Finally Seeing Machu Picchu

So, there I was, finally walking around Machu Picchu. It was pretty empty, which was cool. Just llamas munching grass under a super blue sky. Felt kinda unreal, like stepping back into the old Inca world, you know?

Man, I was so glad we decided on the 5-day Inca trail hike. We spent the night before in Aguas Calientes (around 2,050 meters / 6,726 feet), had probably the best hot shower ever, and felt like new people after that tough but awesome trek.

Looking at my daughters, 8 and 5 years old, I just felt really proud. They actually hiked the Inca trail! Well, the 5-year-old needed carrying over Dead Woman’s Pass, but still. Yeah, this wasn’t exactly a chill beach vacation.

What an Adventure!

Seriously, it was quite the trip.

We’re a family of four. Hubby’s American, I’m French. We spent 16 days in Peru, from July 13th to 29th, 2021. It was amazing and adventurous, for sure, but definitely hard sometimes. We hit a few snags along the way.

I always get good ideas reading other people’s travel stories. So, maybe sharing ours will help another family out, especially if you’re thinking of going with young kids.

Getting Ready for Peru

Why Peru?

When travel stopped back in March 2020, planning trips was my way of escaping. Machu Picchu was always on the list, just never made it happen when I was younger. Then life, babies, toddlers… you know how it goes. What really kicked me into gear was when my two younger sisters, who are pretty fit, started having knee and back problems. Suddenly, doing the Inca trail with them wasn’t an option anymore.

Picking a Tour Company: Alpaca Expeditions

Once vaccines were available and things started opening up, we tentatively booked the Inca Trail with Alpaca Expeditions for July 2021. I totally recommend them, they were great. They’re a Peruvian company, they pay their people well, give the porters (they call them chasquis) good hiking gear, have dorms for them between trips, help their kids with school – stuff like that. Plus, they were the first ones to hire women as porters. We even had a chef and an assistant chef with us on the trail. For our group of five (us plus a good friend), we had a support team of 13 people.

Choosing the Inca Trail: 5 Days Instead of 4

The Inca Trail was the big highlight of the trip. I picked the 5-day/4-night version instead of the more common 4-day/3-night one. It’s the same trail, just spread out more, meaning less hiking each day. Seemed smarter with younger kids. A huge bonus was getting to see Machu Picchu twice – once in the afternoon on day 4, and again the next morning on day 5. And honestly, seeing Machu Picchu feeling rested and clean on that fifth day made a massive difference in actually enjoying it. Just for that, I’d say go for the longer 5-day trek.

Getting Used to the Altitude

We live in Florida, which is basically at sea level. So hiking at super high altitudes was a genuine concern. Reading old trip reports gave me the idea to stay in Ollantaytambo (2,792 meters / 9,160 feet) in the Sacred Valley for a few days before the hike to get used to the thin air. Great call. It’s a neat little town with old cobblestone streets you can walk everywhere, lots of ruins nearby, and some tasty restaurants. It was the perfect place to just chill and let our bodies adjust.

Prepping the Kids

My daughters are figure skaters, training over 10 hours a week, plus ballet and swimming. So they’re active kids. But still, 5 years old is really young for a multi-day hike like this. Originally, the plan was for my husband to take the 5-year-old by train to meet us at Machu Picchu, while the 8-year-old and I hiked.

But after chatting with Alpaca Expeditions and some Peruvian friends from work, we decided to bring her along but hire her own personal porter. His name was Walberto, and they became buddies right away. He was so nice and gentle with her, and incredibly steady carrying her over the rough spots. It was pretty sweet watching them climb holding hands, figuring out how to communicate with her speaking English and him Spanish.

We did some practice hikes back in the US to test their endurance – stuff like Angel’s Landing and The Narrows in Zion, Alum Cave in the Great Smoky Mountains, and Nevada Falls in Yosemite. To be honest, most of my stress planning this trip was worrying about the kids. It would’ve been way easier to just go by myself, haha. But every time I even mentioned that, my daughters would get totally dramatic about how unfair it was I’d find a lost city of gold, adopt a baby llama, and play the flute on a floating island without them. So, yeah, they came. Kids, right?

