TAUCK BRIDGES FAMILY TRAVEL
Family Trip To Mystical Peru
Discover the secrets of this ancient land from today’s capital, Lima, to its original Incan capital of Cusco, the Sacred Valley and mysterious Machu Picchu, you’ll paint pottery, get blessed by a shaman, go horseback riding or river rafting (or get a massage!), see Peruvian Pasos dance, weave bracelets with schoolchildren, ride the rails to a lost city, take a chocolate-making class, meet endangered spectacled bears, play a pan flute and much more.
Only With Tauck
Insider visits to the “Lost City of the Incas” – Machu Picchu, and the sacred site of Sacsayhuamán.
Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel and lodge accommodations, entertainment, special dinners, land transportation, sightseeing, porterage, and the services of local guides, drivers and the Tauck Director are included. Transportation from Lima Airport to the JW Marriott Lima is included, regardless of the time you check in to the hotel, provided we have received accurate flight arrival information at least three weeks prior to the tour departure date. Transportation from the JW Marriott Lima to Lima Airport is also included when checking out of the hotel. Transportation to and from airports and train stations may be shared with other Tauck guests.
Age Recommendations – Children 8 years of age or older at the time of travel are welcome on this Tauck journey. Based upon our experience with family travelers, we have a minimum recommended age for each journey to encourage comfort and enjoyment for all of our guests. All children must be accompanied on activities by a parent or guardian. At least one guest in the traveling party must be 21 years of age or older in order to make a reservation.
Rates and schedules are not guaranteed until booked and will vary based on departure date.
Tour begins: JW Marriott Hotel Lima. A transfer is included from Lima Airport to the JW Marriott Hotel Lima, ideally located in one of the city’s best neighborhoods. Most international flights arrive late evening, so settle into your room for a snack and a good night’s rest.
This morning begins with a drive to the seaside city of Callao. Here, learn about the Peruvian modern art and street art that lines the roads of Callao and add personality and bright colors everywhere you turn. Kids will have the opportunity to create their own graffiti masterpieces as well. After lunch, take a short flight from Lima to Cusco and make your way to the Sacred Valley. Join us tonight for a welcome reception followed by dinner at your hotel.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging – Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel
The Sacred Valley… a mountainous region of Peru that offers mystical awe-inspiring sights to discover… along with farms and villages that welcome you with a taste of daily life. This morning you’ll be introduced to a local community and will have a host of activities to choose from learning to ride a donkey to a weaving demonstration to tree planting, before enjoying lunch with fellow guests. This afternoon, discover the meanings behind the sacred markings of ancient Peruvian cultures at a renowned pottery studio, then let your creative spirit take over when you paint your own ceramic masterpiece. Enjoy dinner at your leisure at the hotel tonight.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging – Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel
Today offers a choice of adventures* in the Sacred Valley today: hit the trail for a horseback ride through a small village and on into the countryside or don a wet suit for a rafting trip on a nearby river… or, you can choose a massage in the hotel spa! Later, meet up for a barbecue lunch at a private ranch, followed by a show starring the country’s beautiful smooth-gaited Peruvian Paso horses, protected as part of the Patrimonio Cultural (Cultural Heritage) of Peru. Back at your hotel, a local shaman will provide blessings for your journey and give spiritual insight to the Sacred Valley area and Machu Picchu. Enjoy dinner tonight in the hotel’s 17th-century colonial hacienda.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging – Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel
Experts are still not exactly sure what Machu Picchu was used for, but for centuries, this remarkable Inca citadel lay hidden from the world by mountainous jungle and mist until Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham accidentally stumbled on it in 1911 while looking for other major Incan ruins. His discovery revealed myths and mysteries that still confound visitors today, making your rail journey on the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, the “gateway to Machu Picchu,” and your drive up the mountain to what Bingham called the “Lost City of the Incas” that much more exciting. You’ll spend the afternoon exploring Machu Picchu – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was recently named one of the “new seven wonders of the world” – with our expert guides. This evening, head back down into Aguas Calientes for an overnight in whitewashed casitas (bungalows) at your pueblo-style hotel surrounded by a cloud forest.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The morning is free for you to do as you please; there are lots of great optional activities for your family to choose from! You can take a guided nature walk on the flower-filled grounds of your hotel, seeing the collection of orchids and herbs that thrive here; or head into the colorful local market in Aguas Calientes, for an eye-opening parade of locally made arts and crafts, including woven tapestries, ponchos, jewelry and more. At a private presentation, you can learn about the plight of the region’s nearly extinct spectacled bears and how you can help them, then meet some of these endangered animals. After lunch, make your way by train and coach to Cusco for a two-night stay in the historic city center at the JW Marriott Hotel Cusco, featuring an indoor pool to cool off in, as well as ancient walls and treasures uncovered during the hotel’s recent construction.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging – JW Marriott Hotel Cusco
Wake up this morning in the heart of Cusco – South America’s oldest continuously inhabited city, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the shape of a puma, Cusco astounds with both Incan relics and some of the oldest Spanish colonial architecture in the “New World.” At the archaelogical site of Sacsayhuamán, the “House of the Sun,” view awe-inspiring stone fortresses built by the Incas more than five centuries ago. Get a sweet taste of local traditions during a hands-on, mouth-watering chocolate-making class at the Choco Museo. Then learn how to tell the difference between an alpaca and a llama at the Awanacancha farm, where you’ll meet these unique animals whose wool is woven into beautiful colorful textiles by local artisans. Spend the afternoon at leisure. Music’s in the air at our farewell dinner in Cusco, as you learn how to play the Peruvian pan flute – which you’ll get to take home with you as an unforgettable musical memento of your Tauck Bridges family Peru vacation!
Meals – Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging – JW Marriott Hotel Cusco
Tour ends: Lima. Fly from Cusco to Lima for lunch; rooms have been reserved for you at the JW Marriott Hotel Lima whether you choose to fly out tonight or stay overnight and fly out in the morning. A transfer is included to Lima Airport from the JW Marriott Hotel Lima. Allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch
