Peru

Entry requirements depend on your nationality, so always check your own situation before booking. Citizens of the US, UK, the EU/Schengen states, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and most of Latin America do not need a visa for tourism and are generally granted up to 90 days on arrival — sometimes less, so check the number of days actually written on or with your entry record. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your planned date of entry.

The old paper Tarjeta Andina de Migración (TAM) — the Andean immigration card travellers used to fill in on the plane — has been replaced by a digital TAM Virtual. If you fly into Lima's Jorge Chávez airport your entry is recorded electronically when your passport is scanned; you can look up or download your TAM later via Peru's Migraciones website or app. At land borders and smaller airports a physical card may still be issued — keep it with your passport until you leave the country.

Machu Picchu is on a separate, capacity-controlled ticketing system run by Peru's Ministry of Culture: visitors book a specific date, entry time and circuit in advance through the official portal (tuboleto.cultura.pe). Daily capacity is capped and popular slots — especially morning entries in the May–September dry season, and any tickets that include the Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain climbs — routinely sell out months ahead. Book your ticket, your train and your night in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) together, as far in advance as you can.

Peru's currency is the sol (PEN), written 'S/'. Cards (Visa and Mastercard especially) are widely accepted in hotels, mid-range and upmarket restaurants and shops in Lima, Cusco, Arequipa and other tourist cities, and contactless is now common. Cash is still essential for markets, street food, taxis, small family-run guesthouses and almost anything in rural areas and the highlands.

US dollars are widely accepted in tourist zones — hotels, tour agencies, some restaurants — but the exchange rate offered is usually poor, so paying in soles is almost always better value. If you do bring dollars, make sure the notes are crisp and unmarked: torn, written-on or older-design bills are routinely refused. Use ATMs attached to a recognised bank (BCP, BBVA, Interbank, Scotiabank), decline the machine's offer to convert the withdrawal to your home currency, and break large bills early — small vendors rarely have change for a S/200 note.

Tipping ('propina') is appreciated but not as expected as in North America. In sit-down restaurants, check whether a 10% 'servicio' is already on the bill; if not, leaving around 10% for good service is standard. Round up for taxi drivers, leave small change for hotel porters and housekeeping, and tip trek guides, porters and cooks generously — for an Inca Trail or Salkantay group, expect to pool a meaningful per-person tip at the end of the trip.

Peruvians are warm and hospitable, with a noticeable difference in register between coastal Lima — quicker, more cosmopolitan, more openly affectionate — and the highlands, where people are often more reserved and formal. A handshake is the standard greeting; friends and women greet with a single cheek kiss. 'Buenos días', 'buenas tardes' and 'buenas noches' go a long way, and a little Spanish is genuinely appreciated everywhere.

The Andes and the Amazon are home to deep, living Indigenous cultures — Quechua and Aymara speakers in the highlands and many more nations in the rainforest — and respect for those traditions matters. Always ask before photographing people, especially in Indigenous communities and at markets; if someone in traditional dress poses for a photo, a small tip is the norm. Be respectful at archaeological sites and at offerings or 'pago a la tierra' ceremonies to Pachamama (Mother Earth), which you may see being made before treks.

Coca leaves are legal in Peru and are a traditional part of highland life — chewed, brewed as 'mate de coca' tea, or used in ceremonies, and often offered to visitors to help with altitude. They are NOT legal to take home: do not pack coca leaves, tea bags or coca-leaf products in checked or carry-on luggage, as they will be seized at your home airport and can trigger serious legal trouble. While you are in the country, expect to hear plenty of Andean music — the haunting 'huayno' and pan-pipe styles in highland towns, and 'criolla' and Afro-Peruvian rhythms on the coast.

Peru is large and mountainous and overland journeys are long, so domestic flights are essential for most itineraries. LATAM, Sky Airline and JetSmart all fly the main domestic routes from Lima — Cusco, Arequipa, Puno (Juliaca), Iquitos, Trujillo, Piura and others. Fares are reasonable if you book ahead, and Lima's new Jorge Chávez terminal (opened 2025) has streamlined transit considerably.

