Unveiled: the best way to spend a family -friendly holiday in Peru – from magic Machu Picchu to boat trips and hidden islands

“We have to take a family vacation to Peru!” says Mrs. Brown in the third Paddington film. And of course they do that, easily if that – and loose and ridiculous bear -related adventures follow.

That may all be very good at Hollywood, but is it really an option in the real world?

Well, we tried with our 10-year-old son, Alfie and our 8-year-old daughter, Poppy.

And yes, the verdict is, it is not only feasible, it is indeed a fantastic, fun country that, with a little grain and determination, is worth it. Here are the top five things to do with children in Paddington Land.

1. Jungle Fever

Go to Puerto Maldonado (accessible to a short flight from the capital Lima or Cusco in the Andes), to experience stunning animals in the heat of the Amazon basin.

The children’s senses will be in overdrive if they absorb the amazing abundance of animals in all shapes and sizes, making all kinds of sounds while they experience that they are immersed in the jungle.

We booked with Jungle Pro who met us at Puerto Maldonado Airport in southeastern Peru and within 10 minutes we boarded a long boat to start our three -hour trip to our lodge in the heart of Jungle.

Along the banks of the incredibly wide and brown tambopata river, who fed the Amazon, Capybara and Caiman, while Loths slept in trees and squirrel monkeys in the branches.

Shortly after our arrival we left during the night walk where we saw, to the great delight of the children, pink Tarantulas, chicken tarantulas (apparently she is known to eat our feathered friends, hence the name!) And the Amazonic horned frog. All the great finds for the children to note in their travel journals.

Other activities during our three-day stay were the search for anacondas (unfortunately no luck, although only seeing where they had been in the flattened reeds, was reasonably nerve-racking), spotting giant riverters and catching piranhas with rudimentary fishermen in a more than children had no longer accepted.

You have to pack the mosquito -resistant, but this is an experience that the little ones will never forget.

2. Magical Machu Picchu

Even children who find ‘old buildings boring’ cannot help but be blown away by the world -famous Inca site that is high in the Andes.

We took the beautiful, glass ceiling train from Ollantaytambo that winds next to the river Vilcanota to Aguas Calientes where a short but hairy (or exciting if you have a 10-year-old) bus step hair in the Machu Picchu ports.

Our guide Marco, supplied by Peru Travel Experts Stopige Mulezel, was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and a bit of an eye on family buttons!

It is a long day for the children – so pack a lot of snacks and water, but a day they loved, especially when the strange lama passed by in the midst of the remains of this miracle of the world.

3. Lake Titicaca

From Cusco we jumped on board with Peru Hop Bus Travel, which offer an excellent hop-on and hop-off way to bypass the sites of this huge and varied country.

The first stop was Puno, the gateway to the huge Lake Titicaca that extends over Peru and Bolivia in the Andes. We stayed in a lodge on one of the floating islands of the Uros that the children loved while our room waved and cracked with the movement of the water.

The islands are small and made by humans, created by layers on layers of cut toora reeds grow in the shallow water of the lake.

The native Uros people have been living in the islands for hundreds of years, and their daily lives includes trips to floating schools and churches by boat.

This is really a unique experience for the whole family to witness a fascinating culture and a different way of life.

Don’t worry, although the ‘buildings’ move with the water that they are anchored, so that you don’t wake up in Bolivia (but don’t tell the children!)

4. The deserts of Huacachina

Back in the Peru Hop bus and the next stop was the desert.

The children will love the adrenaline buzz of Dune Buggy riding (the adults are driving, the children are the co-pilots in these noisy roaring chopped go-karts) in Paracas on the coast or sandboarding in Huacachina for an hour where you can fly the dunes.

Your little ones do not have to be experts. They can just lie on their stomachs on the plate and these incredible gigantic dunes around the Oasis city zippers. It is a sensation ride that they will not forget.

5. The Ballestas Islands

Dubbeds Peru’s Galápagos Islands, these are a group of small islands near the picturesque coastal city of Paracas on the south coast. Although it does not entirely have nature that can brag the Galapagos, a two -hour boat trip is worthwhile and another sensation -filled sensation is for the children.

We saw Humboldt -Penguins, albeit from a distance, and witnessed hundreds of South -American sea lions from close by, coming together on the beach, the men roared to establish and defend their territory.

Although not as colorful as their Galapagos friends, gray boobies can also be seen nesting on the rocks. It is a great journey, almost too fast, but worth the visit.