We are a couple (late twenties/early thirty) with our two year old (she will be around three when we visit). We are planning our first visit to South America next year mid April to mid May and looking for feedback on the itinerary below. We are well traveled and have been traveling with our child since she was a month old. She was four months when we took her to Japan and 23 months when we enjoyed her company on the Trans-Mongolian railway. I'm looking for feedback on this itinerary -

a) anything we should know traveling with a child in SA
b) tip/advice on any of the destinations below
c) suggestions on amending duration (less time at some place, more time etc)
d) interesting destinations along this general itinerary that I've missed out
e) One specific input I'm looking for is Atacama. What are your thoughts on omitting Atacama and adding those extra days to Peru (more time around Cusco and/or visit to Puerto Maldonado)

4/19/2012 Fly to Santiago from JFK (evening flight)
4/20/2012 Arrival in Santiago early morning. Connecting flight to Atacama
4/21/2012 Atacama
4/22/2012 Atacama
4/23/2012 Fly to Santiago
4/24/2012 Day trip to Colchagua Valley
4/25/2012 Drive to Valparaiso
4/26/2012 Drive to Vina Del Mar
4/27/2012 Drive back to Santigao (via Paque Nacional Campana)
4/28/2012 Fly to Easter Island
4/29/2012 Easter Island
4/30/2012 Easter Island
5/1/2012 Easter Island
5/2/2012 Fly to Lima
5/3/2012 Bus to Nazca. Flight over lines.
5/4/2012 Bus to Arequipa
5/5/2012 Arequipa (Colca Canyon visit)
5/6/2012 Arequipa
5/7/2012 Bus to Puno
5/8/2012 Puno (Lake Titicaca Visit)
5/9/2012 Fly To Cusco
5/10/2012 Cusco
5/11/2012 Cusco
5/12/2012 Cusco
5/13/2012 Cusco
5/14/2012 Fly to Lima. Fly to SFO late night.

We had considered the Patagonia region as well, opposed to North Chile but decided we would want to do that jointly with a trip to Argentina at a later date.

I don't have children, so I rarely think in terms of traveling with them. You know your child best, but this does not strike me as a trip with a lot of things that will hold a 3 y/o child's interest. But it sounds like she has managed well before.

Lima to Arequipa is about 15 hours on the bus. Do you really want to do that?

Talk to your child's pediatrician about high altitudes. That will be an issue with Cusco, Puno, and Lake Titicaca.

Like jeff CR my main concern would be around your child coping with the altitude. You should definitely consult a physician well versed in this topic and with the usual vaccination/travel medicine requirements

I am not sure whether children cope with the altitude changes better or worse than adults - not everyone is affected badly but it is a very serius issue which should not be taken lightly. Acclimatisation is always best achieved slowly. In the case of your proposed itinerary. I suppose, to an extent you would be achieving this by travelling by bus from Arequipa to Puno (the highest point on your trip. However personally, I would prefer to fly to Cusco from Arequipa, transfer immediately to the Sacred Valley (say Ollantaytambo) which is at a lower altitude than Cusco and provides a more gradual acclimatisation. Then spend a few days in Cusco (higher still) and then get the Inka Express (a very scenic trip) to Puno and then return to |Lima from there.

Peru is a fascinating country with lots to see highlights which I would not miss are Santa Catalina convent in Arequipa (if there is a fiesta on that will be spectacular!), Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Chinchero etc. in the Sacred Valley. A boat trip on Lake Titicaca.

Valparaiso is a great town (be aware that it is all very steep hills) great food and very interesting historically. Vina del Mar did not impress an I would leave this out adding extra time to Valpo.

We didn't really spend much time in the Atacama but wish we had. We simply stayed in Arica for a couple of days but again it is a very nice town (great seafood!).

Bus travel is efficient and comfortable but the journeys can be very long - I would not want to do it with a 3 year old.

A little more detail on the destinations we visited with photo on our blog (Entries 55 onwards):

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/1/tpod.html

Again, the issue of altitude, and both for yourself as well as your child.
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdo...ravel/247.html

mdtravelhealth.com good site for you

kids do fine and have a blast as long as you

a very careful with food and water rule of thumb

"bake it,boil it,peel it or leave it"

very GRADUAL adjustment to the altitude over several days

despegar.com usually save a tonne flying Sky to Lima

would take the Gringo Trail to Paracas Nasca Arequipa

Colca-lodge.com then 4m-express.com to titicacaperu.com

then inkaexpress.com to Cusco/MP www.casa-andina.com

great hotels everywhere.

Plenty to do in the time u have personally EI got

boring after 2 days for me atacama interesting not worth

visa costs to Bolivia of hundreds...

If I were going to an island would go to Galapagos

www.guanguiltagua.com did Ecuador last fall had a blast...

wildlife is truly amazing unlike anywhere else in the world.

