Visiting Peru with Kids: Central Coast, Arequipa and the Colca Canyon
My husband’s mother is Peruvian, making my children 1/4 Peruvian. It’s a big country and despite having visited numerous times, we still have a lot more to see and show our kids.
But, we’ve been there twice with our daughter and so, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which kicks off today, I thought it was time to write a post on Peru with kids. I’m also participating in the Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop sponsored by Multicultural Kid Blogs where some fabulous prizes are being given away. Enter the giveaway below, and check out the great collection of cultural and language-related posts.
Nothing says Peru like llamas and alpacas!
Peru is a great country. The food alone is well worth a visit, even if you aren’t up for sampling cow’s heart or guinea pig (it tastes just like chicken…). There are tons of great dishes and desserts and I’ll eat my weight in ceviche if I have the chance!
Ceviche, fish marinated in key limes, red onion and Peruvian ahi peppers, is one of Peru’s most famous dishes. Photo by Don Lucho via Wikimedia.
All trips begin in Lima. When we are in Lima, we stay with family and usually don’t visit the sites because we’ve been to them. That said, if you are going to visit the city, don’t miss the Cathedral and the Museum of the Catacombs (if you aren’t freaked out by numerous human bones laying around), the Gold Museum, and the Mercado Surquillo, for a truly ubicacion experience.
The catacombs at San Francisco Basilica in Lima Peru. Photo by Marie Thérèse Hébert & Jean Robert Thibault via Flickr.
You also must be sure to visit local restaurants. Most places are good with kids. Some of our favorites are: Tanta, Astrid y Gaston (fine dining, so bring your kids if they are used to nice restaurants), ceviche restaurants Pescados Capitales and La Mar, and Restaurante Fiesta.
We typically visit Peru in January or February in order to escape winter in the northern hemisphere. It’s a great time of year to be there. Some of my husband’s cousins have beach houses an hour south of Lima where we all gather on weekends.
Our winter is Peru’s summer. We love visiting in January and February so we can pack our swim suits!
The coast south of Lima is dotted with private beach front communities that have pools, restaurants/cafes, a private beach and some cool architecture. While we are lucky enough to have family willing to put us up, you can find places to rent through VRBO, Home Away and Airbnb.
Sunset along the coast south of Lima, Peru.
We’ve been to Peru only twice since our daughter was born. During those visits, in addition to spending time in Lima, we also headed south to Arequipa and the Colca Canyon.
Smaller than Lima, Arequipa has a slightly less chaotic and a bit more civilized feel to it than does Lima. This makes it easier to just roam and soak up the local culture.
We loved the pop of color on this house in Arequipa, Peru.
The cathedral is beautiful and sits on a lovely square where locals gather and socialize. As with any city, there are plenty of good places to eat. We had a great meal at Chincha, owned by Peru’s most famous chef Gaston Acurio (he also owns Tanta, La Mar and Astrid y Gaston, which I recommended above).
The cathedral in Arequipa borders a lovely square where locals gather to picnic and pass away the time.
From Arequipa, you are a three-hour drive on a bumpy, dusty “highway” – they call it a highway, I call it a dirt road – to the Colca Canyon.
Traffic jam in the Colca Canyon, Peru.
At twice the depth of the Grand Canyon in the U.S., it is a beautiful and impressive region. The mountain sides are dotted with vicunas (a distant relative of alpacas), local sheep herders in their colorful attire move along the dusty roads and the Andean Condors, with their 10 foot wingspan, take flight.
We couldn’t have had a much more authentic experience than driving down the road and coming across this scene of a Peruvian family herding their sheep.
The bumpy drive may make you want to jump out the window but it’s worth it in the end. We had an amazing stay at Las Casitas del Colca, where a guide was arranged to take us out to see the condors and into a local town. Back at the resort, we also participated in a couple of Peruvian cooking classes. The staff was great with our daughter and provided everything we could possibly have needed during our visit.
This condor had a wingspan of approximately seven to eight feet! It was soaring nearly 4,000 feet above the canyon floor.
In addition to the aforementioned activities, we also could have gone hiking, fishing and horseback riding, but our daughter was too young at the time. Truly one of the nicest places we have ever stayed, both my husband and I would LOVE to return – if not for that pesky three-hour drive.
These alpacas and llamas freely wandered the property of Las Casitas del Colca and had no fear of getting up close and personal!
