Tour Resources
Gear List
Relevant Local Institutions
Travel Insurance
Vaccinations & Immunizations
Travel Reports Peru
Personal Safety
Visas
Peruvian Customs
Money & Currency
Communications
Weather in Peru
Language
Spanish Lessons
Flights to Peru
Travel Insurance
While Adventures to Peru takes all precautions to ensure that your Peruvian Adventure is safe and enjoyable, certain risks are inevitably involved while traveling. It is unfeasible for us to assume these inherent risks on your behalf and therefore we require you to assess these risks and purchase your own short-term travel medical insurance. As well as travel medical insurance, we strongly recommend you purchase general travel insurance.
Cost effective and simple, travel insurance protects you and your equipment from any problems that might arise, such as damage or loss of baggage, health problems, cancelled or delayed trips, and other unanticipated disturbances. You can purchase travel insurance from a variety of places and value for money can vary significantly. We encourage you to explore the following sites as you prepare for a safe and enjoyable trip.
Travel Guard.com: www.travelguard.com
Global Travel Insurance: www.globaltravelinsurance.com
World Travel Centre: www.worldtravelcenter.com
Insure My Trip: www.insuremytrip.com
Quote Travel Insurance: www.squaremouth.com
Vaccinations & Immunizations
Before traveling to Peru, it is important that you receive the most accurate and up-to-date travel health information. The only one qualified to provide you with this advice is your family physician or a specialist from a Travel Health clinic.
If you plan to travel to the Amazon region, it is recommended to get a Yellow Fever vaccination at least ten days before traveling. Malaria is not a massive problem in Peru, however precautions should be taken if going to remote areas of the Amazon and slopes of the Eastern Andes.
*The Centers for Disease Control provides immunization information for travel in Latin America. www.cdc.gov
The following vaccinations are recommended when visiting any area of Peru:
*Hepatitis B
*Tetanus-diphtheria and measles (as needed booster doses)
*Typhoid
*For travelers to the Amazon, a vaccination for Yellow Fever is REQUIRED
*For travelers to certain lower elevations of Peru including the Amazon and rural areas on the coast, the Centers for Disease Control also recommends taking an anti-malarial medication.
Travel Reports Peru
UK Foreign Commonwealth Office
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Canadian Consular Affairs Bureau
The U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs
Personal Safety
We suggest using common sense as the best defense. Like any country, Peru can be dangerous to those unaware of their surroundings. Leave original passport (take a copy), and all valuables in the hotel safe box in your hotel. Take note of what you are leaving at the hotel and verify responsibility taken by the establishment. While enjoying the sites, do not carry or flash large amounts of cash, and remember to keep an eye on your luggage or handbags in busy areas and on buses. If at all possible, avoid walking alone or in dimly lit areas at night. When using taxicabs, call a secure taxi or flag down a yellow taxi with a roof tent. Always agree to taxicab fares before stepping into the taxi. Fares are not set and depend on particular destination distances around the city.
Visas
Visitors from all countries require a valid passport (with a minimum 6 months validity).
Citizens of most American and Western European countries do not require a visa ahead of time. If you are from one of these countries you’ll fill out an Andean Immigration card at the airport with the maximum authorized time of visit in Peru being 90 days. This however, can be legally extended 3 times for 30 days per extension for a maximum of 90 days extra. The cost of each 30-day extension is approximately US$30.00 dollars for the extension. In the case that a tourist desires an extension longer than the allotted 90 days or extended visa, a fee of $1.00 US dollar charged daily.
For more information check with the Peruvian diplomatic mission in your country. Addresses and phone numbers are posted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Peru. www.rree.gob.pe
*Citizens from the following countries are exempt:
AMERICA: All the citizens of countries of America. Except Cuba.
EUROPE: All the citizens of countries of the European Union
ASIA: South Korea – Philippines – Hong Kong – Indonesia – Malaysia – Singapore – Thailand – Taiwan (Taipei)
AFRICA: South Africa
OCEANIA: Australia
*The citizens of other countries will need to request a formal tourist visa at the Peruvian Consulate of their respective country.
*Visa requirements for foreigners traveling to Peru are liable to change and can be dependent upon your nationality. Please verify up to date requirements below. (Before you go)
* Canadian Consular Affairs Bureau
* US Bureau of Consular Affairs
* UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (Before You Go)
* Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
* New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Peruvian Customs
Entry: During the flight to Lima, a flight attendant distributes a Peru entrance (Andean Immigration card) form to all passengers. At airport customs, travelers are asked to show the completed form along with their passport and asked how many days they plan to be in Peru. Normally, the passport will be stamped indicating a permissible stay of 60 or 90 days and a copy of the Customs form will be returned to the traveler.
* It is important that you keep this customs document as well as your Andean Immigration card until you exit Peru.
Exit: The Customs document must be presented when exiting the country. Passengers leaving on an international flights pay a departure tax of US$31.00 dollars, which as of 2012 is now included in your international air ticket. A USD$6.00 domestic airport tax on internal domestic flights not leaving from Lima or Cusco will be paid in person by each traveler. All departure taxes can be paid in local currency (S/. soles) or US dollars.
Travelers exiting overland are not required to pay departure taxes.
Money & Currency
The official currency in Peru is the Nuevo Sol (S/.), which is divided into 100 cents. The currency includes coins for 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1, 2 and 5 sol coins. There are bills in the denomination of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 Nuevos Soles. Peru is essentially a dual currency economy, with the US dollar floating at roughly 3.25 soles per one US dollar. Check local currency exchange rates upon arrival to get exact rates of exchange during your visit. The US dollar is readily accepted in most commercial establishments, restaurants, and service stations at the rate of the day. ATM machines, internationally recognized banks (9am-6pm M-F, Sat 9-1:00pm), and change houses are also readily available in all big cities and most major traveler destinations.
