Most people have heard of deforestation in the rainforest. It’s just another fact that people hear and then go on with their day. Only until you actually visit the place do you get a true sense of its majesty, and more deeply feel the regret of the rainforests slowly dwindling away. We’ve written here about family tours to Peru, and this can be a good way to instill environmental awareness in children.

Ecotourism in Peru doesn’t just involve visiting the natural splendor of the Peruvian rainforest, but also seeing evidence of the devastation. There are also research centers throughout the rainforest, which can provide tours and information about just how important the rainforest is to the entire world’s future. One thing is certain: when you come back from Peru, you’ll have a renewed appreciation for nature. The more people gain this appreciation, the better it will be for the fate of Peru’s vital rainforests.

One thing that has to be mentioned is that tourism can actually have a negative impact on the ecosystem, as people can impact ecosystems. It is important to treat the rainforests with care and respect. Treat the rainforests as well as you would treat your own home.

Not to take anything away from the majestic cities of Europe, but traipsing from one historic building to another is just not as interesting to children as it is to adults. A child’s interest is peaked by natural wonders, and those historic sites like the pyramids or Machu Picchu spring up out of the jungle, full of amazing fauna and wildlife.

One of the best ways to tour Peru with a family is with a kid-specific tours. In Peru, you find all types of tours – Amazon river tours, birdwatching tours, as well as tours specially designed for families. If you don’t choose to have a specialized tour guide (though this is recommended) just know that Peru is definitely kid-friendly territory. It may not be a great destination for very small children, such as toddlers, if you are hiking throughout the jungle, and older children must understand the rules of safety, but many families travel throughout Peru every year and return enlightened and enriched by what Peru has to offer.

It’s important to learn about Peruvian history before you arrive because this will make your trip that much more fulfilling. One method would be to visit your local art or natural history museum to learn about Peruvian relics. Museums in Peru have a wider variety of historical displays, but visiting a museum beforehand can act as a sort of primer.

As you’ll see in much of Peruvian art, religion plays a major role. As reflected in Peru’s churches and paintings, religious iconography is prevalent – though it is of a different character than the religious art traditions of Europe. Recent art in Peru is more eclectic and less religion-based and shows increased worldwide influence.

What may be most amazing about Peru is that the country itself is like a living museum. Seeing art within the confines of a museum is one thing, but actually traveling to Machu Picchu or the Mayan pyramids is more like experiencing history first hand. It is the closest one can get to a time machine and has to be experienced to be believed.

Though South America is full of rainforests, you shouldn’t necessarily prepare for rain – depending where you visit in Peru. The climate in much of Peru is temperate. While not dry – it is generally humid – you will not be guaranteed to hit heavy rainfall either, especially if you visit between the fall and spring. This is good news in terms of how to pack for a vacation as well as ensuring that your trip is not ruined by rain. The jungles of Peru are difficult enough to travel without the extra difficulty of rainfall.

The type of climate in Peru depends on where you’re visiting. The coast is more temperate – given the cool air coming from the oceans, the north is warmer, and the west and south are cooler, given the proximity to the Andean Mountain Range. You are more likely to encounter rain in the winter months, rather than the summertime, whereas in the summer, the rainforests have their rainy season.

Because the summer months can be rainy in the jungle regions of Peru, it is a good idea to have a fallback plan when preparing a trip, should it be raining on a day when you were set to hike or boat within the rainforest. Generally, you will need light and airy clothes, but don’t leave heavier clothes at home either, as these may become necessary.

Even if you are spotting perennial favorites, Peru offers some of the most diverse birdwatching in the world – in terms of the size of birds, color, and different characteristics. Birdwatching sometimes gets the reputation of sitting around waiting for a bird to appear. In Peru, it’s close to being in a zoo, where you don’t have to wait very long for another type of bird to fly by, sometimes flocks at a time.

Currently on record are over 1800 species – including the record for the number of bird species in one place: 650 the jungles of Tambopata. If you think of the common American neighborhood, there may be 20 different species of bird, if that, so Peru offers a dazzling cornucopia of bird species. No binoculars are even required, though of course this can make the experience more enjoyable.

The best bird watching is within the jungles of Peru and there are specialized birdwatching tours available. Keep in mind that any tours through popular tourist attractions like Machu Picchu will also be full of different bird species, so even if a tour is not birdwatching-specific, it’s a good idea to have an identifying guide on hand to know just what type of animals you’re seeing.

Just because it is not required does not mean it is not advisable, however.  This is especially true if you are visiting the jungle areas.  Vaccination against typhus and malaria are recommended. This is purely a precaution, but it is better to be safe than sorry.  As a disease like malaria is transmitted through mosquito bites, protection against mosquitoes is important as well.

Not to worry you, but there have been reports of rabies transmitted from vampire bats!  This has happened in the Madre de Dios and Puno provinces, but it is rare.  Aside from these major dangers, which are avoidable, the main issues affecting tourists are altitude sickness and sickness from drinking tainted water.  “Don’t drink the water” is a popular refrain when traveling below the border of the U.S. and this applies to Peru.  All told, it only takes a bit of preparation in order to have a safe trip through Peru, and if you never leave the major cities, even these precautions will not always be necessary.

About Venture Peru:

Venture Peru is the leading online retailer of Peru tour packages and Peru travel tours. If you are interested in exploring Peru, please visit our book a trip page or contact us at 877.852.7378.

What makes the Nazca lines so extraordinary is their scope and the fact that they can only be appreciated high in the sky – a perspective that the Nazca culture obviously would not have had during that period.  So who exactly were the Nazca lines built for?  Are they entertainment for the Gods – or as some have pointed out, even made by and for something more alien?  Literally, people have argued that the Nazca Lines are landing pads for spaceships.  How were they able to construct these massive drawings without having the perspective from high above?  These questions are unanswered.

More earth-bound theories are that the Nazca Lines are a form of irrigation, or an ambitious art project.  The fact that these are theories and no one knows for sure adds to the Nazca Lines’ mystery and allure.  While it’s possible to visit the area and see how the lines were constructed – by moving away the reddish pebbles of the landscape to reveal the whitish earth underneath – you can only get a true view of the Nazca Lines by flying overhead in a helicopter, so this is the method that is most recommended for visitors.

About Venture Peru:

Venture Peru is the leading online retailer of Peru tour packages and Peru travel tours. If you are interested in exploring Peru, please visit our book a trip page or contact us at 877.852.7378.

Over 3000 people visit the Machu Picchu during the peak months of June to August.  Machu Picchu is accessed via the capital of the ancient Incan Empire, Cusco.  From Cusco, you can visit other ruins, such as the fortresses in the towns of Ollantaytambo and Pisac.  However, Cusco’s Sacred Valley isn’t the only place to find Incan ruins.  In the north, the cities of Trujillo and Chiclayo both claim access to the Tucume pyramids, some of which have Incan origins.

Hiking the Inca Trail is also highly popular.  It can be strenuous in places, so keep this in mind, but by trekking through Peru you are rewarded with clean air and some of the most beautiful vistas in all the world.  At the end of the trail is glorious Machu Picchu – and it can take as long as seven days to get there, depending on the nature of your tour.  It’s possible to trek along the Inca Trail for as little as two days on the way to Peru’s most popular Incan ruin.

About Venture Peru:

Venture Peru is the leading online retailer of Peru tour packages and Peru travel tours. If you are interested in exploring Peru, please visit our book a trip page or contact us at 877.852.7378.

Nothing typifies Lima’s mixture of the old and the new more than the city’s architecture.  In the financial district, buildings are comprised of glass skyscrapers – modern, and even futuristic, in design.  Older structures include the city’s monasteries and cathedrals, built in Spanish neoclassical style.  There’ also a French influence for many of the city’s government buildings.

If you’re visiting Peru, Lima will likely be your jumping off point for traveling within the rest of the country.  Though when people think about traveling to the Amazon, they don’t necessarily think about the big city, but Lima is as much a part of the country’s cultural history as Incan ruins and Machu Picchu.  Though Peru has many cultures that have not changed for centuries within the rain forest, and bordering Lake Titicaca, the city of Lima is actually an interesting blend of many cultures: European, Andean, and Asian cultures – making it markedly different from other South American cities like Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

About Venture Peru:

Venture Peru is the leading online retailer of Peru tour packages and Peru travel tours. If you are interested in exploring Peru, please visit our book a trip page or contact us at 877.852.7378.