We can’t wait to go back to Peru; our next visit will be our son’s first. We love keeping up our kids’ connection to their heritage (and being able to eat a lot of ceviche, of course). Next time we hope to head north to the beaches on the Ecuador border and into the Amazon jungle. Stay tuned.
* This post was also featured on Walking on Travels , where you can find more inspiring travel posts and tips.
**Below is some more information on the Multicultural Kid Blogs Hispanic Heritage Month blog hop along with an opportunity to win some great prizes.
Welcome to the Third Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop, hosted this year by Multicultural Kid Blogs and 22 of our member blogs! Don’t miss our amazing giveaway, and share your own posts at our linky!
Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15 every year, “celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America” (from HispanicHeritageMonth.gov)
Be sure to visit all of the participating blogs (listed below) and follow our related Pinterest boards:
Don’t miss our Twitter party “Celebrating Hispanic Heritage with Kids,” Tuesday, September 23, from 9 – 10 pm ET! Follow #mkbhhm to participate!
MKB Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop: Participating Blogs
Entre Compras y El Hogar
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes
Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
A Life With Subtitles
Daria’s Music
My Favorite Multicultural Books
Changing Plate
Our Whole Village
Hispanic Heritage Month GIVEAWAY!
This year to celebrate we are giving away fabulous prizes! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post for a chance to win!
Please note that there are shipping restrictions on some prizes. In the event that the winner lives outside of the shipping area, that portion of the prize will be added to the following prize package.
Grand Prize Package
Smart Play Pad (SRP $ 24.99): Interactive tablet like electronic toy makes early learning fun and exciting for little ones. More than 30 touch sensitive keys teach language and pronunciation skills to help prepare children for school. Bilingual feature helps kids learn in English & Spanish. Lightweight and truly portable for on-the-go learning. Ships to US and Canada only.
A basket of fun from Escuela Falcón in Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico. This prize includes educational games, ceramic Day of the Dead skulls, a hand-painted ceramic box, wooden toys, and a certificate for 5 hours of Skype Spanish lessons with Escuela Falcón.
A basket from Lanugo that includes Lanugo’s new book, “Lula la Consentida,” a limited edition “Latino de Corazón” infant apparel, and Seventh Generation’s earth conscious baby product essentials. US shipping only.
A Spanish edition of the award-winning game Bananagrams.
DVD of Spanish music videos from Rockalingua.
A Movie in my Pillow and Poems to Dream Together – Books of poetry in English and Spanish from Lee and Low.
First Prize Package
A child’s sweater and bag from Peru courtesy of Kid World Citizen. The handmade, wool sweater is typical from the Andes and might fit a child ages 2-4. The little backpack is also handmade with gorgeous details typical of the region.
A Spanish edition of the award-winning game Bananagrams.
Chocolalala – CD of songs in English and Spanish from Mister G.
Hola Hello – A CD of children’s songs in English and Spanish from Mariana Iranzi.
Mis primeros poemas – A book of poems and audio CD for Spanish learners from All Bilingual Press.
Digital download of Spanish Colors Activities Pack with printable minibooks, games and activity pages from Mundo de Pepita.
Spanish activity book with an audio CD with listening exercises for kids between 3-10 years old (value: 12€) from Lingua Toys.
Hand-crafted guiro (traditional instrument), hand-carved from a gourd in Bolivia with a sun and moon pattern. Great instrument as well as a piece of folk art. From DARIAMUSIC. US shipping only.
Second Prize Package
Handwoven scarf from Nicaragua courtesy of Spanish Playground.
¡Las letras! and Señorita Bienvenida en el aeropuerto – Two children’s books in Spanish from Libros Arellano.
A CD of children’s songs in English and Spanish from Mariana Iranzi.
ABC Fiesta – CD of songs in English and Spanish from Mister G.
Digital download of 6 printable Spanish high frequency words books from Custom Literacy.
Hand woven and leather Guatemala coin purse, a fun and vibrant gift. Given by www.AlarconRestaurants.com – from their Gift Gallery in Antigua Real Restaurant, Mukwonago WI.
Bonus Prize: France Shipping Only!
Beautiful piñata created especially for this contest by Piñatas de Laly.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Link Up Your Posts Now it’s your turn to share your posts! The linky will be open through October 15, so come back and share throughout Hispanic Heritage Month!
