Family Peru: Machu Picchu and Amazon adventures

While Cusco was the Inca capital, the Sacred Valley below was the agricultural and commercial engine driving the ancient empire. Whether on a walking, horseriding or cycling tour or exploring by road, you'll see the culture left behind by the Incas as well as the continuing use of ancient methods of farming and extracting salt.

Visit Chinchero, a colourful indigenous village which hosts a lively Sunday market. Not far away is the colonial village Maras, where a cascade of salt pans covers the hillside, spectacularly reflecting the strong Andean sun in a multitude of watery mirrors. A short walk, bike or drive away is the fascinating Inca site of Moray, where the ancients experimented with farming techniques that still seem innovative to this day. The site resembles an amphitheatre of terraced levels of farmland, each providing its own microclimate and soil system to suit different crops.

Even if Machu Picchu was not lying at the end of the tracks, resplendent on its mountain pedestal, this train journey would doubtless still be an attraction in its own right. It traverses one of the continent’s most scenic sections of rail, where each of the panoramas that glide past your window seems even more spectacular than the last.

At first you’ll look out over a serene rural tableau, passing a patchwork of fields studded by whitewashed adobe villages. Soon however the valley narrows into a dramatic gorge, carved by the tumultuous Urubamba river that gushes alongside the railway track. Bottle-green mountains and cliffs clad in dense vegetation accompany the final stretch to Machu Picchu village (formerly Aguas Calientes), where a zigzagging bus journey transports you up to the mountaintop Inca citadel.

For a real treat, upgrade to the luxurious Hiram Bingham train to arrive at Machu Picchu in ultimate style and comfort. Harking back to the golden age of rail travel, the carriages are sumptuously kitted out and two dining cars serve up an outstanding gastronomic experience.

This guided walk explores the historical and architectural legacy of the immediate region around the imperial capital of the Incas. On foot you can better appreciate the context of the ruins around Cusco and how they connect to one another, and it’s also a great way to acclimatise in preparation for longer treks.

You’ll visit key ancient sites including the imposing fort of Sacsayhuamán, the Temple of the Moon and the sanctuary of Q’enqo, resembling an amphitheatre of solid stone. 

Exploring the Sacred Valley on foot, with ample opportunity to stop and breathe in the glorious scenery or meet local people, is an idyllic way to slow the pace and get a deeper insight into a rich and rewarding area.

In this fertile Inca heartland, the drama of the Andean backdrop is softened by a warm palette of yellow, green and ochre amongst a patchwork quilt of fields and grasslands.

You'll begin by gaining an insight into life in a traditional weaving community at Huilloc, where you will be welcomed into small local homes to see weaving techniques and designs passed down for countless generations. In fact, the culture and way of life here would probably not seem all that alien to the ancient Incas who once inhabited the valley.

Afterwards, hike along the Patacancha river and on towards Pumamarca, a well-preserved Inca ruin. From here, you can hike back to Ollantaytambo along the terraced hillside.

There's never a shortage of magical moments on a trip into the Amazon, but often the greatest thrill of all is catching sight of an exotic creature in amongst the dense and lustrous vegetation.

Whether it’s the bedazzling rainbow plumage of a flock of parrots blazing across the sky, a hundred beady reptilian eyes returning your gaze on the surface of a jungle lake, or a mischievous troupe of spider monkeys leaping acrobatically between tree branches, snatched scenes of wildlife at rest and play paint a vivid picture of the inner life of the world’s largest rainforest. Even when you can’t see it, the diverse fauna all around you will be sure to make its presence felt in a cacophony of bird song, insect sounds and echoing monkey calls.

From a lodge tucked within the jungle wilderness – or a river boat cruising the Amazon's steamy waterways – you will head out both on foot and on water in search of animal sightings. Typical wildlife-spotting excursions include sunrise boat journeys, piranha fishing, walking safaris by day and night, kayaking, and perhaps a visit to a clay lick to see macaws cluster for their morning feeding ritual in a vibrant burst of colour.

Housing one of the finest collections of pre-Columbian artefacts in all South America, Lima's Larco Herrera Museum is a must for anyone with even a passing interest in ancient civilisations.

Organised by culture – from Moche through Sicán to Chimú – the impressive range of ceramics, textiles and metalwork illustrates Peru's development through the ages. To give an even more vivid image of life in the ancient world, you'll see mummies displayed with their well-preserved clothing and funeral items, as well as an unusual erotic collection.

Arequipa is a charming place in itself, but two particular highlights make it one of Peru's most rewarding cities. The main focal point of any visit is the magnificent Santa Catalina convent, a labyrinthine complex the size of a small town. It has its own network of alleys, picturesquely painted in shades of blue or terracotta and lined with bright geraniums, while its airy cloisters are a haven of tranquillity.

You'll also want to visit the first-rate Santuarios Andinos museum where a small and modern collection of displays draw you into a fascinating if grisly aspect of local history. You'll learn about human sacrifices that occurred on the high Andean peaks that look down over Arequipa, and about how the elements naturally mummified the unfortunate young victims in their mountain tombs. The museum's pride and joy is 550-year-old ‘Ice Maiden’ Juanita, the best-preserved and most poignant of the mummies that were found in the surrounding area. 

Watching down over terrain little changed since the time of the Incas, the majestic condor seems to symbolise the abiding nature of the Andes.

Peru's Colca Canyon is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, and offers an impressive range of vistas all along its length. On the journey to the viewing area at Cruz del Condor, you'll weave alongside terraced hills and tiny mountain communities while the ravine gradually deepens until its gaping walls surround you. To stop and watch condors here in their most spectacular of habitats, as they soar above the deepest point of the canyon, is a powerful and memorable experience. 

This is the moment almost all visitors to Peru have come for: the chance to finally see the legendary Lost City of the Incas for yourself.

Perched on a remote mountain pedestal and shrouded by neighbouring Andean peaks, the secluded citadel of Machu Picchu was never found by the Spanish invaders and escaped plundering, making it the most complete and intact Inca site in existence.

There's never a shortage of magical moments on a trip into the Amazon, but often the greatest thrill of all is catching sight of an exotic creature in amongst the dense and lustrous vegetation.

Whether it’s the bedazzling rainbow plumage of a flock of parrots blazing across the sky, a hundred beady reptilian eyes returning your gaze on the surface of a jungle lake, or a mischievous troupe of spider monkeys leaping acrobatically between tree branches, snatched scenes of wildlife at rest and play paint a vivid picture of the inner life of the world’s largest rainforest. Even when you can’t see it, the diverse fauna all around you will be sure to make its presence felt in a cacophony of bird song, insect sounds and echoing monkey calls.

From a lodge tucked within the jungle wilderness – or a river boat cruising the Amazon's steamy waterways – you will head out both on foot and on water in search of animal sightings. Typical wildlife-spotting excursions include sunrise boat journeys, piranha fishing, walking safaris by day and night, kayaking, and perhaps a visit to a clay lick to see macaws cluster for their morning feeding ritual in a vibrant burst of colour.

The unusual floating existence of the Uros Indians began several centuries ago, when they chose to isolate themselves from the other peoples of the lakeshore and constructed island homes from the reeds that grow in the shallows of the lake.