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MISCELLANEOUS THIS TO KNOW ABOUT PERU |
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Good Things to Know |
| Visas: With the exception of New Zealanders and Spaniards most travelers do not need visas. |
| Time: GMT/UTC (Zulu) minus 5 hours |
Electricity: 220V, 60Hz (bring a transformer or you'll turn your 110 volt hairdryer into a flame thrower) |
Unit of Measure: Metric, while a kilometer is much less than a mile a kilogram is much more than a pound. |
Medical Considerations: In some areas there are sporadic outbreaks of cholera, hepatitis, malaria (in the lowlands), rabies and typhoid. Get a yellow fever shot if you plan to go to the eastern slopes of the Andes or the Amazon Basin. |
Don't drink the tap water! Get bottled water, it will cut down on your trips to the bathroom or worse. Water with gas (con gas or agua mineral) is preferable just so you'll know the bottle was not filled from some questionable source. An added plus, the noise in your mouth when you use it to brush your teeth will insure you are awake in the morning. |
Costs: Lima and Cuzco are the most expensive cities in the country. If you're on a tight budget, you can (but I wouldn't) scrape by on around $30 US per day, but for staying in decent hotels and dining in restaurants $50 US is more like it. |
Exchange: US Currency is readily changed at banks, exchange houses or hotels. Other currencies can be changed at banks. There is no "black market" so you really don't save anything by changing with street changers, in fact they might cheat you. Major credit cards like Visa, MasterCard and Amex are generally accepted as are travelers checks. |
| Transportation |
Air: Lima's international airport, Jorge Chavez, is the main airport for flights to and from Lima both international and domestic. There is a departure tax of approximately US$25 on international flights and $4 on domestic. LAN Peru, Aero Continente, TANS, and Aerocondor are the main domestic carriers, with flights to most destinations in Peru. There's an 18% tax on domestic flights, but you can avoid most of this if you buy tickets abroad.
Peru’s national airlines are NuevoContinente (N6) , Lan Perú (LP) and Taca Perú (TA).
Other airlines with regular services to Peru include Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeroméxico, AeroPostal, Air Madrid, Alitalia, American Airlines, Avianca, Continental, Copa, Delta Airlines, Iberia, KLM, Lacsa, LAN Chile, Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, Lufthansa, Servivensa, Transportes Aéreos Militares Ecuatorianos (TAME), United Airlines and Varig. Air Canada, Air Plus and Cubana plan to launch services to Peru soon. Many other airlines have representatives in Peru.
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Tourist Trains Cuzco – Machu Picchu and return (3 hours one way), Urubamba – Machu Picchu and return (1 ½ hours one way) or Ollantaytambo – Machu Picchu and return (1 hour one way). Daily services.
Puno – Cuzco and return, approx. 10 hours each way.
Lima-Huancayo and return, approx. 8 hours each way. (restricted service) |
Buses: Buses are the usual mode of transport over long distances. They are cheap, frequent and relatively comfortable. Always carry your passport because you will need to show it to local police from time to time. Local buses are slow, cheap and crowded; when you want to get off don't look for a bus stop just yell out (before you jump make sure the bus is stopped). |
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