Family Cultural Activities in Peru

Like many traditional crafts, the practice of Andean weaving was ravaged by modernization and mass production. For a while, it seemed that the age-old skills and traditional way of life were dying out in Peru. That is, until recent decades, when Andean weaving had a revival of sorts, supported in part by the upswing of sustainable tourism.

During your family trip to Peru, you and your nearest and dearest can visit a traditional weaving hamlet and learn about time-honored weaving processes, which have deep cultural and spiritual meaning to these communities. You’ll find out how they shear the alpaca and sheep, clean the wool, spin the yarn, hand-dye the wool using plants and weave the intricately patterned textiles on back-strap looms. After sharing the techniques passed down through generations, you and the kids can have a go yourself.

Equal parts educational and enjoyable, this immersive family experiences is an unforgettable addition to any Peru family vacation.

Staying with a native host family can be one of the best ways to connect with the local culture during a Peru family tour. Not only will you gain a kind of insight into the local customs and lifestyles that you just can’t get staying at a hotel, but you’ll also get to introduce your children to a way of life totally different to the one they have become accustomed to. Mingle with local villagers, share a home-cooked meal with them and perhaps even pick up a few words of Quechua.

Peru is an excellent place to dip your toe into the world of homestay. The people here are well-known for their warmth, above-and-beyond hospitality and fondness of children. Kuoda can arrange for homestays with the rural Andean communities around Cusco and the Sacred Valley or during your private tour of Lake Titicaca, during which you can spend time with villagers on the islands of Amantani and Taquile.

Go for a walk in the hills above Cusco in June and you’ll more than likely stumble upon some local Peruvian families huddling around smoking mounds of rock. These are huatias, a temporary oven used for traditional communal picnics.

The huatia is created by building a mound of rocks and lighting a fire inside it. The stones retain their heat and food – most commonly potatoes or ollucos (a Peruvian tuber), though occasionally meat – is cooked inside, slowly steaming in the moist heat.

Another similar cooking tradition in Peru is pachamanca, a dish that is also cooked using the makeshift hot-stone oven. For pachamanca, the Peruvian favorite cuy (guinea pig) is wrapped in leaves alongside potatoes and other vegetables and left to roast in a covered pit dug in the earth. This cooking method produces tender, smoke-infused meat and delicious charred potatoes with moist insides.

Does the thought of these Peruvian-style barbecues have you salivating? A family picnic, Peru-style, can be easily arranged during your family tour of Peru.

Trujillo, enticingly named the City of Eternal Springtime, is fast gaining a reputation for its cultural activities, and there are dozens of things for families to do here.

Most notable among them is the International Marinera Dance Festival, which takes place annually in January. Thousands of attendees arrive to watch the festivities, which center on the Marinera, Peru’s famously coquettish dance. During Marinera performances, the woman holds a handkerchief in one hand as the male dancer attempts to court her with his moves. One amped-up form of the dance even involves the male partner dancing on horseback.

And that’s not just any old horse either; he dances using the prized Peruvian paso horse breed, which originated here in Trujillo. The city still plays homage to its beloved equine with horse races and competitions, which are most commonly held during Trujillo’s International Spring Festival in September or October, and during the aforementioned Marinera Dance Festival.

If you want to add some of Trujillo’s cultural diversions into your trip itinerary, Kuoda will make all the arrangements.

For a dining experience with a difference, gather your family for some dinner theater during your personalized trip of Peru.

Among the prime dinner theater venues is Brisas del Titicaca in downtown Lima. Here, a nightly show of folkloric dancing provides the entertainment as you tuck into mouthwatering criollo cuisine. Some of the dances require audience participation, so any budding boppers will have the chance to try and follow along with the colorfully costumed dancers.

In La Dama Juana in Lima’s Barranco neighborhood, you and your family can stuff yourselves silly with a Peruvian all-you-can-eat buffet as you watch a live dance show. Expect Afro-Peruvian rhythms and a daring, acrobatic dance performed by a dancer who holds a scissors in one hand throughout!

In Cusco, La Cusqueñita Picanteria is the go-to dinner theater experience. A buffet dinner is served while colorful regionally dressed dancers perform live. Located a short walk from the Plaza de Armas, this venue is a great place to bring the family for an evening of food and fun.

Proof that dinner and dancing isn’t just for couples, these three dinner shows provide evening fun that families can also enjoy. For more information on these cultural activities or to further discuss your options for family tours of Peru, contact a Kuoda Travel consultant today. Brisas del Titicaca: Actividades Culturales