Our 16-Day Peru Itinerary

Here’s basically what we did:

• 2 nights near Lima airport (around 154 meters / 505 feet) – mainly for a day trip to see the Nazca Lines.
• 3 nights in Ollantaytambo (2,792 meters / 9,160 feet) – acclimatizing.
• 5 days / 4 nights on the Inca Trail – the last night was in Aguas Calientes (approx. 2,050 meters / 6,726 feet).
• 1 extra night in Aguas Calientes – stayed at the Inkaterra hotel.
• 2 nights in Cusco (around 3,399 meters / 11,152 feet).
• 1 night in Puno (by Lake Titicaca – approx. 3,827 meters / 12,556 feet).
• 2 days / 1 night Homestay on Amantani Island in Lake Titicaca (booked with All Ways Travel).
• 1 night back in Puno.
• 1 night back in Lima before flying home.

A Bit of Nostalgia: Mysterious Cities of Gold

Quick side note: when I was a kid, I watched this cartoon called The Mysterious Cities of Gold. It was French-Japanese, set back in the 1500s, about kids looking for gold cities in South America with a Spanish dude named Mendoza. It mixed history, archaeology, and even some sci-fi. If you have kids, maybe watch it before you go to Peru, it’s pretty cool.

Day 1: Arriving in Lima

Okay, travel day. We had to get COVID tests before flying (just needed one test actually, and kids under 11 just needed a doctor’s note saying they were healthy). Also had to fill out an online health form for Peru. When we landed in Lima (altitude near the coast is low, around 154 meters / 505 feet), everyone had to wear double masks.

Our connecting flight was delayed, so we didn’t get to our airport hotel (the Holiday Inn) until midnight. Then waiting for the airport shuttle was a mess, took over an hour. Not the smoothest start.

Day 2: Flying Over the Nazca Lines

We had to be up at 4 am for our tour to the Ballestas Islands and Nazca Lines. Brutal after only a few hours sleep. It was already a tight schedule, but we didn’t have any wiggle room. Packed the day bag: water, snacks, sunscreen, anti-nausea meds (check!). Got coffee for the adults, hot chocolate for the kids, ready to go!

Except… the van didn’t show up. Found an email from Nazca Flights sent the night before (which I’d missed, being exhausted). The Ballestas Islands boat trip was cancelled because of high waves. Pickup was now 7 am. Sigh.

The 5-year-old basically slept through it all and was easy to put back to bed. The 8-year-old though? Starving. So we had an impromptu “midnight feast” in bed, which she thought was hilarious because she’d just read about kids doing that in an Enid Blyton book.

Woke up again two hours later. This time a nice big van showed up and we headed out of the kinda drab area around Lima’s airport towards the Nazca desert.

Man, that drive down the coast was… not pretty. Gray skies, industrial buildings, half-finished construction sites. As we drove towards Pisco Airport (pretty much sea level, around 17 meters / 56 feet), I kept checking the weather app for Nazca. It said blue skies… really hoped so, still had hours to drive. We quizzed the girls on the 16 main Nazca drawings to see if they could remember them.

Good news! Pisco Airport was sunny and clear. Perfect flying weather. Our little plane was waiting. My daughters and I took some Zofran quick, husband took Dramamine. Everyone gets a window seat on these flights. We were pumped!

It’s a really small plane, felt a bit wobbly at first. But soon we were banking to see the first Nazca line, the Whale! Wow. You see pictures online, but seeing them for real, how huge and clear they are… it’s just amazing.

The plane turns sharply left and right over each figure so people on both sides get a good view. My five-year-old had the map, circling each one she spotted. “This is awesome! It’s like a treasure hunt!” she yelled. We all picked favorites by the end: the Hummingbird (Colibrí), the Spider (Araña), and the Monkey (Mono). I really liked the Condor too.

My 8-year-old looked a little green around the gills by the end. She gets carsick sometimes, so I was really glad I’d given her the meds beforehand. I felt a bit iffy myself, but the flight isn’t that long, and it was totally worth it!

It’s a long drive back to Lima, so we stopped for lunch in Pisco at a little family-run place. Funny story: since I speak Spanish, they gave me a different menu than the English one my husband got. Prices were different too! The food was really good and cheap (well, on the Spanish menu). That lunch started my obsession with ceviche. I had no clue it’s like a whole meal in Peru, not just an appetizer like back home. It’s delicious. I think I ordered it every day for the next four days. Still miss good Peruvian ceviche.