One spine. Many details.
The site keeps the main page scannable for relatives. Click cards for the planning caveats, source links, vegetarian notes, and exact transport assumptions.
Use the compressed route, but keep buffers sacred.
Peru works for this group if the trip avoids the obvious trap: too many ruins, too much altitude too quickly, and a same-day domestic connection before the international return.
Flight hold
IAD baseline: Tue Nov 24 IAD to Lima via ATL, arrive Wed Nov 25 around 6:00 AM. Return Tue Dec 1 Lima noon to IAD via ATL, arrive early Wed Dec 2.
Group split: Patels and Maryland can likely share IAD pricing. Houston family needs HOU/IAH to Lima pricing before anyone commits.
Seven nights, no heroics.
The timeline is built around arrival recovery, Thanksgiving in the Sacred Valley, one protected Machu Picchu morning, and a Lima return buffer.
The anchors that matter.
Train times are exact schedule anchors from PeruRail's May-December 2026 timetable. Domestic flight windows are planning targets to re-price live before booking.
Peru in useful pieces.
Short context for families reading the link cold: what the country is like, what the weather means, and what food will look like for vegetarians.
Pick the best, skip the rest.
These are intentionally card-sized. The drawer says whether the sight belongs in the compressed itinerary or an extra-day version.
Food anchors, not a food crawl.
Recommendations are chosen for group usefulness: one ambitious Lima dinner, reliable vegetarian options, and Sacred Valley/Cusco places that can handle families.
Do these in order.
The plan is not purchase-ready until names and passports are known. Then lock transport before polishing dinners.
| Item | Status | Planning anchor | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport data | First | All 13 travelers | Tickets and Machu Picchu entries need exact names/IDs. |
| International flights | Hold | $767 pp IAD baseline | Patel + Maryland can price together; Houston separately. |
| Domestic flights | Window | LIM-CUZ morning; CUZ-LIM Monday | Protects altitude and the international return. |
| Machu Picchu entries | Critical | Morning Sat Nov 28 | Passport details, circuit, guide, bus, train all connect. |
| PeruRail | Anchor | 603 in / 504 out | Family-friendly overnight pattern. |
| Hotels | Plan | Lima, Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes, Cusco | Use cancellation flexibility until tickets are locked. |
| Restaurants | Later | Maido/Mayta, Sukha, Cusco dinner | Book after the route is real. |
If the group expands the trip.
The best add-on is not the flashiest. It is the one that lowers friction for 13 people.
Refresh before money moves.
These links are the refresh stack for train times, entry rules, restaurants, country basics, and safety. The site is a planning board, not a booking record.
May-December 2026 timetable. Confirms 603 at 15:37 to 17:02 and 504 at 16:22 to 18:10.
OpenOfficial Ministry of Culture ticket path for Machu Picchu entries and circuits.
OpenEntry, safety, passport, and travel-health check before booking.
OpenOfficial Peru tourism useful-data page for practical travel context.
Open