I get asked a lot of the same questions about traveling to Peru, over and over again. So, I’m creating this resource to answer all of those basic questions people have when they first start planning their trip to Peru.
Now, the advice below is accurate and up to date. It’s all written by an expat Australian living fulltime in Peru – me! Unlike a lot of the advice I see on forums like Tripadvisor or Reddit, I actually know what I’m talking about and I have current experience. Because I live here in Peru!
Peru travel FAQ
Is Peru a safe country to visit?
All of the places frequented by tourists are very safe. In touristic areas and around tourist attractions, the worst you could experience is petty crime like pickpocketing and credit-card skimming.
However, each city in Peru has it’s own good and bad areas. And in this regard, Peru is just like anywhere else in the world. Generally, the bad areas in Peru are around airports, bus stations and foreign borders.
You should be careful around airports and bus stations. And you absolutely should not engage in ‘poverty tourism’. The impoverished areas in Peru are dangerous.
Travel tip: Leave your money belt at home. Instead, get a jacket with an internal zippered pocket. Keep your phone and wallet in the internal zippered breast pocket of your jacket. That way, you will avoid pickpockets in crowded areas.
Do I need travel insurance when visiting Peru?
It’s not a legal requirement to have travel insurance booked when visiting Peru. Though it is a commonsense thing to have when visiting any Latin American destination.
I book all of my own travel insurance for Peru via a company called Visitors Coverage.
I’ve had to call on my own insurance more than once for medical emergencies. On different occasions, I’ve been stabbed (Colombia), contracted cellulitis in my feet (Amazon rainforest) and have had ‘walking pneumonia’ a few times in the Andes.
Do I need a visa to visit Peru?
Most nationalities are granted a ‘tourist visa’ on arrival. This visa is most often 90 days. Yet, Peru’s visa rules do change regularly. And you should double check whether your particular passport entitles you to a tourist visa on arrival before booking your holiday.
You can check the Peruvian Migraciones website or with your own countries foreign office to see if you’re eligible for a tourist visa on arrival.
Can I extend my tourist visa in Peru?
Currently, it is not possible to extend a tourist visa in Peru unless you’re a citizen of Bolivia, Colombia or Ecuador. Unless your passport is from Bolivia, Colombia or Ecuador, you cannot extend your tourist visa in Peru.
If you’re wanting to stay longer that 90 days in Peru and you’re not a citizen of Bolivia, Colombia or Ecuador, you will need to effect a ‘cambio de calidad migratoria’ online through Peru’s Migraciones website portal. And you will need to change via that process to a different visa.
As yet, Peru’s digital nomad visa is unable to be applied for. The government has yet to publish the criteria for granting a digital nomad visa in Peru.
The option that most people choose when wanting to stay longer than 90 days in Peru, is to enrol in a course of study and apply for the student visa. This can be done online via the portal while in Peru.
Can I do a visa run in Peru to stay longer than 90 days?
No, visa runs no longer work in Peru. If you want to extend your visa in Peru, leaving to Boliva and then trying to return will only get you denied entry. Visa runs do not work in Peru.
This was something my own local Peruvian lawyer clarified with Peru’s Migraciones when we visited to sort out my own visa. If you want to stay longer in Peru, you will need to effect what’s called a ‘cambio de calidad migratoria’ online through Peru’s Migraciones website portal. And you will need to switch to a different visa class.
What is the best time to visit Peru?
There is no single best time to visit Peru. The Peruvian Andes, the coast of Peru and the Peruvian Amazon all have different seasons. However, the absolute peak of peak tourist season in Peru is late June through to early July.
And this is because the greatest number of tourists visit Peru for Machu Picchu and the Inti Raymi festival in Cusco during the Andean winter. June to August is the best time to visit Cusco and other mountain destinations. December to March is the best time to visit Lima and other coastal destination.
The best time to visit the Amazon in Peru, depends entirely on what you’re planning to do in the Amazon. Activities like fishing, cruising and animal spotting all have different ‘best’ times of the year.
Do I need to bring cash with me to Peru?
You don’t need to carry large amounts of cash with you to Peru. And as someone who lives in Peru, I rarely use cash at all. I only use cash in little markets, with street vendors and in small towns. Everywhere else, I use ‘tap and go’ payments on my iPhone.
