Pre-Travel Information & Tips Peru Tours

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 can be found at Rree.gob.pe

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 (*)

The official languages in Peru 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.

The official currency of Peru is the Nuevo Sol (S/.). The U.S. Dollar is accepted at most stores, restaurants and hotels.

The average exchange rates for the Nuevo Soles are as follows:

USD	2.74
GBP	4.05
EUR	4.23
CAD	2.51
AUD	2.54

There are many exchange houses in the cities where you can exchange foreign currency (US Dollars and Euros). Always try and carry small bills / notes or coins with you as larger bills / notes can be hard to break at times. ATM´s are really easy to find, so you do not need to worry about drawing out a large sum of money. In order to avoid any unnecessary stress, please inform your bank where you will be travelling to on what dates. Please check with your bank if they will charge you for withdrawing any money before travelling. The most widely accepted credit cards are: American Express, VISA, Diners Club and MasterCard. There are some limitations to using traveler´s checks in Peru, so please check with establishments before arriving to use them. 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 (reverse charges)
• Diners Club (01) 615-1111

The weather in Peru varies from region to region. Please see below of a short description of what you can expect in the different tourist areas:

Lima
Lima tends to be rather humid and warm all year round. For travelers staying in Lima, they should pack loose, cotton clothing if travelling during January through to March. Between March and April, travelers may need something warmer to wear at night. During December and April is the best time to visit Lima, as the weather is mild and the sun is out. It hardly ever rains in Lima, so travelers wanting to visit need not worry about the weather.

Cusco
This includes weather information about areas of Cusco as well as Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. The rainy season is between November to March, thus the dry season is between April until October. However, do not be put off from coming to Cusco in the rainy season as it does not rain all day but usually for about an average of 3-4 hours per day and you will often get to see some sun. The average temperature fluctuates between 11°C and 13°C and during sunny days the temperature can reach up to 20°C. During the night in May, June and July, the temperatures can drop down to 7°C.

Puno
During the dry season between April to October, most of the days are sunny and warm, but the nights will get cold. During the rainy season, the days can be warm and have periods of rain but also periods of sunshine.

Arequipa
The weather in Arequipa is generally nice all year round. It is sunny during the day and is warm during the night. Even during the rainy of November to March, it hardly ever rains, thus is a good tourist destination all year round.

The Peruvian Amazon All year round, the Peruvian Amazon has temperature betweens 15°C to 30°C, but rains heavily during the rainy season. During the rainy season, the Amazon features some heavy periods of rain but then may be dry for a few days before continuing the cycle. If you are going to the Peruvian Amazon during the rainy season, make sure you take waterproof clothes with you.

Nazca & Ica
In this area of Peru, there is nice weather all year around and hardly ever rains. Most of the days are warm and sunny and stay warm during the nights. During the winter, the nights can get a little chillier, so you may want to bring something warm.

North Peru In this region of Peru, it is warm all year round (between 18°C to 28°C) and hardly ever rains. During the summer, it can reach temperatures of between 25°C to 35°C. We advise you to dress lightly for this region of Peru and make sure you take sun screen with you.

In general, most outlets in Peru use 220 volts. Most 4 and 5-star hotels have outlets equipped for 110 volts. Most outlets use two types of plugs, which are shown below:

Flat blade plug		Two round pins

Peru generally maintains good health care. There are enough hospitals and clinics that provide adequate services, especially in the main cities, such as Lima, Cusco and Arequipa.

A yellow fever vaccination is required for traveling to jungle cities, which must be administered at least 10 days before your trip in order for it to be effective. No other vaccinations are required.

To avoid altitude sickness or soroche, we suggest following the next steps:

• Do not exercise too much on the first day in high altitude areas
• Eat lightly during the first two days.
• Drink plenty of water and high energy drinks.
• If you have any heart, respiratory or pulmonary problems, please 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 the blood.

To keep from getting gastrointestinal infections, we recommend you do not eat any raw foods, drink only bottled or boiled water and do not eat food from street vendors.

Because of the diversity of weather of Peru and the diverse activities we always recommend that our passengers bring light clothes such as shirts, short pants, sandals and swim suits but also bring warm clothes, such as a warm jacket, raincoat (in the rainy season Nov to Mar) and comfortable shoes for hiking. Please see our weather information for details.

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 ´Pre-Travel´ information, any entry visas or vaccination certificates required, camera and film, reading/writing materials, binoculars, sun protection cream, 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).

Information about the Inka trail, the Salkantay trek, or any other trekking excursions If you are doing the Inca trail, the Salkantay trek or any other trekking excursion; it is important to bring:

Equipment

• Sleeping bag (can be rented locally for approx. $10 USD)
• Cover for backpack
• Inner sheet for sleeping bag
• Basic first aid kit
• Refillable water bottle
• Hiking stick
• Small towel
• Wet wipes and pocket tissues
• Sunglasses
• Sun cream or block
• Lip balm
• Flash light
• Strong plastic bags to help keep gear dry
• Anti-inflammatory tablets (e.g. Ibuprofen)
• Camera

Clothes

• Fleece top
• Windproof/waterproof jacket
• Shirts / t-shirts
• Sun hat
• Pair of shorts
• Hiking / track pants
• Hiking boots/ sturdy walking shoes
• Light sandals (not for hiking)
• Wool hat
• Mitts or gloves (can be bought in Cusco)
• Socks
• Underwear
• Rain poncho
• Swim wear (hot thermal springs)

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 your hotel in Cusco. Train to Machu Pîcchu
All passengers travelling on the train to Machu Picchu only have a limit of 7kgs (15.5 lbs), so please leave any unnecessary items in your hotel.

All domestic 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 tickets. We will be able to provide you with your booking reference number and electronic ticket number. You will only need to present your passport at the airline counter in order to check in.