We have selected the most important information you should know before coming to Peru. Please read this article carefully, print it, and bring it with you.
Tourist Visas
Citizens from most countries in the Americas and Western Europe do not require visas to enter Peru. Bolivians, Ecuadorians, Brazilians, and Chileans may enter determined regions of the country just by presenting their national identification documents. The maximum authorized length of stay is 90 days. Information on Peruvian consulates and embassies abroad found at
www.rree.gob.pe
Time (-5 hr GMT)
| Lima |
12:00 h |
|
London |
17:00 h |
| New York |
12:00 h |
|
Berlin |
18:00 h |
| Buenos Aires |
14:00 h |
|
Paris |
18:00 h |
| Santiago |
13:00 h |
|
Tokyo |
02:00 h (*) |
| México City |
11:00 h |
|
Sydney |
03:00 h (*) |
Languages
The official languages are Spanish (80% of the population), Quechua (Andean and highland regions), and Aymara (in the Puno high plateau). In addition, there are around 50 native languages.
Most people who work in tourism or provide tourist services speak English.
Currency and forms of payment
The official currency of Peru is the Nuevo Sol (S/.). The U.S. Dollar is accepted at most stores, restaurants and hotels.
There are many exchange houses all over the cities where you can exchange foreign currency (US$ and Euros).
It is hard to break big bills such as S/.50 or S/. 100, so try to always keep small bills and coins.
It is really easy to find an ATM.
The most widely accepted credit cards are: American Express, VISA, Diners Club and MasterCard. Traveler`s checks have limitations, so we recommend consulting the establishment to see if they accept them or not before making purchases or ordering.
For more information:
- Visa (01) 242-2975 | 108 - (001) 410 5819754 (from a land line)
- Master Card (01) 311-6000 | 108 - (001) 636 7227111 (from a land line)
- American Express (01) 221-8204 / 221-8207 | (001) 312 9353585 (reserve charges)
- Diners Club (01) 615-1111
Electricity
220 volts. Most 4 and 5-star hotels do have outlets equipped for 110 volts.
Health care
Peru generally maintains good health care. Hospitals and clinics provide adequate services, especially in Lima, Cusco Arequipa and the other main cities.
Vaccination
A yellow fever vaccination is required for traveling to jungle cities, and it must be administered
at least 10 days before your trip. If not, it will not be effective. No other vaccination is required.
Altitude sickness
To avoid altitude sickness or soroche, we suggest following the next steps:
Do not exercise too much on the first day in Cusco
Eat light foods the first two days in Cusco.
Drink plenty of water and Gatorade.
Keep lemon and coca candies at hand.
If you have heart problems consult your doctor.
We highly recommend drinking lots of coca tea. The consumption of coca tea, as well as chewing the leaves, increases the absorption of oxygen in blood.
What to eat and drink
To keep from getting gastrointestinal infections, we recommend you don't eat raw foods. Drink only bottled or boiled water and do not eat food from street vendors.
What to bring
Because of the diversity of weather of Peru and the diverse activities we always recommend our passengers bring light clothes such as shirts, short pants, sandals and swim suits but also bring warm clothes; a good jacket, raincoat (in the rainy season Nov to Mar) and comfortable shoes for hiking.
Other important things to bring are: Passport (with photocopies), travel insurance (with photocopies), airline tickets (with photocopies), USD cash and travelers’ checks, credit or debit card, Cultural Immersion Itinerary and “Before You Come” information, any entry visas or vaccination certificates required, camera and film, reading/writing materials, binoculars, sun block, insect repellent , sun hat , sport sandals , sunglasses, watch or alarm clock , purification tablets or filter (optional), ear plugs, first-aid kit (should contain lip salve, Aspirin, Band Aids, charcoal tablets(carbon), anti-histamine, Imodium or similar tablets for mild cases of diarrhea, re-hydration powder(Gatorade), and any extra prescription drugs you may be taking).
If you are doing the Inka trail, the Salkantay trek, or any other trekking excursion; it is important to bring:
Cover for backpacks, fleece top, windproof/waterproof jacket , small towel and swim wea, shirts/t-shirts, sun hat, 1 pair of shorts, 2 pairs of long trousers, 1 pair hiking pants/track pants, hiking boots/ sturdy walking shoes, inner sheet (for sleeping bag), wool hat, mitts or gloves(alpaca hats, gloves can be bought in Cusco), rain poncho, strong plastic bags to help keep gear dry, sleeping bag (this can also be rented locally for approx. $10 USD), air mattress (a foam mattress is included as part of the hike; self inflating type mattresses are available for rent), anti-inflammatory tablets (e.g. Ibuprofen), thermal underwear. All other camping equipment for the trekking excursions is provided and included in the cost of the excursion. Porters carry the gear, so you will only be responsible for carrying your daypack. But please be aware there are weight limits on what the porters can carry, thus every passenger is limited to 7 kg (15.5 lbs), including sleeping bags. All other items may be stored in the Cuzco hotel.