If you need to get cash out in Peru, the easiest method for foreign tourists to get cash out in Peru is to send themselves money via a transfer service like Western Union. You don’t need to bring lots of cash for currency exchange.
ATM’s can have low limits and high fees. Though a large number of foreign cards are fee free with ‘Banco de la Nación’ ATMs throughout Peru.
Travel tip: I use a dedicated travel debit card by a company called Wise. It’s free and instant, has no fees and provides a better exchange rate than conventional banks in Peru.
What is the tipping culture like in Peru?
Tipping is not really a thing in Peru. You should only tip someone in Peru, if you’ve received an exceptional service and you want to show your appreciation to the person who has helped you.
Only tip in restaurants and on activities like ‘free walking tours’. And when tipping in Peru, there is no set or expected percentage. Tip what you think is fair and what you want to give in order to thank the person who has helped you.
How much money should I budget for a trip to Peru?
How long is a piece of string? I know backpackers who travel the length and breadth of Peru on tiny budgets. And I know flashpackers who spend hundreds of dollars a day. Tours and activities in Peru cover all budgets and interests. And prices for tourism related activities in Peru will range from nothing to a small fortune.
My advice to you is to set out a list of the key destinations and activities that you want to undertake in Peru. And then, once you have that list of tourist attractions you absolutely must visit, draw up your own budget based on those activities.
What is the best way to book a trip to Peru?
Once you’ve checked your visa requirements and verified that your country’s passport requires no visa for Peru, book your own flights to and from Lima online. Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport is the primary entry and exit point into the country for most tourists.
Having you arrival and departure dates set for Peru, allows you to then plan out what is achievable in that timeframe. And it allows you to schedule all of your other activities in between your arrival and departure dates.
Plan on spending 2-3 days in Lima when you first arrive. So you can visit key sites in Lima and learn about the history of Peru, before flying onwards to other destinations like Cusco. And yes, I do recommend flying between Lima and Cusco because the alternative bus ride is very long and uncomfortable.
Book destinations and activities that are clustered around your main points of interest. Or, if you want someone else to do it for you, get in touch with a reputable tour operator once you’ve booked your travel to and from Peru. And have them build an itinerary for you around those dates.
What are the must-see attractions in Peru?
This is a really difficult question to answer. Beyond the obvious superficial answers like Cusco and Machu Picchu, the ‘must see’ tourist attractions are so diverse and interest based. What I do and what I would recommend you also do, is to start on a site like this one, and see what’s available in each destination around Peru.
Once you’ve mapped out or listed what appeals to your personal interests, then set an itinerary around the key cities in each destination. And choose other related sites that can be reached from those cities.
One point I will make however, is that those people who most often write about Lima only offer superficial information. Lima is so much more interesting and rich with history, tourist attractions and cultural activities than most websites suggest.
If you want to understand what you’re looking at when you get to Cusco, you first need to visit the two key museums in Pueblo Libre (Lima) to learn about Peru’s 14,000 years of history. And if you do happen upon a website or AI overview in search that only talks about Miraflores and Barranco, skip taking it’s advice and move on.
What is the altitude sickness like in Peru?
Altitude sickness is not as common as it’s made out to be. Most people are okay going directly from sea-level to Cusco at 3600 meters above sea level. And what is often mistaken for altitude sickness, often isn’t.
When you’re in a city like Cusco in the Andes mountains, you will burn more calories. And the air will be much drier, dehydrating you faster. In a destination like Cusco at 3600 meters above sea level, you will need roughly 60% more calories and almost double the fluid intake you require at lower elevations.
If you don’t consume enough food and water, you will get a headache and feel fatigued. And it’s this headache and fatigue that’s often mistaken for altitude sickness.
Proper altitude sickness with hypoxia is much more rare in tourists arriving to Cusco. Yet, hotels and large hostels are well equipped to deal with it should the need arise. Most have supplemental oxygen on hand in the event it’s needed. And all of the pharmacies sell small cans of supplemental oxygen and Sorojchi pills.
What is the best way to get around in Peru?
Depending upon the particular sites throughout the country that you want to visit, taking internal flights can be the better option. Particularly if you’re flying with only carry-on luggage. Internal flights are incredibly cheap if booked in advance and if you don’t need checked bags.
