Best of Peru for Families: Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu

Our agent at this Peru travel company planned a 16 day private tour for my family through Southern Peru. We visited Lima, Paracas, Arequipa, Puno, Machu Picchu and Cusco. This trip was AMAZING!! Our agent intuitively knew exactly what kind of excursions, accommodations and guides we would be most pleased with. The entire trip went off without one problem - every connection, every tour, every hotel - perfect! I was so incredibly happy with every aspect of the trip. I would give this travel agency the highest recommendation possible! Thank you Zicasso for referring us to this travel company :)

First of all - Peru is an amazing country, rich with colorful culture, people and food. I was going there with my lovely wife with usual preparation information gleaned from the internet through various sites and excitement as we prepared for South American Amazon and Machu Picchu, Cusco, Sacred Valley stops on an 11 day journey.Little did I know, I would be immersed in an experience of sight, sound, taste and feel - a journey that caused many moments of deep reflection, appreciation, gratitude, and love for humanity. A huge part of this gratitude for putting together this opportunity goes to our new friends our travel planners at this travel company. They organized a wonderful cross dimensional trip across the jungle and arid lands this country offers, where we had personal and personable, highly intelligent and knowledgeable guides that left us speechless at times as we absorbed all the cultural teachings, offerings (in Spanish and English). One travel planner even met us on our last full day to personally escort our visit with the lovely teachers and children of local village house – an educational charity working in the small town of Oropesa and other villages in the surrounding rural area 25km outside of Cusco, Peru. The charity offers a comprehensive afterschool program in academic and non-academic subjects, along with helping the children with their homework, which takes the burden off the parents. Thank you so so much!!

Our travel planner organized beautiful, amazing tours with Excellent guides: Amazon lodge stay and a local tour company (loved our new friend and guide); Sacred Valley, Maras Salt mines, Moray Ruins, Cusco Community Home visit (so special, honored new friend and guide); Machu Picchu guided tour and next day Sun Gate ascend and walk down to town; Cusco 2 day visit with a San Pedro Market tour and Amazing cooking class (with honored new friend and guide/professional chef).

We HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this travel company for Peru, and we intend to schedule future Galapagos, Brazil, Chile or Argentina trips with them also – thank you guys so so much!! Words will never express our feelings of gratitude and great fortune working with and getting to know you both (especially our planner – you’re an excellent driver BTW !)

Lastly and Importantly: Bring an appetite to experience the amazingly, indescribable flavors of this country – from the earth to plate, sprinkled with local and unbelievable spiced, herbed flavor diversity, there is a treasure to be had in the various dishes and preparations that reflect local historical significance. We had amazing food throughout our journey and encourage all who visit to expand their heart mind and pallet to capture the culinary opportunity that abounds in Peru!!

This trip was a much-anticipated adventure for my 17 year old son and myself, spending a vacation together before he goes off to college. Our travel agency was absolutely amazingly helpful and responsive in every area. My son picked Machu Picchu as his top destination, so I worked closely with our agent to design the perfect itinerary of 2 weeks in Peru, building it around various cultural sites and natural wonders. Our agent developed a wonderful set of hotels, tours, and transportation, quickly and pleasantly making changes as I came up with different ideas over several weeks. The first week was absolutely wonderful--3 days in Lima (stayed in the Miraflores area), a great introduction to the Peruvian food, culture and history; 3 days in the Sacred Valley (stayed in a lovely hotel converted from an old mission in Yucay), visiting amazing historical sites, then 2 days in the Machu Picchu area--of course, an incredible highlight. All of our tour guides were very professional, spoke excellent English, and were friendly and knowledgeable, with a genuine pride in their country and a real love of people. The second week of our trip was not as planned (5 days in Cusco area, 2 days at Lake Titicaca), as my son ended up needing an emergency appendectomy the day after we left Machu Picchu. He spent a week at a clinic (02 Network Medical Clinic) in Cusco, getting excellent care, and being treated very well by everyone at the hospital and the hotel (where I slept some nights). My travel agency helped me change our itinerary (I ended up doing some of the day tours alone, while my son was asleep in the hospital) and work with the medical staff and the hotel. They did not charge me extra for any of the changes or extra help, way above and beyond the usual tours! In addition, their travel insurance, that was included as part of the travel package, covered quite a bit of the cost of my son's medical cost (my own separate travel insurance handled the rest). I found all of the travel agency's staff to be wonderful and strongly recommend using their services--they are reliable, responsible, responsive, kind, and incredibly helpful.

Wow, where do we start? We took a chance to explore our love on an amazing Peruvian honeymoon adventure through the mysterious and wondrous pathways of the Inca trails, mountain tops of magical Machu Picchu, hotels, rooftops, and markets of Cusco and Lima. Little did we know that not only would it cause us to fall in love and create a deeper connection with the divine, but we would also find our hearts connected to a land, culture, and people that welcomed us with open arms as one of their own. Mother Pachamama, you are truly the salt of Peru.

We searched near and far for an agency that could fulfill our traveling needs and desires, and there in the balance they stood. Zicasso's travel partner is definitely a cut above the rest in the competitive industry of traveling and tourism. From the moment we made contact, we knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were something special. From our first correspondence, we were drawn in by a force, and behold, with what appeared to be no effort, our needs were met. Our travel agents seamlessly tailored for us an adventurous itinerary that left us speechless and in awe.

Breathtaking views of historical and archaeological civilizations passed, yet all but forgotten. We relished the cultural ambiance of the locals. The expertise of our tour guide, chauffeur, our lovely and articulate chef, and the many hotels that accommodated our rest, refreshments, revival, and retreat were truly amazing. From the smiles on their faces to the looks in their eyes, we knew that what they had given us were acts of selflessness, not just tourist favor. What we received was genuinely and wholeheartedly fueled by the passion inside of them for the land they love, the people they supported, the traditions that shaped their hearts, and the spirituality they held sacred, both near and dear to their souls.

Our travel agent organized a perfect 12 day Peru trip for our family of 6 (kids between 9 and 18) with a string of highlights from Puerto Maldonado/jungle camp, Sacred Valley/Cusco, Inka Trail/Machu Pichu, Lake Titicaca and Lima.

Highly personalized composition of the tour, top quality guides for each stage, every transport on time and with friendly personell. 

Great advice in planning stage regarding choices, sequence of trip, places to stay.

Very responsive to last minute issues (lost passport). Highly committed to make the tour a memorable experience for everyone.