Are you going to travel to Peru?
You should know this to prepare your trip to Peru! There are several things that you should keep in mind before traveling anywhere. Climate, security in the country, currency, credit cards that you can use in the country, vaccines and preventions... In this post I will tell you about it.
TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO PERU
When to travel to Peru? Climate
If you still don't know, Peru is located in the southern hemisphere and its summer and its best hottest season goes from mid-December to mid-March approx. Even so, it is a country with very moderate temperatures all year round.
Peru is a huge country and the weather changes a lot depending on where you are. You can be in Lima with humidity and heat and travel to Cusco and need a jacket.
So in the suitcase you should put a little of everything.
If you want to travel at a time when you do not have to wrap up much in any part of the country, you should do it in spring-summer. (From November to the end of April). Although in the Andes area they are the wettest months and it can rain.
The months of June, July and August are very cold, especially in the mountain and mountain areas, but they are also the driest and sunniest months.
In June, July and August it is normal to find snow in the Andes area and some treks are not available unless you are an expert and have the necessary equipment.
Visa to travel in Peru
If you are Spanish, you must have a valid passport for at least 6 months. And you do not need to apply for a visa to enter the country beforehand.
As these procedures change often, I recommend that you always contact the embassy of the country located in Spain and request the information.
You can also see on the web www.ivisa.com if you need to apply for a visa to any part of the world. This website informs you if you need a visa with prior request for the country you are going to travel to, or if, on the contrary, you only need to manage the tourist visa at the entrance to the country...
Currency in the country and credit card payments
The country's currency is the Peruvian sol. It is not a cheap country, and you will realize when you start looking for hotels, a 3-star hotel will cost you the same in Peru as in Spain. And the same goes for food, clothing,... Still, as with everything, you can always take a cheap trip and find places to stay for less than 10 euros and cheaper places to eat.
What if they are cheap are the excursions and guided tours. Throughout all the blog articles I talk to you about the best options.
You can exchange currency at hotel receptions, exchange houses and banks. I recommend you exchange money in the country. At your airport of origin, change the least, it is always the worst change.
You can pay with a credit card anywhere, they always charge you with your visa in sight.
On my first trip, I had problems in Cusco when two restaurants charged me for dinner, and a week later when I was already in Arequipa, they doubled my charges again. Fortunately, as I had travel insurance that included these types of claims, they were able to solve the matter and my bank refunded my money.
This is not only a recommendation for Peru in particular, you should keep an eye on us whenever they don't take our visa and they always charge us with us in front! Even so, there are credit cards you can activate and deactivate today. They are very practical!
Ever since I got to know the N26 card, it is the card I always use on my trips. In addition to many advantages, you will be able to withdraw money in many ATMs around the world without commissions!
Haggling in Peru
Yes, here you will also have to take out your bargaining guns, to get good prices. Throughout the articles on Peru I already told you that some places inflate prices a lot. So go ahead, especially in markets when they give you a price with a minimum drop of 70%, you will negotiate and if you end up paying 50% less, then you are at the right price (tips from all guides and hotels).
Vaccines required to travel to Peru
There are no necessary vaccinations to go to Peru, although it is recommended and HIGHLY ADVISABLE to be vaccinated against yellow fever if the trip is going to be made through the Amazon areas.
However, we recommend that you inquire at the International Vaccination Center about those that would be advisable (typhoid fever, hepatitis A and B, tetanus, polio, etc.).
Citizen security
It is necessary to take precautionary measures, since there have been cases of assaults by armed groups on tourists. As recommendations, conflict zones where there are clashes between groups should be avoided. In cities like Lima, it is advisable to move around the tourist areas without wandering too much in the areas that are not a point of interest.
In the cities there are cases of robberies, generally, they are thefts, so do not neglect your luggage or leave personal belongings in the seats of the vehicles, get confused by taking photos and leave the backpack on the ground... Follow the same measures than any country in general.
The authorities advise against traveling alone within the country, especially in areas where tourism does not exist on a regular basis.
In my two trips I have not had an incident (apart from the double charge on my card that I mentioned before). I am very fond of wandering and knowing many places. Of course, it never crossed my mind to go to the outskirts of Lima, where the favela neighborhoods are located... I don't even do it in my city, Barcelona.
Have a little coconut, do not get into areas that you do not see clearly and be attentive.
Food poisoning
Although Peruvian gastronomy is known to be one of the best in the world, special care must be taken with water and the food that you are going to eat during the trip. As far as possible, raw food and washed under running water, as well as the ingestion of food sold in street stalls whose hygiene measures are doubtful. Drink only bottled and sealed drinks. Avoid drinking drinks served on ice.
To prevent typhoid fever, you can take measures and get vaccinated before traveling to the country or you can take a VIVOTIF medicine that is 3 pills that, although they do not prevent as much as the vaccine, have a very high rate of prevention. ALWAYS check with your doctor or with the international vaccine center who will advise you which is the best option.
Never take anything without consulting a doctor.
Altitude sickness in Peru
Due to the fact that a large part of the Peruvian territory is at high altitude, it is recommended to rest the first days, avoid physical effort, eat light food and hydrate well, since altitude sickness or soroche can affect you at 3,000 meters of altitude.
Avoid ascending quickly and let your body get used to it.
I give you all kinds of advice to avoid and treat Peruvian altitude sickness as far as possible in the post:
Travel insurance to Peru
YES ALWAYS. In any destination, any trip, however short or long it may be. Accidents happen, we get sick and we are a long way from the new country. Health in Peru, although it is much better than in neighboring countries, you can get a consultation for gastroenteritis (something common) or for a treatment against altitude sickness, very expensive.
Travel insurance will not only include medical consultations, emergency care, hospitalization, extra accommodation in case you have to stay longer in the country due to quarantine, illness... return flight if urgent, etc... but also includes lost luggage , transport delays, robberies, thefts...
PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you enjoy your trip to Peru a lot and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon