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celebratedliving.com
SUMMER2013
T
HEANCIENTCITY
oftheIncas,
MachuPicchustandsnearly
8,000 feetabovesea level inthe
middleofamountaincloud for-
est.Geography,history,culture,and
archaeologyconvergetomake itone
ofthemost fascinatingsites inPeru
andaroundtheworld.Still,given its
ruggednessandhighaltitude, theInca
citadelmightseemacounterintuitive
choice fora familytrip.But forchil-
drenandadultsalike,MachuPicchu
presentsendlessriddlesandpuzzles:
HowdidtheIncaschiselandmove
thosecolossalmonolithsthatsome-
howfittogether likeTetrispieces?
They farmedpotatoesuphere?Those
llamasandalpacasclimbedtothetop
ofthemountain?Andhowdidthecity
get“lost” forthreecenturiesuntilYale
UniversityprofessorHiramBingham
(arguedtobethereal-life inspiration
forIndianaJones)discovered it in
1911?Faunaandfloraaddanother
dimensiontothe layersofhistoryand
culture.LatinAmerica-basedBlue
Parallelspecializes inbespoke itiner-
ariestotheregion, includingMachu
Picchu,andwill tailoractivitiesbased
onhowmuchorhow littleyour fam-
ilywould liketotrekatthesite.The
companyalsoarrangestreasurehunts
andnaturewalks(youmightspota
golden-headedquetzaloragreen-and-
whitehummingbird) inthesurround-
ingcloud forest,aswellasvisitstosee
theendangeredspectacledbear(the
onlybearspecies inSouthAmerica)
andtheconservationeortsofthe
InkaterraMachuPicchuSpectacled
BearProject.
TAKEAWAY
Depending on
the age of your children, it
might not be possible to do a
multiday hike, but youwill be
engagingwith nature and In-
can ruins nonetheless, ex-
ploring together and opening
your minds. Isn’t that why we
travel, after all?
TIPS
Practice taking chil-
dren, especially if they are
young, on short hikes and
naturewalks to help prepare
them for the experience.
•
Build in time to just sit and
soak in themagical andmys-
tical feelings that Machu Pic-
chu evokes. This also serves
as a good break for children
who’ve been on their feet.
At the foot of the
mountain,
InkaterraMachu
Picchu Pueblo Hotel
is an
ideal base camp for families,
from the spacious lodge-like
two-bedroom villas with pri-
vate terrace and plunge pools
to activities like picking and
crushing green tea leaves at
the tea house to looking for
orchids and butterflies along
the surrounding trails. All
young adventurers receive an
explorer’s kit, completewith
flashlight, compass, hat, and
colored pencils. Villas from
$527. Visit inkaterra.com
or
call (866) 242-2889 to book
a reservation.
STAY
BY TANVI CHHEDA
1
MACHU
PICCHU
© AFP/GETTY IMAGES
