We will present here common questions about Peru together with answers. We hope this list will allow to get new, valuable information, dispel doubts. Good luck in planning vacation in ancient Inca country. I hope it will be great preparations stage!
Peru is a country, in connection with which, it is very hard to give straight answer to any question. It will be always connected with many factors. We should start each reply with “it depends”. For some questions we have prepared longer articles to explain the topic in more details (links in below). Please keep in mind that those are not the only correct answers. Sometimes some situations might occur or might not occur even if we mention them. Everything is based on few years’ experience by living and working in this country. Constant learning the culture, customs, people and realities. It is not based on few weeks trip in Peru.
It is not easy to point the best month to travel in Peru. Why is that?
We have three slightly different parts of the country: costa (costa), mountains (sierra) and jungle (selva). Each has its own rules, climate and within each even different microclimates. There is no specific month that is the best to travel to Peru. The main question here is “What is your plan in Peru”? “What do you want to see”? If you know this, it won’t be a problem to choose proper month.
More details about this topic can be found in the article Which are the best months for visiting Peru?
Read it carefully and it will help for sure. There is no worse situation than arriving at the other side of the world during the time, your favorite activities are not possible.
This is another never ending topic. It can be safe or dangerous in Poland, Europe or in Peru. Everything depends how we travel in given country. I personally think that when going to new areas it is worth to take extra precaution. And for sure it is required when we go to a new place about which we do not know much and we do not know Spanish very well. You should not minimize the risk.
Peru is a country, where law and way of resolving some topics is being done is a very different way. Sometimes so different, that hard to understand. Sometimes it is hard to accept the things that in our culture are seen as bad, inappropriate. During the same time in a country we are visiting, it is hard to eliminate, and it is widely accepted. That is why additional precaution is needed. What rules are we talking about here? What do you need to know before the trip? All details you will find in article Safety in Peru. The most common questions.
Local currency in Peru is sol. 1 sol converted to polish zlotys is around 1.2 PLN. It is not possible to buy Peruvian currency in Poland. The best option is to bring dollars with you or euro. Depends on time of the year you will get 3.2 to 3.5 sol for 1 dollar. It is possible to exchange them in each city, but mainly around main plazas (Plaza de Armas).
Another very important factor is quality of bills brought with you. If they are damaged, worn out, you might have difficulties with exchange, especially with normal rate.
At the airports the rates are not the best, so it is the best to change small amount of money and then the rest in the Cusco or Lima center. Remember that the smaller, less touristy city, the more difficult is to exchange money. Do not panic! It is possible in Peru to pay directly with dollars or euro. In most cases the exchange rate is a little lower, but this is an option as well. Peruvian will tell you that he needs to go to the city to make exchange and that is why he cannot give you higher rate.
They are available and they are working. You can get sols or dollars from them, but each transaction will get additional fee added. You need to keep that in mind. Also there are limits and very often you can get maximum 500 dollars in one day. And here similar to money exchange, the smaller city, no ATM probability is higher. That is why always organize those topics in big cities.
There are many ways to get to Machu Picchu. Longer, shorter, cheaper, more expensive, less or more comfortable. None of them is the best or the worst. It depends on many factors which will be the best for you. It depends on
We have covered the most important topics related to Machu Picchu in following articles:
Cheap flight to Peru does not exist. For me cheap means going by less than 2000 PLN both ways to different parts of the world without big transfer times. In case flight to Peru this is not doable. This kind of great deals happens very rarely. The main reason is lack of direct flight from Poland to Lima and also low number of operators going in this direction. Flight Poland – Peru is not flight within Europe, where we have huge competition. That is why we do not have many promotions.
It does not mean you will spend tons of money. Easily air transportation can be arranged for around 2800 – 3000 PLN if you look hard. You need to look for them on various web pages connected with flight offers or contact specialist within this area. They will help you to find the best offer in exchange to some fee.
It is very common that the cheapest flights are with the transfer in USA and for this you need to have a visa, which is blocker for many people. Other options are through Madrid or Barcelona. Sometimes goods ones are also through Amsterdam.
There is also good news as for internal flights within Peru. Since 2017 there is new cheap airline and tickets might cost around 20 dollars on some routes. More details about cheap airlines can be found in article Cheap flights in Peru and traps awaiting travelers.
Internet in Peru is much slower than in Poland, but it is available almost in each hotel, hostel. Of course it is not the rule for small cities and villages where this kind of luxury is not common. In the cities, especially in city center, there are many internet cafes, opened even till 10:00pm. Restaurants and pubs are also open for new technologies and in many of them you can find WiFi.
