea pig.

Altitude and children

The CDC Yellow Book states that children are as susceptible to altitude illness as adults. For a family trip to Cusco, which sits at 3,399 m (11,152 ft), no fact matters more. Small children cannot always say they have a headache. Watch for changes in mood, appetite, play and sleep in the first two days, and treat them as a signal to rest, never to push on.

This page gives travel facts, not medical advice. See your pediatrician before the trip with the itinerary and its highest point, and ask which symptoms to watch for and what to do. Any child who is breathless at rest, unusually drowsy or confused needs to go lower and see a doctor the same day. Our Cusco altitude guide lists the CDC's warning signs.

The plan that helps most is the same as for adults, and it matters even more for kids: sleep low first. The Sacred Valley, at about 2,792 to 2,972 m (9,160 to 9,750 ft), is several hundred meters below Cusco and quieter at night. Read our Sacred Valley altitude guide for the towns.

Machu Picchu with kids

Children of every age can visit Machu Picchu. PeruRail's ticket guide lists a reduced rate for foreign children aged 3 to 17, and children need their own passport, the same one entered when the ticket is bought. Strollers are banned inside, per the site's code of conduct, so bring a backpack carrier for a small child. The standard city routes take about 2 hours 30 minutes on stone paths and stairs, which short legs feel by the end.

Make it a two-day visit if you can. The train ride along the Urubamba is a highlight for most kids, and a night in Aguas Calientes spares everyone the 4 a.m. start of the day trip. Our 4-day Machu Picchu and Cusco package, from US$774 per person, includes that night after a Sacred Valley day with the Maras salt ponds and the Moray terraces. The summit climbs to Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain have age rules that different sources publish differently, so we check the rule in force on the official site when we book.

What kids enjoy most in Peru

The table lists the places families tell us their children talk about afterwards, with the minimum effort each takes. Pick two or three for the trip, and leave the rest for next time.

What to skip with young children

In our opinion, skip Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) and the multi-day treks with children under about 12. The viewpoint is at 5,036 m (16,522 ft) per Peru's tourism inventory, the day starts at 4 a.m., and a sick child on a ridge three hours from Cusco is a hard place to be. If your family wants striped mountains, Palccoyo, at about 4,900 m with a near-flat ridge walk, is the gentler option, still only after two nights in Cusco and with your pediatrician's agreement. The Nazca Lines flight, in small planes that bank sharply, is another one many parents skip with younger kids.

A family trip we would plan

For a family with kids from 6 to 16, we would plan 8 to 10 days in this order: Lima and the coast first at sea level, then the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu with a night in Aguas Calientes, Cusco last, and Lake Titicaca only if the family handled Cusco well. Our Lima and Machu Picchu in 6 days, from US$880 per person, covers the coast and Cusco, with the Ballestas Islands and the Huacachina dunes on day 2. Ask for child rates and family rooms on the quote form, and a planner on our team in Cusco will price them for your dates.

Pack layers, sun hats, sunscreen, a refillable bottle per child and the snacks your kids already know and like. The sun at altitude burns fast, even on cold mornings. For the full packing list, see our Peru packing list, and for trip lengths, our how many days in Peru guide.