Peru has some fantastic beaches and remarkable archaeological sites which are guaranteed keep kids enthralled. As far as cities go, Lima has the best options for children such as the zoo and the Daytona theme park

Cuzco
Cuzco can be a fantastic experience for children. The walking tours among the huge jigsaw-like Inca walls are often fascinating for the little ones. Older children might like to visit the Inca Museum (Museo Inka), where ancient mummies are on display, along with Andean women weavers and lots of other exciting attractions.

Daytona Park
Lima’s Daytona Park is the largest theme park in Peru and features go-karts, a skate park, a slew of video games and a Laser Quest. The park, located within the Hipódromo de Monterrico race track, is a great day out for kids of all ages.

Lima Zoo
One of the best attractions for children in Peru’s capital city is the zoo and Legends Park (Zoológico and the Parque de las Leyendas). The zoo is loaded with exotic creatures from all areas of the globe, while the park encompasses Peru's three geographical regions: highlands (sierra), coast (costa), and rainforest (selva). Animals include jaguars, llamas, alpacas, and condors, as well as an excellent collection of Peruvian and South American fauna. Also included in the park is a playground with fun rides and go-karting.

Peru’s Beaches
Peru boasts close to 2,000 miles of gorgeous Pacific Ocean coastline attracting many tourists to its dazzling sandy beaches and hidden coves. Many of these beaches are well developed with good tourist infrastructure and services, including water sports. The beaches near Lima aren’t great for kids, but beaches near Trujillo and also not far from Nazca in the south, are ideal.

Peru has a fascinating geography ranging from scorched desert sands to lush, dense Amazon rainforest and from lofty Andean peaks to some of the deepest canyons found anywhere in the world. All of this incredible terrain makes for fantastic outdoor leisure opportunities, including trekking, surfing and hang-gliding.

There are established trekking circuits of varying degrees of difficulty all across the country, although many remain, as yet, unexplored. The famed Inca Trail, which takes in the awe-inspiring Machu Picchu ruins, is the most popular. The Andean region is a trekker’s paradise where mountains climb to 20,000 feet and thousands of pristine lakes and rivers provide excellent white-water rafting. Mountain bikers will also discover some excellent trails here.

At the other end of the spectrum are the lovely beaches of Paracas which lie in the centre of the country. Water sports are very popular on these beaches and include surfing, windsurfing, and scuba diving. Fishing is also very popular in the Amazon jungle, where the rivers are loaded with numerous colourful species.

Dining
Peru is a meat-eaters’ paradise, with all sorts of Peruvian and Andean meat dishes available, often garnished with a tremendous amount of spice. An endless supply of fresh fruit and vegetables can be found in most regions, although visitors will find few vegetarian outlets. International fast food chains are very rare outside of Lima. Travellers should take care when eating off a street stall (Anticuchos), as a bite to eat at one of these can often lead to a bout of food poisoning.

Peru has its own unique cuisine, which differs in every region. Dishes in the south are based on rice, while in the Sierra you will find a lot of corn and potatoes. Food is often accompanied by a generous offering of tropical fruits.

Meat dishes in Peru include: chicken, beef, pork, and sheep, while guinea pig is an Andean delicacy. The Peruvians also like to include the animal’s entrails in many dishes which include cau-cau, a dish featuring the intestines of the cow mixed in with potatoes and anticuchos, a type of spicy kebab made from cow's heart.

Fish is a staple diet in Peru; with popular dishes found both on the coast and in the jungle. Beware of eating fish in ‘high jungle’ areas (selva alta), where cocaine is made and chemicals are dumped into rivers. Trout is popular in the Sierra, while Cebiche is popular across the entire country.

Desserts are a big deal in Peru and are generally very sweet with lots of sugar and other niceties. They are especially popular in Lima and include: Picarones (yam dough type donut) served with chancaca, (sweet sugarcane syrup). Mazamorra morada (purple custard) served with arroz con leche (rice with sweet, condensed milk) is known as a combinado and is very tasty.

Shopping
Handicrafts are the mainstay of the local shopping scene in Peru and are generally of very good quality when genuine. The most popular products sold throughout the country include: alpaca-made jumpers from Puno, stone and wood carvings, wall carpets (tejidos), jewellery, and local musical instruments, such as pan flutes (zampoñas). Buyers should be particularly vigilant that they are getting the real deal as the imitation industry in Peru is thriving.

Never be tempted into buying pre-Columbian jewellery or pottery, however real or fake, as this is highly illegal and may lead to confiscations and fines when trying to take pieces out of the country.

Although genuine alpaca wool products are much sort-after and widespread, buyers should be well aware that a large portion of these types of products sold are indeed fakes. It is actually very hard to tell the real alpaca from the good fakes. Alpaca fibre is slightly greasy and usually has a low lustre so often the best way to test if it is real is to give it a stretch as real alpaca will recover its shape slowly.

Bargaining is common in Peru, but travellers should respect the seller by only trying the bargain routine if they think the product is overpriced or there is some sort of problem with it. Start at something like 20 or 30 per cent under the stated price and then work with the seller; you are unlikely going to get 50 percent off and asking for this amount of discount would be considered rude. If you cannot establish your price, simply say ‘no gracias’ and walk away. The vendor will invariably call you back and agree on your price.

All towns and cities in Peru have at least one market and the larger towns may have separate markets for different articles. Supermarkets are reserved for the larger cities. Lima is the shopping hub of Peru and has a huge collection of department stores, supermarkets, and malls although prices are usually more expensive.

Shopping hours are generally from 09:00 or 10:00 to 12:30, and then from 15:00 to 17:00 or even 20:00.