In Peru most of the prices are similar to prices in Poland. If you go to touristy restaurant, you will pay for lunch around 35 – 60 sols. On the contrary if you choose more local place – good lunch will cost around 15 – 25 sols. In very local places you will kill your hunger even for 5 -10 sols.
Fruits are cheap, but some of them might be more expensive when it is not their season. Local sweets are cheaper than in Poland. 2.5 l water is 3 – 3.5 sol. Of course the closer to tourist attraction, the more expensive it is. It is worth to buy some snacks up front.
In Peru also street food is very popular. For 1 sol you can buy many products, including cut fruits. In this price range you can eat also delicious breakfast or drink herbal tea. You can find out more in another article Peruvian treats almost for free.
Peru is not the cheapest country, but many people are sure it is opposite. Everything depends on few factors including places you want to see, transportation you will take or accommodation. The more sophisticated options, the more you will pay. It is worth to know entrance tickets prices to the most popular places. Current prices for the most famous attractions in Cusco, Arquqipa and Lima can be found in the articles:
Before coming to Peru it is worth to check at Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Polish Embassy in Lima if there is any obligatory vaccination required for Peru. Currently few are recommended, in case going to different areas, for example jungle. But very often it is personal choice. Many people are against vaccinations, when other group prefers to take this extra precaution. Each side has its own pros and cons, so each person needs to decide on his/her own. You should consult a doctor and make a decision.
Sending package from Peru is a little challenge. It is possible, but it will take a little more time. First of all you need to have original of passport with you. Secondly you need to have its copy as well that will stay at the post office. Without that no shipment will happen. Thirdly, you need to be aware that package will be controlled few times, by post office employee and later in Lima before sending package outside the country. In Lima they will decline all powder products if you do not have receipt for that. Even if you can easily see that this is lucuma, camu-camu or cacao.
For example cost of sending 4 – 5 kg package will be around 260 sols (economic) or 300 sols (priority). You can estimate all the costs by using calculator on Peruvian postal office web page SERPOST. Additional information can be found also in this article Sending package from Poland and what you need to know beforehand?
Yes. Western Union is one of the most famous ways to transfer money to Peru. It is available mainly in bigger cities. Useful, because you do not need credit or big amount of money with you. You do not need to look for ATM’s, be afraid that you will lose all cash or it will be stolen. Many people planning to stay here longer decide to this solution in order to get extra money. How does it work? Before coming over to Peru, you need to agree with your friends or family that each week they will send given amounts. Easy and fast method.
Yes, definitely. All everyday use things can be bought almost in each city. There is no need to take with you shampoo or bath lotion. You can buy this stuff in small pockets in order to minimize size of your luggage.
In bigger cities you can get almost any product you want. Sometimes there might be problems with special outdoor equipment, but those can be found in Lima or Cusco. Keep in mind that prices will be higher than the ones in Poland, so it is worth to think about getting them back at home.
In each bigger city you will find laundry places. The best situation is in Cusco. Many hotels and hostels are arranging such service, but the price will be a little higher in such setup. If you look on your own, each kg will cost 3 – 8 sols (depends on city, place and speed of service like express in 2 hours or for the next day).
How does it work? You bring all the clothes you want to wash, the best in plastic bag, and agree when it will be ready. You will get back perfectly clean clothes. There is no self-service laundry like in USA.
When travelling by local transportation there is no need to show your passport. Copy is enough, but it is worth to have original with you just in case. In long run buses you always need to present original, but you can always try with the copy first. Remember that in some situations you need to show original. If you do not have it, you might not be able to visit some attractions, even if you have valid ticket.
This scenario is valid for:
Yes, it is possible to get Yellow Fever vaccination in Peru. The cost of it in regional hospital in Cusco is 50 sols, around 16 USD.
Yes, this is very common, especially in rainy season from October to April. You should always have some buffer, even few hours, in case bus or flight will got delayed.
Travel insurance is not obligatory, but it is important to have it. In case any accident, emergency situation, it helps a lot. It is very common that people are buying very cheap insurance and in case more severe accident coverage is not enough or does not include transportation back to home country. Sometimes it does not cover high attitude trekking.
In order to have functional insurance it needs to cover minimum 350000 PLN and there need to be coverage above 2000 m. above sea level. If you have some medical condition, this should be covered additionally as well. If you do not have it and you require some medical assistance, costs might not be refunded.
You are not sure which insurance to choose? Read our article Travel insurance for Peru and list of the ones that works
Above list contains the most common questions that you have asked so far. We want to have it in a most accurate and complete form, so we encourage you to ask questions. We want to have the list that will make your live in Peru easier and nicer.
