Machu Picchu with Kids?

October is a fine time to visit from friends who have been there then. Cuzco is the best place to stay with lots of travel agents to see everywhere worth seeing as well as some sights in town. The town is easy to walk around (it's at 10,000 ft).

The train station is at the back of town (Cuzco) and a train leaves for Cuzco about 6:30 AM. That train only travels between Cuzco and Macchu Pichu which is easy to do in a day.

From a tour where we visited Ollantaytambo on the way back, it's not far outside Cuzco so about the same distance.

Just let the kids enjoy themselves. Lots of walking up and down hillsides at 7,800 ft. Take some food and drink with you.

I think October would be your better time frame. We stayed in Cusco and it's a lovely town. Many recommend not starting in Cusco due to the altitude which is about 11,000 feet. I loved Ollantaytambo (around 8,000 ft altitude) and always recommend staying there for at least a night. It is very different from Cusco and you get a real perspective of life in a small village. As u said u can take the train from Ollantaytambo to MP--it takes about an hour and leaves around 7 am. Yes, you could certainly take the train from Ollantaytambo and return to Cusco on the train. U would have the issue of what to do with your luggage though. We elected not to stay in Aguas Calientes after reading about it. The town itself is not very attractive. Many friends have stayed at Inka Terra hotel in AC http://tinyurl.com/34etn9 and rave about their stay there--not a budget accommodatation by any stretch. Enjoy your trip.

I agree with starting in Ollantaytambo. You can get a private guide to take you to all the ruins and the market on the drive between Cusco and your hotel. Make sure the guide takes you to the alpaca and llama farm. Your kids will love it. I recommend Sol y Luna where you can get a two-story villa that will sleep all four of you for $140 per night. I'd stay two nights because there's a lot to do in the Sacred Valley.

Since you have kids, I'd stay the night in AC rather than trying to get back to Cusco the same day. I've heard great things about Inka Terra, but I have not stayed there myself.

Back in Cusco, if it is windy, buy a kite and take it with you when you go up to Sacsayhuaman. Your kids will have a blast.

Also, I highly recommend going to Ica for a day to see the Nasca lines and enjoy the sand dunes. Here's a thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=6&tid=34969674

Definitely go in October. Dec/Jan is rainy season.

Hi

I went to Bolivia and Peru in September/October last year. Here is my trip report with pictures: http://gardkarlsen.com/peru.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there We stayed one night in Cuzco and one night in Aguas Calientes and the weather was quite pleasant when we went there.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Of course, there's the issue of altitude. What level do you live at? Or have you ever traveled with your kids to higher elevations? Unfortunately, there's no way to know how anybody with be impacted by the higher altitudes in those locations --- it has nothing to do with age or health and can't be predicted whether it'll affect a person (or not) until you're there.

Machu Picchu is around 8k, which is just at the point where altitude may be an issue. As kaneda already mentioned, there's lots of walking up & down . . . . and having just returned from Peru this past Saturday, let me emphasize, there's ALOT of steps and ALOT of walking up/down in MP.

Also, how fit and how tall are your children? When I was there last week, I saw a man walking w/ his young daughter ... she couldn't have been more than 4 years old ..... essentially he was dragging the poor child, berating her for not being able to climb the steps .... those short little legs were doing their best!

Be aware the bus ride up from the train stop at Aguas Calientes to MP is a 20-minute ride along a series of switchbacks. It's not nearly as bad as the Sorrento to Positano road (if you've ever been to Italy). Nevertheless, I could see where this ride may impact a person who's prone to motion sickness.

As for Ollantaytambo, it's a charming little town that's also on uneven ground .... either unpaved OR paved with cobblestones. Again, if you're a city person (like myself), it adds another challenge level to the increased walking when doing so on this type of terrain. A good pair of walking/hiking shoes are a must.

Your kids may be well up to this type of trip; just wanted to toss out these considerations.

Hi - this is Nina from ancientsummit.com and maybe i can give you some info here. I plan trips for families all the time. I always recommend arriving to Cusco and going directly to the Sacred Valley. Depending on your budget, Sol Y Luna is the best place to stay with kids as they have lots of activities right on the grounds. Its a fabulous place. But it is not $140.00 per night unless you are related to the owners. You can go on line to their web site and see for yourself. Same for Inka Terra. A room for the 4 of you will cost in the area of $400+ per night. All depends on your budget. You can actually see a lot of the Citadel at Machu Picchu in one day. I think kids that age would be really bored for more than one day there. And there is not much more to do in Aguas Calientes unless you are staying at Inka Terra. The Sacred Valley is marvelous though. Save staying in Cusco for the end and you will already be used to the heights. You can arrane a very comfy trip with the kids if you set it up right. YOu will love Peru.

