PERU TRAVEL PRACTICALITIES

Visas and Documents:  

Citizens of most Western European countries, North and South America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand only require a valid passport to enter Peru. You need to ensure that your passport has at least 6 months left to run after the date that you enter the country.
On arrival you will be given a tourist card which you fill out in duplicate. At the immigration office you will normally get a 90 day stay in Peru; both your passport and the tourist card are stamped and you will be given one copy of the tourist card to keep. Do not lose it since you need to hand it back when leaving the country. Losing the card will incur plenty of hassle in replacing it.
If you want to stay longer than 90 days then you have two options: The first is to leave the country for at least 2 days (to Bolivia, Chile or Ecuador) and return to obtain another 90 day stay for free. This process can be repeated as many times as the border control officials still believe you are a tourist. Alternatively you can renew your tourist card at the Department of Immigration in either Lima or Cusco. The cost is $25 per extension of 30 days. A maximum of 3 extensions is permissible. Prepare yourself for a bit of a long drawn out renewal process particularly in Cusco.
When traveling between towns always have your passport close to hand since legally you have to have  it ready for inspection at all times. In the cities it is probably best to leave it in the hotel safe and carry a photocopy of your passport with you.
It is also a good idea to make photocopies of any other important documents and to keep a note of your traveler's cheques, credit card account numbers and emergency phone numbers.

Time difference: 5 hours behind GMT

Currency: The local currency is nuevos soles but dollars are widely accepted.

Telephone: When dialing peru from overseas dial the international access code (00) followed by the country code (51), followed by the regional code without the initial 0, followed by the number. Below are the regional codes for the largest cities:-

01  Lima

084 Cusco

084 Machu Picchu

054 Arequipa

054 Puno

044 Huaraz

Example: You may see the number of a hotel in Cusco as 231424. From overseas dial 00 51 84 231424. From Lima dial 084 231424. From Cusco dial 231424

Language: As a traveler you will be best served knowing a little Spanish. Until 1975 this was the sole official language of Peru but since then Quechua, which is main language of the Indians, has also been made official. Around Lake Titicaca Aymara, another Indian language, is also spoken. Many Indians speak Spanish too but if you venture into the more remote areas you will find few people who speak any Spanish at all.

Packing List: There's a very good saying that goes 'bring twice as much money and half as many clothes as you think you'll need'!

The key to packing for a trip to Peru is to pack for a variety of conditions while keeping the weight to a minimum. Easier said than done when you have to deal with the intense heat of the high altitude, the cold mountain nights spent camping on the Inca Trail and the heat and humidity of the Amazon Basin. The best way to deal with these extremes is to dress using several layers rather than one thick jumper. If you forget something, don't despair since most things can be bought in most Peruvian cities frequently visited by tourists including excellent and cheap alpaca jumpers.

Below you'll find a suggested packing list:

1. Backpack (65 liters should be quite sufficient).

2. Day pack

3. Comfortable walking boots with good ankle support.

4. Clothes

2 pairs long trousers (lightweight)

2 T-shirts

1 short-sleeved shirt

1 long-sleeved shirt

1 pair shorts

Underwear and socks (thermal underwear is highly recommended, being light, warm and makes good nightwear on cold nights).

5. Fleece jacket

6. Hat or cap to protect from the sun.

7. Towel plus washing items.

8. Sun cream, lip salve, sun glasses.

9. Alarm clock, torch, knife

10. Basic first aid kit.

11. Insect repellent.

12. Money belt.

13 Camera + film (film can easily be bought in Peru and is of excellent quality).

Optional extras include:-

14. Sleeping bag (3 season)- but can be rented in Cusco for the Inca Trail if you don't have one.

15. Plastic sandals - useful for in the shower.

16. Several good novels, pack of cards.

17. Binoculars

18. Water bottle (mineral water can be bought throughout Peru)

19. Water sterilizing tablets for trekking including the Inca Trail. (Micropur tablets can be bought in Cusco and are very efficient).