The Bellastas (Galapagos of Peru) are ok though penguins

sea lions birds so that would probably be all I would do

in 3 weeks...

www.saexplorers.org www.andeantravelweb.com

Happy Travels!

adventures.worldnomads.com/destination/168/itinerary/23.aspx

good tips for you with 3 might consider private driver guide

from $50/half day might save and be more flexible cheaper than

www.cruzdelsur.com.pe best bus do not do the upstairs

do the downstairs VIP seats worth a bit more bigger less

theft risk.... insuremytrip.com always wise weather strikes

unrest theft rare but not unusual... Have fun,

forgot might add manuadventures.com inkanatura.com Manu

from Cusco for some super cool jungle wild life if time

best large mammal sightings like jaguars in Peru...

Would beat tha pants off a long slog to remote treeless

Easter Island for me and odds are it would be lots cheaper too

The only comment I would have is that it is a punishing itinerary for anyone. But you know yourselves and your child.

4/24/2012 Day trip to Colchagua Valley
The Colchagua valley is not really a day trip, or it is a very long day. You won't be able to combine wine tasting and driving.
4/25/2012 Drive to Valparaiso
4/26/2012 Drive to Vina Del Mar
These two are immediately next to each other and a commuter train runs between them. Parking and driving in Valparaíso is a problem. It would be easier to stay in Viña and visit Valparaíso. Or just take the bus.
4/27/2012 Drive back to Santigao (via Paque Nacional Campana)
A visit to the park is more of a whole day affair. The paths can be quite steep and would be difficult for a small child. There are picnic areas at the lower levels. I would choose lunch in one of the country restaurants in nearby Olmue as being more child friendly.
4/28/2012 Fly to Easter Island
4/29/2012 Easter Island
4/30/2012 Easter Island
5/1/2012 Easter Island
5/2/2012 Fly to Lima
You will have to return to Santiago to fly to Lima. Last year there were flights between Lima and EI with LAN but they were only available in the summer and it is not definite whether they will resume this summer.

Do not underestimate the altitude at San Pedro de Atacama. I presume that is where you are going in the Atacama desert. It is still about 2400 meters above sea level and many of the tours go higher.

By law you need a car seat for your child if they are younger than 4. You would need to ask the car rental company if they can provide one before you book.

Thank you everyone for the excellent responses and advice. We'll certainly consult our daughter's pediatrician on altitude sickness. We'll amend our trip to make the Chile car drive portion more reasonable (skip Vine del Mar perhaps)

Jeff - we don't do Lima to Arequipa direct on a bus. We will halt at Nazca.

Huentetu - we actually already have the ticket booked for a nonstop from Easter Island to Lima. Apparently the service resumes starting Jan 2012. However, LAN has a reputation for being cavalier with routes so we will be watching out.

I had a question on "robberies" while traveling on buses in Peru. Are we talking about petty theft (co-passenger stealing some of your stuff) or armed highway robberies?

Yes there are armed robberies on some of the night busses (often the driver is a suspected accomplice). Take a high end bus such as Cruz del Sur to reduce your risk.

Wow, that does make me want to reconsider using buses at all. I also read advise on another forum to avoid night buses altogether due to increased chances of accidents and robberies.

We use buses almost exclusively during 5 months in South America including quite a few night buses and experienced no problems whatsover. If you stick to the high end companies like cruz del Sur/Andesmar/Via Bariloche as mlgb suggests, I doubt you will experience any problems. The on bit of excitement we experienced was on a 24 hour trip from Salta to Iguazu where the police stop the bus and hauled off everyone's luggage and X rayed it using a portable machine. It was surreal sitting on a bus at 2.00am in the middle of nowhere watching your bags moving along on a conveyor belt just like the airport!

I feel that the armed robberies referred to relate to travel on the "local" buses that tourists. Other than backpackers, rarely use. We used these quite a lot for shorter journeys, mostly in the SV but we were warned by our Spanish tutors not to use them at night for fear of robbery/pickpockets etc.

crellston, appreciate the note. That is indeed reassuring. I do think using a bus on some portions of our journey makes more sense than attempting to fly. The sections we want to are served by Cruz del sur so thats what we will use.

Just wanted to publish my near final itinerary after research over the last few months. Still have some flexibility in making changes except for the flight into Santiago, Easter Island and in/out of Peru which is booked.

After much thought we have left out the Amazon for another trip when we visit Brazil and our daughter is older enough to enjoy it.