If you are going to need to check a bag for internal flights, you need to make sure you have a checked baggage allowance before arriving at the airport. If you try to pay during check-in at the airport, it will cost you a small fortune.
Budget airlines in Peru, like Sky airlines, are notorious for price gouging customers with checked-in luggage. And if you do need to check a bag in to fly on an internal flight within Peru, I would avoid Sky airlines.
Should I book my tours in Peru ahead of time?
You need to book all popular attractions like Machu Picchu and the Inca trail ahead of time. Machu Picchu and the Inca trails have limited daily access. Other destinations like Vinicunca (rainbow mountain) and Ausangate also have limited access.
Basically, if it’s related to Machu Picchu or it’s a major destination in or around Cusco, you need to book it in advance. If it’s in Arequipa, Lima, Puno, Trujillo or another less crowded destination in Peru, you can often book 24 hours in advance.
What are the best souvenirs to buy from Peru?
Alpaca wool clothing, boutique pisco and jewellery are the more common souvenirs that people take home from Peru. Yet, there’s so many more options available if you’re looking for something truly special to commemorate your visit to Peru.
Here’s 10 options, based on what I tell my own friends and relatives to buy as souvenirs while they’re here in Peru:
- Peruvian organic coffee
- Peruvian organic chocolate
- Wine
- Sal de maras (Pink salt from Maras)
- Andean Cross jewelry
- Tumis (ceremonial knives)
- Peruvian textiles
- Mates Burilados (carved gourdes)
- Torito de Pucará (brightly colored ceramic bulls)
- Charango (like an Andean ukulele)
Travel tip: Don’t buy any of the paintings that people on the street will try to sell you as you walk around a city like Cusco. These are not the sellers own works, no matter what they claim. These ‘paintings’ are mass produced junk being sold for inflated prices to unsuspecting and naive tourists.
What is the typical Peruvian food like?
There is no ‘typical’ Peruvian food. Each region in Peru has it’s own unique style of cuisine. Though the one travel tip I can share here is that you really should try Peruvian soups. They’re not and entre, they’re extremely filling and are a main course.
The Shambar soup from Trujillo in the north of Peru, that’s traditionally only served on a Monday, is my own personal favourite. It’s a hearty soup with diverse flavours that has at its center salt cured ham. It’s simply amazing and one of the best things you can try in Peru!
What are some tips for packing for a trip to Peru?
You need to consider the regions you’re intending to visit and the time of year. The climate between regions and in each region dependant on the time of year, does vary quite a lot. For example, December through to March in Lima is very warm and humid with zero chance of rain. But Cusco will be cold and rainy!
Even within destinations, the climate will vary a lot throughout the year. If you’re packing for a trip to Lima, what you pack for a trip in June will be completely different to what you’ll pack for a trip in December. In June, Lima is cold and foggy. But in December, Lima is warm and sunny.
Always consider the destinations you intend to visit. And consider the time of year you intend to visit those destinations. Other than that, always have a good VPN on your phone, tablet and laptop. Plus travel insurance and a form of payment that isn’t great wads of cash.
Travel tip: If you can keep your luggage to a minimum and fly with only carry-on baggage, it will significantly reduce the cost of your trip to Peru. It will save you hundreds of dollars.
Can I take my vape to Peru?
If you vape, you can take your personal vape to Peru. And vape supplies can be purchased in Peru. All Oxxo and Tambo convenience stores sell disposable vape products. And there are many dedicated vape stores in major cities like Lima, Cusco, Arequipa and Trujillo.
How can I stay connected while traveling in Peru?
Your cheapest option for staying connected online while traveling in Peru is to get yourself a local SIM card. But not from the airport.
I have an Entel SIM card and find them to be the best for me. Yet, there’s also Claro and Movistar as viable options. Just don’t buy a tourist SIM card at the airport for a ridiculously inflated price. Instead, buy it on Rappi or from a branded store once you’re in your accommodation.
Your easiest option is to get an e-SIM if your device is capable of using an e-SIM. it’s the easiest option because you don’t need to go to a store an line up. And you don’t need to speak spanish in order to buy one.
I use Airalo when I need an e-SIM. But I use my local Entel SIM more often, because it’s much cheaper.
