HariS

If you are interested in Culture and History - India and Sri Lanka are probably amongst the best destinations you can hope to pick!

AllyB

I don't know if you've made a decision yet, but my personal advice would be to wait for Peru until the children are older. Peru is a FANTASTIC country - we spent four weeks there in 1995 and the diversity is just amazing - it really was one of the best holidays I've ever had, but I think that at least my children (also 5 and 8), would have a hard time appreciating it. First of all, the altitude (for example in Cuzco) takes at least 24 hours to get used to - I had a really bad headache and my nose kept bleeding - and if you were considering the Inca trail, one of the days is really tough, when you go up to nearly 4000 metres (day 2 I think). Visiting Machu Picchu was an absolute highlight, but I think, not really children-friendly. Regarding the Amazon, it's also an amazing experience, but conditions are quite hard regarding the heat and humidity. You also hear a lot in the Amazon, but it's obviously not a safari, so you'd be lucky to actually see some of the more exciting wildlife.... There are also other places which the children would like, (Ballestas Islands would be a big hit, possibly the Nazca lines as well, Lake Titicaca.....), but distances are far (we did lots of overnight travelling on trains and buses), and I think you would all enjoy it more when they are a bit older...
My suggestions for a family trip would be Thailand as well (have been without kids and think they would enjoy it), and the next places I want to visit are Morocco (have you considered it?) and Costa Rica even though the weather is not ideal in our Summer.
Let us know what you decide!!

Lynneb

Statefan
I did a great trip to Ecuador a few years ago. A combination of the rainforest, Andes and then the Galapagos Islands.

Although there weren't any children on our trip, I think it is something children would enjoy. The rainforest has the monkeys, birds etc and the Galapagos is fantastic. In the Andes, the markets are colourful and there's horseriding, hiking available. The Andes part of Ecuador is quite similar to Peru (as is the rainforest) but the distances for travelling to the Galapagos would be less.

The only thing you might need to check is the time of year for the Galapagos - I'm not sure when the best time is. If you decide to combine the Galapagos with the rainforest, do the Galapagos last as it's much tougher to spot wildlife in the rainforest and therefore it would seem disappointing after stepping over things on the Galapagos!

bittty2000

Kenya . Best time to witness the great Migration , initiation in Bukusu land and very good for cultural safaris with some of the best parks in africa , if not the world .

Bitty

Patty

From what I understand, wildlife viewing in the Galapagos is good pretty much year round though the water will be colder and may be rougher in the North American summer months. You'll probably want some thermal protection while snorkeling. We went in May and were glad we brought shorty wetsuits though most on our boat went without. We had a 2 and 4 year old on our boat which I thought was a bit too young but I think 5 and 8 are old enough to enjoy it. There are some cruises with specific family departures too but they tend to be with the more expensive operators like Lindblad. We went with a smaller, first class vessel (they're graded luxury, first, tourist superior and tourist) and were very happy with our choice. And if you decide on the Galapagos, I agree that mainland Ecuador itself has a lot to offer. We spent some time in Quito and stayed at a cloud forest lodge nearby but I wished we'd had more time to visit some of the market towns. It was all quite accessible and easy to combine with the Galapagos. Good luck with your decision!

Statefan

I really appreciate the continued thoughts and ideas. Here is where I am at this point:

Galapagos - I've pretty much ruled it out as the cost is outrageous for such a short trip. I want to go some day, but I'm not willing to pay that much for smaller children.

Peru - waiting to get some ideas back from a Peru travel specialist who promises she has plenty of ideas/activities that will keep the kids happy. My intial research suggests there seems to be either really expensive places to stay or hostal-type places with not much in between so that might prove to be an issue. We shall see.

Thailand - unfortunately, June is supposed to be a really bad month to go there because of the rain. It's out for now.

Egypt - I sent an email out to a Cairo specialist a couple of days ago (a Fodorite, hint, hint) asking for her opinion on kids there, but have not received a response yet. There seems to be a lot of different things to do there that will appeal to kids so I am diving into it further.

I will look into Morocco.