Internal Flights
All local flights are included in the cost of your tour unless otherwise noted. It is important that we have your passport information at the time of booking in order to process these tickets. All internal flight tickets are electronic so you will not receive any physical ticket. You only need to show your passport at the airline counter. We will also provide you with the booking code number.
How to call
Dialing from overseas dial 00 then 51(Peru code) and then the city code: Lima 1, Cusco 84, Puno 51, Arequipa 54, and finally the phone number. Dialing in Peru: National calls (from city to city): Add zero before the city code. Local calls (within the same city): Dial the number only.
Taking a Taxi
Take only yellow taxis while you stay in Lima. Taxi costs in Lima varies from 5 to 50 soles depending on distance. From Miraflores to the City Center you should pay around 15 soles.
For the rest of the cities, take taxis with the phone number on top of the vehicle. Price of taxi in Cusco, Arequipa and Puno is 3 to 5 soles.
Tipping
It is customary in Latin America to tip service providers. The amount is entirely a personal preference, however here is an average guideline: waiters (10% - 15%), local tour guides (2 to 7 USD per day per person), drivers (2 to 5 USD p/d p/p), porters (2 to 5 USD p/d p/p), tour conductor or coordinator (2 to 7 USD p/d p/p). A number of the superior hotels include a 10% gratuity in the cost of your room.
Safety and Security
- We strongly recommend the use of a money belt while travelling.
- Always leave your passport and other important documentation at the safe deposit box of your hotel.
- Always pay attention when walking. Pick pockets are common in Peru. Also don’t ever leave your personal things far from you or behind you. Always put your things next to you where you can see it.
- A common type of rip off has been detected for tourists in Lima. There are some taxi drivers that will switch a bill you give them for a false one then tell you that the bill you gave them was fake. To avoid this situation hand coins to taxi drivers or mark your bills before handing them to taxi drivers in Lima.
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
We highly recommend you have Travel Insurance. We are partners with SQUAREMOUTH Travel Insurance, in order to get a quote go to our Travel Insurance Link:
Responsible and Sustainabl Travel
We are a sustainable travel operation that cares about our environment and our local people, We try to make tourism a contribution to the development of our local communities. We do our job by having some social projects with the communities, giving a percentage of what you pay to our social projects, hiring local people to provide services, limiting the size of our groups to minimize environmental and social impact, using the proper equipment and giving you some tips to help us maintain our traditions and preserve our environment.
Here are some tips you should follow in order to do Responsible and Sustainable Travel.
- Learn a few words of the local language. (Quechua)
- Try to leave as much excess packaging at home ( film boxes, anything plastic) - soyour hosts don't have to deal with your garbage.
- Throw garbage only in proper places.
- Please bring rechargeable batteries, a battery charger (and plug adapter if necessary). Batteries are incredibly toxic and many places that we travel do not have proper disposal facilities. Rechargeable are best but if this is not possible we recommend that you take any used batteries back home with you for proper disposal.
- Try to be conservative with resources such as water, food and energy - you may be depriving local people or making a negative impact on their environs.
- Do not throw toilet paper inside the toilet. There are always baskets for papers in any bathroom in Peru.
- Buying locally made crafts and curios means your money goes directly to the community.
- Don't be tempted to buy souvenirs made from wild animal products
- Please ask before taking pictures. Usually people are going to ask you for a coin. We recommend you give something else instead of money such as a souvenir from your country (nice pencil, small calculator, a toy, tooth brushes, etc.) In this way, what we want is to put in practice the Inka trade system, giving something for getting something.
- Do not give candies to children. Children love candies but we do not recommend you give candies because dental hygiene in the Andes is not very good and candies make cavities. Instead of candies bring tooth brushes, a perfect gift for Andean children.
- When you get back home please send us a feedback and let us know how you think we can reduce environmental impacts and increase benefits to our local communities.
Feedback
We would love to hear from you and your travel experience which is so important to us to improve our services. At the end of your trip we will send you a post travel feedback form. We would really appreciate it if you would complete it and send it back to us with a photo of your trip
Helping Others
Every year we celebrate Christmas in a different Andean village. We try to go far away from the city into the mountains where people have very few resources. One day a year children of these communities enjoy receiving a gift, a doll, a little car, a toy or even a pencil to light up their faces and make them happy. If you want to contribute with us, please bring with you any second hand clothing, toys, school material (pencils, erasers, rulers, books etc.), or any other items that you would like to give to the children of the Peruvian Andean villages this Christmas.
Emergency contact:
If you need to contact us for any reason please call our local office in Cusco.
Cultural Immersion S.R.L
Office Hours:
Mon to Fri: 10 am to 1pm & 4pm to 7pm local time (GMT -5).
Saturdays: 10am to 1pm
USA 1-801-3867247
PERU: 00 + 51 84 794901
Cusco Emergency 24 Hours Phone: +51 84 984988200.
Within Peru dial 084-984988200
Within Cusco dial 984988200 |