Intercity buses are excellent value and a comfortable way to travel between cities at lower altitudes. Cruz del Sur is the best-known premium operator and runs reclining 'cama' and 'semi-cama' overnight services with onboard meals; Oltursa and Movil Tours are similar. Peru Hop is a hop-on, hop-off bus service aimed at backpackers, covering the southern circuit Lima–Paracas–Huacachina–Arequipa–Puno–Cusco. To reach Machu Picchu, the only legal options once you leave the Cusco region are the trains run by PeruRail and Inca Rail to Aguas Calientes — there is no road to the site, and book these together with your entry ticket.

In Lima, the Metropolitano bus rapid transit system runs north–south along a dedicated corridor and is much faster than mixed traffic at rush hour. Lima Metro Line 1 (an elevated rail line) covers the city's eastern districts, and the first stations of the long-awaited underground Line 2 began service in late 2025, with more sections opening through 2026. For everything else, use ride-hailing apps — Uber, Cabify, Beat (Free Now) and InDriver all operate in Lima, and the fare is fixed up front. Avoid flagging unmarked taxis off the street, especially at night.

Getting online in Peru is easy. The four mobile networks are Movistar, Claro, Entel and Bitel; all four sell prepaid SIMs and support eSIM, and an eSIM bought before you fly is the simplest option for most short-trip visitors. Claro and Movistar tend to have the widest coverage outside the cities, including in much of the Sacred Valley.

If you prefer a physical SIM, you can buy one at the airport or in any carrier shop — you must register it with your passport, so a tourist-focused prepaid bundle is the easiest route. Peru's international dialling code is +51. Wi-Fi is widely available in hotels, cafés, restaurants and airports, but coverage thins out fast on treks and in the Amazon, so download offline maps, music and reading material before you head into the mountains or the jungle.

The single biggest health issue for visitors is altitude. Cusco sits at about 3,400m, Puno and Lake Titicaca at 3,800m, Arequipa at 2,300m, and many treks go considerably higher — altitude sickness ('soroche') is common and can be serious. Arrive slowly if you can — for example, spending a couple of nights in the lower Sacred Valley (around 2,800m) before going up to Cusco — take it very easy on day one, drink plenty of water, eat lightly, and skip alcohol. Coca tea is the traditional remedy, and acetazolamide (Diamox) prescribed by your doctor in advance is worth considering. If symptoms get worse rather than better, descend.

Tap water is NOT safe to drink anywhere in Peru — use bottled or filtered/boiled water, including for brushing teeth, and avoid ice unless you know it was made from purified water. Food hygiene varies: stick to the traveller's rule of peel it, boil it, cook it or forget it, and be cautious with raw seafood — ceviche is a national dish and well worth eating, but only at busy, reputable restaurants. Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is strongly advised; the CDC typically recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines for Peru, and a yellow fever vaccine if you'll visit the Amazon or other low-altitude jungle.

Day-to-day, the biggest risk is petty crime — pickpocketing, bag-snatching and distraction theft in busy areas of Lima (Miraflores, Barranco, the historic centre) and Cusco. Use registered taxis or ride-hailing apps rather than flagging cars off the street to avoid the rare but serious risk of 'express kidnappings', where victims are driven between ATMs and forced to withdraw cash. Avoid wearing flashy jewellery, keep an eye on bags in restaurants and on buses, and don't leave drinks unattended. The emergency numbers are 105 for police and 116 for fire and ambulance.

Power: Peru runs on 220V / 60Hz and uses Type A (flat two-pin) and Type C (round two-pin) plugs interchangeably — many outlets accept both. Travellers from the US should confirm their devices support 220V (most chargers and laptops are dual-voltage); travellers from the UK and Australia need a plug adapter.

Language: Spanish is the main official language, with Quechua and Aymara also official and widely spoken in the Andean highlands. English is common in tourist-facing hotels, agencies and restaurants but much less so elsewhere — a few basic Spanish phrases are genuinely useful.

Best time to visit: the Peruvian highlands and Machu Picchu are best in the dry season, roughly May to October — clearer skies, drier trails and the Inca Trail open (it closes for maintenance every February). June, July and August are peak season and book out far ahead. The coast, including Lima, is sunniest and warmest from December to April; in the Amazon it rains year-round but is wettest December–April.

Time zone: all of Peru is on Peru Time (UTC−5), the same as US Eastern Time in winter. Peru does not observe daylight saving, so the offset stays the same year-round.