The vast majority of establishments also accept major credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Traveler’s checks are changed with a standard commission of 5%.
Do not rely on credit or debit cards as your only source of money, a combination of US dollars in cash, traveler’s checks and plastic is best. Always take more rather than less, as you don’t want to spoil the trip by constantly feeling short of funds.
Click here for a very useful online currency converter
http://www.xe.com/ucc/
Click here for a very useful online travel expense calculator
http://www.xe.com/tec/table.shtml
Communications
Telefonica Peru, the principal telephone company in Peru, features a far-reaching telephone network that provides services for national and international long-distance calls from private telephone lines and public cabins. There are also currently more than 2.5 million clients who have cellular phones, and satellite communications are currently being developed.
It is possible and straightforward to make international and domestic phone calls from public phones. Country codes and city codes are listed in most phone booths. Pay phones accept coins and phone cards (easiest) sold at kiosks and convenience stores around the city. Take care and make sure you buy the correct phone card (147) for the telephone company you wish to use. You cannot make collect calls from public phones.
Directory information: dial 103(only service in Spanish)
To place an international call dial: 00 +country code, +city code, +phone number
To place a domestic call within Peru dial: 0 +city code + phone number.
Hotels also offer telephone service but in most cases tend to be more expensive.
Internet is readily available in all major cities. Cost is approximately US$ .60 cents per hour.
Weather in Peru
http://www.wunderground.com/auto/virtuallythere_jan3/global/PR.html
http://weather.yahoo.com/regional/PEXX.html
Click here for a detailed breakdown of climate in Peru
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/p/PR84686.html
Peru is located in the tropics of South America, but its climate is not representative of its geographical location for two fundamental reasons. The Andes Mountain Range and the cold marine current known as Humboldt, also called Peruvian current. During the winter months the Andes Range tends to hold moisture in the Amazon Basin. However, during the hotter summer months (December-March), warm air rises out of the Amazon basin and brings heavy rains to the otherwise arid Andes Mountains.
Along Peru’s coast during the winter months (June-Sept) the cold Humboldt Current clashes with tropical heat and creating a thick marine layer hanging close to the coast.
Due to these factors Peru’s climate varies considerably by region and altitude. The best time for trekking is June to September, when days are sunny but nights are cold. The wettest months are January through March (Inca trail is closed in February). The coast is quite hot and humid during those months, becoming cooler during the rest of the year by La Garùa mist blown in from the cold ocean. As one moves up into the mountains, nighttime temperatures become considerably colder. The eastern slope of the Andes, like the Amazon basin, experiences very heavy rainfall during the wet season (December-March), so best time to visit would be April to October.
Climate Charts in Peru
Cusco
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/p/PR84686.html
Lima
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/p/PR84628.html
Arequipa
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/p/PR84752.html
Puerto Maldonado
http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/p/PR84658.html
Language
It will be most beneficial for you to you to learn some Spanish before you come on your Peruvian Adventure. Quechua, an ancient language spoken by the once mighty Incas, is also an official language of Peru. There are more than 10 million Quechua speakers in Peru, and you will have the chance to pick some basics. Essentially you don’t need to know any Spanish or Quechua for your trip, as all the travel arrangements are taken care of for you, and your tour leader is there if you need an instant translation. However, any Spanish you learn will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the trip and interaction with Peruvians.
Because this tour of Peru is focused on contact with the Peruvians and their culture, there will be ample opportunity to use, and benefit from, whatever Spanish you have. Our experience is that every traveler that comes to Peru wishes they new more Spanish. You can start now.
To start, you can download our list of basic Spanish phrases that are most common in Peru (as Spanish, particularly the spoken form does vary significantly from country to country).
If you would like to study further and you can’t find Spanish classes in your local area, here are some websites that offer some on-line classes.
Spanish Lessons
Books and CDs
Spanish Unlimited: http://www.spanishunlimited.com/
Michael Thomas: www.michelthomas.com/
Online Spanish/Quechua lessons with audio for pronunciation
Learn Spanish: www.studyspanish.com/
Web Spanish Lessons: www.june29.com/Spanish/
Learn Quechua: http://www.linguashop.com/en/learn-quechua.php?partner_id=0
Flights to Peru
*International airfare is not included in the price of the tour.
Travelers arrive from all over the world to go on our tours of Peru, and as such it is not practical to include international airfare in our prices. You can book flights to Peru through your preferred travel agent or on the Internet. We have compiled several competitive online travel sites for your convenience.
Travelocity »
Expedia »
Orbitz »
Cheap Tickets »
Priceline »
Airlines from North America, Central America & Caribbean to Peru
Aero Mexico www.aeromexico.com
Air Canada www.aircanada.com
American Airlines www.aa.com
Delta Airlines www.delta.com
Continental Airlines www.continental.com
Copa Airlines www.copaair.com
Lan Chile www.lan.com
Lan Peru www.lan.com
Spirit Airlines www.spiritair.com
Taca www.taca.com
Airlines from Europe to Peru
Air France www.airfrance.com
Air Plus Comet www.aircomet.com
Alitalia www.alitalia.com
British Airways www.britishairways.com
Iberia www.iberia.com
KLM klm.com
Lufthansa www.lufthansa.com
Flights from Australia and New Zealand to Peru
Aerolineas Argentinas www.aerolineas.com.au
Air New Zealand www.airnz.com
Lan Chile www.lanchile.com
Quantas www.quantas.com.au (Australia)
Quantas www.quantas.co.nz (New Zealand)
United Airlines www.unitedairlines.com.au (Australia)
United Airlines www.unitedairlines.co.nz (New Zealand)