Thanks for the replies.

Due to scheduling issues, we have to go in January '08. Good news is we've booked our tickets from the States to Peru. Now we just need to work on the Cuzco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu portion of the trip. We have 8 days, including the days we fly between Lima and Cuzco.

Here are our current thoughts:

fly from Lima to Cuzco
taxi/car to Ollantaytamo
2 or 3 nights in Ollanta
tour Sacred Valley
Moray?
salt mines?
Chincero?
Urumbamba?

train from Ollanta to Aguas Calientes
bus to Machu Picchu
1 night in Aguas Calientes
back to Machy Picchu
train to Ollanta

taxi/car to Cuzco
3 nights in Cuzco
city tour
Pisac?

fly from Cuzco to Lima

Any thoughts or suggestions on this?

We typically like to spend some time each day visiting tourist sites (1 or 2), then just having some time to absorb the town and giving the kids some time to run around and be kids. We really don't want to hit 3 towns in one day, and do the same thing the next... but rather get to know fewer places in depth.

If you had to choose, what would be the top 3 Sacred Valley towns/ruins/things to see? Also is there a llama/alpalca farm we could take the kids?

Also, we certainly don't know how the kids (or adults) will react to the altitude. The kids are pretty good hikers (have done 5+ mile hikes since they were 4) and campers. I'm doing stairmaster training to prepare for the trip!

Your itinerary is a bit off, just because you don't know where everything is situated, but you're on the right track.

There's an alpaca/llama/vicuna farm near the beginning of the Sacred Valley that you can visit on your way from the airport. It would be a good way to break up the trip for the kids.

Pisac is in the valley, so you should visit it while you are there, instead of making the drive from Cusco later. If you there on a Sunday, make sure you visit the market.

I'm a it confused by why you are going back to MP on the second day. Since you are spending the night in Aguas Calientes, you'll get an entire day there, which is more than enough.

Then, I'd take the train all the way back to Cusco. There's no reason to go back to Ollantaytambo and take a cab.

I think three nights in Cusco is too much. It's not a huge town and everything is very close. The day after you return from MP, I'd arrange for a private guide to take you on a city tour and then up to Sacsayhuaman. If you fly back to Lima in the afternoon the next day, then you will have the morning to walk around the city, do some shopping, and have some lunch before heading to the airport (it's extremely close).

By cutting out a day in Cusco, that would give you the opportunity to go to Ica and the Nasca lines. Personally, I think that is a do not miss for your kids. They will be in complete and utter awe at both the sand dunes and the lines. I posted a link above to a thread on Ica.

I think you'll find that your kids will do much better with the altitude than the adults. It's only as I've gotten older that I've had trouble. Personally, I took diamox both times. The one day I forgot, my head was in so much pain I wanted someone to shoot me and put me out of my misery. The only side effect I had was some tingling in my toes. Annoying, but infinitely better than that horrific headache.

Are you planning on spending any time in Lima?

I'm a bit tired, but I wanted to post my initial thoughts. I will expand on them tomorrow. But feel free to post any questions. I've been twice, once with a native.

hills27, thanks for your great comments/questions.

We are spending time in Lima and at the beach with friends before the Cuzco portion of the trip.

Based on recommendations and trying to avoid splitting nights in Cuzco (staying there after we arrive, and then again after Machu Picchu), I wanted to stay in Ollanta first. However, now I have learned that there is a multi-day festival in Ollanta around Epiphany (3 Kings Day) and would like to see that if possible. Our friends are helping arrange a private guide for us, so we can probably choose whatever order we want.

The thinking on two days at Machu Picchu is that one might not be enough to take it all in. Why cut ourselves short after coming all that way? The plan was to buy the train and bus tickets and entrance ticket to Machu Picchu ahead of time, do the tour on the first day, and then have the option (deciding that night) whether to go back the next day (perhaps in the early morning?). Do you think one full day is enough at MP?

Our things to see in Cuzco include:
the Cathedral
Sacsayhuaman
Kenko
Pucapucara
Tambomachay
Korikancha temple

Should they all be done in one day? or split over two?

