While Iceland in 2023 was inspired by our youngest son's bucket-list dream of seeing the Northern Lights, in May 2027 we'll be heading to Peru to make our oldest son's bucket-list dream a reality: visiting the Amazon rainforest.

We are heading to Peru and exploring a small — but incredibly varied — part of the country.

Deciding what to see wasn't as easy as we hoped. Peru is a huge country, and the more we researched, the more we realized there was SO much we wanted to see!

Because Ben has always had a bucket-list wish to visit the Amazon rainforest, we've focused our trip on the southern part of Peru — and it looks like we're in for quite an adventure.

• Sacred Valley: Urubamba,  Ollantaytambo
• 2-day Short Inca Trail → Machu Picchu
• Cusco
• Amazon rainforest via Puerto Maldonado

Why wouldn't we?!

The 2-day Short Inca Trail — about 15 km of hiking — is one of the options rather than taking the train to Machu Picchu.

While the distance isn't a huge stretch for anyone in our family, the elevation and steep climbs will add a challenge we're not particularly experienced with. 

And yes... we'll be tent camping — NOT GLAMPING! — near Aguas Calientes before heading to Machu Picchu the following morning.

This is one of the parts of the trip we're most curious about. It is such a different type of hike than we have done in the past. After living in New Zealand for many months, Ben developed a love for true trekking, so this  will not be a challenge for him physically. While also new to Andrew, he is very physically active, so it should be easy for him as well.  But, for Jim and I, while we are accustomed to long walks, this trek is completely new territory for us.  This is why we are training! We can't get up there and not be able to complete it!

We'll let you know.

Our training will focus on:

• Walking endurance
• Hill training
• Strength training

And, of course, we'll also be learning how to prepare for the altitude.

• 1 night: Tierra Viva Valle Sagrado — Urubamba
• 2 nights: Parwa Guest House — Ollantaytambo
• 1 night: Camping — Puente Ruinas
• 2 nights: Union Hotel — Cusco
• 2 nights: Refugio Amazonas Lodge — Tambopata National Reserve
• 1 night: Lima airport hotel

The fine details of the trip are still coming together, but there were a few things we knew we needed to book early — particularly Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail.

Access to Machu Picchu is managed through a limited-entry system, so we needed to plan our visit around availability. And our Short Inca Trail trek with Alpaca Expeditions is now secured.

The Tambopata National Reserve was another priority. Since visiting the Amazon is the inspiration behind this entire trip, I didn't want to leave our rainforest stay until the last minute either.

There is also another major gateway to the Peruvian Amazon: Iquitos, in northern Peru. But because we're already travelling through southern Peru, Puerto Maldonado made much more sense for our itinerary.

There's still plenty to figure out!

• What vaccinations do we need?
• What safety concerns should we consider when travelling in Peru?
• How do we prepare for the altitude?
• How difficult is the 2-day Inca Trail?
• What should we pack?
• What transportation do we need to arrange — flights, trains and drivers?
• How much will this trip actually cost?
• What is it like travelling to Machu Picchu in your 50s?

We'll keep updating this page as the planning continues — and eventually, we'll come back and tell you how it all actually went.