Tips for Travelers to Peru

HOME                                    Some quick pointers that you will find useful. Current as of June 2005.

Before Leaving

You can accomplish quite a few chores over the Internet. If you are going to be visiting Macchu Picchu, then the most important is reserving your seat on the Cusco-Macchu Picchu train. That is, if you are organizing the trip yourself.

Go to www.perurail.com and send a booking request (you do not have to give a credit card number). You will receive confirmation that your request has been received right away, but the actual booking will take longer. Send a reminder (preferably in Spanish) if you don't hear in 3/4 days. inside a week you should get confirmation of your booking, with a confirmation number and where to pick up your ticket. You need to pick up the ticket at least a day before your departure (take your confirmation message), at the Wanchaq train station in Cusco. (This is NOT the station from which the Macchu Picchu train leaves.) Take your passport with you - if you forget you at least need to know the passport number. Credit cards were not being accepted as of June 2005. You should make a reservation ahead of time, especially if you intend to take the Backpacker train - which is cheaper and fills up sooner. The Vistadome train cost about $101, the Backpacker was some $30 less. Try to get a seat on the left side of the train going to Macchu Picchu, and right side coming back. The view is better. TIP: On the way back you may choose to disembark at Poroy - the last station before Cusco. A waiting bus will take you to Plaza de Armas for 5 soles. The reason is that the train has to go through 4 or 5 time-consuming switchbacks as it approaches Cusco. By taking the bus you can save 30 to 45 minutes.

You should also book your air passage from Lima to Cusco in advance, though some people say it is not necessary. You can call TACA in the U.S. (or other airlines) and book through them. You can also do it over the Internet - the prices are comparable, by and large. The cost was about US $150, for a round trip. Note that in mid-2005 TACA only had a 6 a.m. flight, Lima -Cusco, which is not very convenient. LanPeru flights, which then cost almost $90 more, left about 9 a.m. Not sure if this is correct, but it is said that if you buy the ticket outside Peru then you avoid a 19 percent sales tax. The left side of the aircraft, going to Cusco, gives better views.

Arriving in Lima: Immigration at Lima was pretty straightforward - US citizens gets a 3-month visitor visa. There are moneychangers in the baggage pickup area, as well as an ATM machine (see below for exchange rates). Customs involves pushing a button if you get a green light you are good to go, red means someone will go through your possessions.

Getting to the hotel: Recommendation for getting to the city is: if you are arriving at night, have your hotel arrange transport; during the day you could try getting one of the taxis outside the airport. When arriving in a city taxi drivers know that most people will have a large amount of cash, credit cards, etc. And after a long flight, not knowing a city, they are vulnerable. So, unless you know a place reasonably well it is wise to be cautious. This is particularly true of Lima, where taxis are unregulated. Hotels can send a taxi for US $15. If you hail a taxi at the airport you may pay less, depending on your negotiation skills - as low as half.

Money matters: The US dollar is freely accepted in Peru, but you will be better off having soles for most purchases. At the airport, moneychangers were giving 3.2 soles for a dollar (May-June 2005 rates), which was also the rate in the hotel. A bank offered 3.21. The best cash rate, on Larco Avenue in Miraflores, was 3.23. The ATM machine gave  3.21 (after accounting for a $1 fee). So, the rates were within spitting distance of each other - not worth hassling about. However, at some places you may want to decide to use one or the other. When paying the airport departure tax, for instance, it is better to use dollars, as close to the exact amount as possible. If you pay in soles (unless you have left over soles when leaving the country) you will pay more.

Credit Cards: Most credit cards have started charging a commission for transactions in foreign countries. This is usually two or three percent, and it can really make a difference in what you pay. The worst is American Express. There is one card that still does not have an extra commission - Capital One (other than Visa's 1 percent).

Hotels: In Lima, most people stay in Miraflores, in Cusco near the Plaza de Armas. You can book over the Internet and the the hotel's own web site is probably preferable. Compare before booking.  In Lima, you will be wise to have a map of the hotel's location - or at least good directions to it. Taxi drivers may not be able to find a hotel from the address alone.

Sightseeing in Lima: A half-day city tour, booked through the hotel at the LimaVision tour agency, is $20. It is enjoyable and worth it. There are several other tours - you can look at the brochure and decide. Walking around Miraflores, especially toward the sea and the LarcoMar shopping plaza, is also enjoyable.

Arriving in Cusco: Fairly straightforward. It is 7 soles for a taxi, both arriving and departing (5 soles for the driver plus a 2 soles parking fee). You can beat it down a little, if you want, to 5 soles total. Taxi drivers have an easier time finding addresses in Cusco.

Sightseeing in Cusco: Other than Macchu Picchu, there is a lot else in and near Cusco. The town itself is delightful for exploring, if you have a few days. A half-day city tour for $10, takes you many must-see places,  the most prominent being Sascayhuaman and Coricancha. Then there is the entire Sacred Valley, and several other sites in Cusco itself. Get a good guide book!

Food: Food in Peru is a delight. Unless you have reasons not to, try Peruvian food whenever possible.  Water, of course, should always be the bottled kind. Pizza is common in Peru for some reason (in Lima a lane has been named 'Pizza Alley' or Calle de Pizza). And most of the fast food giants are well established there. Don't miss the chifas. These are Chinese restaurants and they offer surprisingly good food. They are supposed to be a fusion of Peruvian and Chinese cuisine, but some dishes are straightforward Chinese. Another thing you should remember is to ask for a 'menu' when you walk into a restaurant, even a fancy one. This is a set menu, but gives you many choices. The prices are much lower than a la carte. You will usually be offered the a la carte menu when you first go into a restaurant. Wave at it and say you want the menu.

Souvenirs: Cusco is one of the cheapest places when it comes to souvenirs. They were so inexpensive that even stopped bargaining seems inappropriate, though a little bargaining is okay. The handicrafts market across from the Howard Johnson Hotel has good prices, but there are shops throughout the city. To give you some prices: XL t-shirts, 7 soles each, earthen pottery, about 10-15 soles, silver earrings,  25 soles and up, poster of Macchu Picchu, 4 soles. Alpaca clothing is supposed to be cheap also. Prices in Lima are significantly higher.