Basically, we can fly into Cuzco on Jan 2nd and need to fly back to Lima on Jan 9th. If possible, it'd be great to be in Ollanta for the Epiphany festival.

So Maybe something like this would work:
Jan 2 to Cuzco, tour of city
Jan 3 free day in Cuzco
Jan 4 tour of SV, end in Ollanta
Jan 5 train to Aguas Calientes, tour MP
stay in AC
Jan 6 early hike to MP, return to Ollanta
Jan 7-8 Ollant, more SV
Jan 9 fly to Lima

We looked into the Nazca lines. They look amazing! But I think if we did anything other than MP-Cuz-SV, we'd try to hit Lake Titicaca. It seems like we either have a leisurely paced time in the Sacred Valley or a more hurried pace with another stop at Lake Titicaca. With kids, what would you recommend? Can it even be fit into this schedule?

Any comments/suggestions will be helpful.

Hi Susan - I replied to your email.

We chose to stay two nights in MP because we had come all that way and didn't want to feel rushed - also given the time of year we wanted a bit of protection in case the weather was bad.............I'm very glad we had the extra time.

I think you can do Cusco in one day if you go to Sacsayhuaman on your way out of the city to the Sacred Valley. We actually went twice - once after we toured the city (to hang out and to watch all the families flying kites) and the next morning to tour it on our way to the Sacred Valley.

I think MP can definitely be done in one day. And while Elizabeth has a point about the weather, we had an awful weather day the second time I went and still had a wonderful time. In fact, it was prettier and more mystical in the rain with all the misty clouds rising up from the valley.

I definitely think adding in Lake Titicaca would be too hard. You need more time to fully enjoy it. But I still think you should not miss Ica and the Nazca lines. Everyone in our fivesome ranked it up there with MP. If you cut out one night in Cusco or one night in the Sacred Valley, you could do it and still be very happy with the leisurely pace of your itinerary. Keep in mind most people do it in 4 or 5 nights. Personally, I think that's one or two nights too fast. Six nights would be perfect.

If you post your email addres as ___ at ___ dot com, I'll email you some pics that will probably convince your kids, if not you.

p.s. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do, but I just think your kids will get so much out of Ica and Nasca. And with nobody focused on preserving the lines, who knows how long they will last. Same with the Ica oasis...there used to be nine, now there is only one.

One Day or Two in MP?

I'd like to toss out my opinion on the issue of how long to stay in MP.

Last month was my first trip to Peru. Machu Picchu was one of the hilights of the trip. The night before we'd stayed in the Sacred Valley (Posada Sonesta in Yucay) and left early taking the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. There, we met up w/ guide & small group to take the bus up to the ruins and tour the site. Arrived at the entrance to MP around 10:00 am and our tour lasted about 3 hours. Did we see most everything we wanted to? I'd say yes.

After lunch (Sanctuary Lodge) we checked in and relaxed on the grounds. We certainly could have gone back into the ruins, but frankly, were a bit weary. And, we were staying the night & knew we'd be going back inside early the next morning to experience sunrise. When we did return the next morning (6:00 am), we were so glad for that more quiet, relaxed time to wander about on our own. Plus, it's a magical time to see the ruins shrouded in fog and then emerge as the rising sun burns away the mist.

Now, in your instance, you'll be visiting in January, vs. my time there in June. Several differences to consider:

1. Your time at MP will likely be MUCH less crowded than when I was there;
2. You'll be there during rainy season and so the "magical clearing sunrise" may not happen at all or in the same way as it does during the dry period;
3. After several hours scrambling around an archeological site, will a 6 & 7 yr old need another day to experience the "ambiance" and gaze upon this site?

For myself I am so glad that I did stay overnight and experience the ruins on that second day. However, in your situation, I'd be inclined to follow hills27 advice. Give MP a full day, however, don't see that you'll need more than that. If it's more convenient to spend the night, then do so and move on early the next day.

Also, I only explored Aguas Calientes on our way from MP to Cusco -- had a couple hours to stroll around town. I never did see the thermal springs, so don't know whether that may be something the kids would enjoy or not.

OH . . . one more thing I forgot to mention. I'm sure your kids will get a kick out of the llamas that live at the MP ruins. They have a herd of llamas (1 happy male, w/ 16 females) there. They are the "lawnmowers" keeping the grass nicely trimmed.

The llamas must be used to the onslaught of daily visitors as they almost seem to pause & pose for a photo op!