4/19/2012 Fly to Santiago from JFK
4/20/2012 Santiago (early morning arrival)
4/21/2012 Santiago
4/22/2012 Fly to Atacama (Valle de Luna)
4/23/2012 Atacama (Altiplano lakes)
4/24/2012 Atacama (Tatio Geysers)
4/25/2012 Fly to Santiago. Transfer to Valparaiso
4/26/2012 Valparaiso
4/27/2012 Santiago
4/28/2012 Fly to Easter Island (early morning)
4/29/2012 Easter Island
4/30/2012 Easter Island
5/1/2012 Easter Island
5/2/2012 Fly to Lima (midnight arrival)
5/3/2012 Early morning 5 AM flight to Arequipa (will layover at the airport itself)
5/4/2012 Afternoon Taxi to Chivay
5/5/2012 Visit Cruz del Condor. 4M Express Bus to Puno
5/6/2012 Puno (visit lake Titicaca)
5/7/2012 InkaExpress Bus To Cusco
5/8/2012 Taxi to Olly (via Pisac). Evening train to Aguas Calientes
5/9/2012 Visit MP. Train back to to Olly
5/10/2012 Olly
5/11/2012 Cusco
5/12/2012 Cusco
5/13/2012 Early morning flight to Lima
5/14/2012 Fly to SFO

Looks like a great trip! Have you chosen accommodation yet?

No crellston. Have only now begun to focus on that. The one booked so far is campo base in san pedro Atacama. We are looking for mid range accommodations. Not luxury but not downright budget either. Any recommendations will be most helpful.

Shoonye, I liked Killawasi in Yanque in the Colca Canyon. I think they have triple rooms. The upper level ones have a balcony. Nice enough views. If you are going by taxi, do you know how you will be getting to the Condor Cross? It's quite a long way from Chivay or Yanque to the Condor Cross. Don't know what a taxi or separate tour would cost you, round trip. I still think booking a tour package may be a better choice, if you use one of the companies that provides a minivan transfer rather than a pool bus. When you go by taxi, you are paying for the driver's round trip.

Arequipa has a beautiful town center and the Santa Catalina Monastery. (The other big site in Arequipa is the "Ice Maiden" museum, which requires a guided tour, it wasn't my favorite but might appeal to your child). You could arrange for a pickup from the airport, breakfast near the Plaza then a visit to Santa Catalina Monastery, which opens at 8 or 9 am. You do need to be careful with taxis in Arequipa, especially with luggage. You might want to book this together with the transfer to Chivay, in advance, if you can.

In Puno I stayed at Qelqatani, they also have a sister hotel Don Giorgio. Family owned, very nice front desk staff. There are also a number of Casa Andina hotels in Puno at different price points.

In Ollantaytambo I liked El Albergue, they have triple rooms. Do reserve ahead with them, they are very popular with those wanting to take the first train to MP. The standard rooms are still pretty reasonably priced. A notch is up Hotel Pakaritampu. A notch down is KB Tambo, supposed to have some good family rooms, haven't seen them. Others may have more recommendations in Olly.

In Cusco I liked Hotel El Balcon Cusco, www.balconcusco.com. Not far from the Plaza, and you can get there by taxi if your driver knows how to go around the block (it's a steep one way street). They have a family suite.

I might switch your SV itinerary to overnight 5/8 in Cusco. You will be coming of that long bus ride from Puno, and if it were me I want a day to relax without switching again. If you wanted to visit Pisac, it's an hour from Cusco, easy to do as a round trip. You can see the ruins and the smaller market on Tuesdays.

5/9 I would recommend doing a tour/transfer from Cusco to Olly, you can visit Moray and the Salineras on the way. You'd still have time to see Ollantaytambo old town and ruins that day and take the train.

However, I'd consider sleeping in Olly, and take the first train on the 10th (it's at 6:10 am, gets to Aguas Calientes at 7:40 am) With tickets to MP in hand, you'd be up on the top before 8:30 and it will still not be packed with day trippers. Be sure to do at least one train leg during daylight. So you could spend the night of the 11th in Aguas if you wanted to have a backup day for MP in case of rain, or take an early train back to Ollantaytambo and then taxi onto Cusco on the 11th. Usually the mid day train will not sell out and it's possible to reserve your train now, and change it once for a 10% penalty. Even now you can see some of the better early morning trains are full, so I would do that as soon as you have your hotels.

My favorite Lima hotels are in Barranco, Second Home Peru has added a family suite. I'm sure others will have recommendations for Lima.

Remember Hostal does not equal hostel, it just means a small inn vs a big hotel. Usually family-run!

On second thought, don't see the Ice Maiden, I think it might be too scary/gruesome for a 3-year old!

mlgb, thanks for such a comprehensive response! I will research the hotels you have mentioned above. One question on MP, you recommend staying that night in AC so I have an option in case there is rain. However, my understanding was I have to buy tickets online in advance and they are for a specific date. Is that correct?

You should buy tickets online in advance, just to speed up your entry and if you were hiking Huayna Picchu. Unfortunately you can't buy the discounted child's tickets online. But there is still a ticket office in Aguas Calientes. Unless you are going in high season, you should be able to walk up and buy a ticket for the next day. There are also options to change your ticket date for any reason (with a penalty) but they require a minimum 24 hours notice. Although I suspect it's a headache, at least that option is out there.

BTW the DRC-C call center and email has English speaking agents. They have been having trouble with the website since the beginning of the year. Hopefully it is finally fixed.