Our top 25 Peru travel tips for first-timers!

And if Peru is on your travel bucket list, there are quite a few things to know before you go. But we’re here to help you feel prepared for your trip! In this guide we’re sharing our top 25 Peru travel tips from our one month in Peru. Including some very important ones that could’ve saved us a trip to Urgent Care. 😬

2. Don’t try to do too much

One of our biggest Peru travel tips is to not try to do too much. Which is hard! There are so many amazing places to visit in Peru and it may be tempting to squeeze them all into one short trip, but we’d suggest focusing on just a couple areas instead. 

Not only are some of the best destinations in Peru located at very high altitude and require multiple days of acclimating, but traveling between places can take quite a bit of time and multiple transportation methods. So by focusing on just a few areas, you can spend less days on planes and buses.

During our trip to Peru we focused on three main areas:

• Lima
• The desert and coastal areas south of Lima
• Cusco and the Andes Mountains, including Machu Picchu and multiple treks

While we missed out on Lake Titicaca, Huaraz, and the Amazon, we loved that we were able to explore these areas a bit deeper than some travelers get to. And next time we visit Peru (because there WILL be a next time), we will focus on these areas.

3. Peru is more than Machu Picchu

Speaking of places to visit in Peru, many people focus solely on Machu Picchu. And while Machu Picchu is pretty incredible, the country has SO much more to offer. In fact, our top three favorite experiences in Peru weren’t Machu Picchu. We enjoyed the Ausangate Trek, riding in a sand buggy and glamping in Huacachina, and the Salkantay Trek (which does lead to Machu Picchu) even more!

That’s not to say skip Machu Picchu. It 100% should be on your Peru itinerary! But don’t make that your only stop in Peru.

4. Always carry your passport

One thing we noticed in Peru is that we had to show our passport a lot. This was especially true at Machu Picchu, where we had to show it to get on the bus (multiple times) and to enter Machu Picchu itself. So make sure you always have it on you! BUT it’s important that you keep it in a safe spot, where it cannot easily be stolen. Ours are always located in a passport holder in an inside pocket of our backpack.

Also, you have the chance to pay for a novelty passport stamp at Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain. But we would advise against getting this, as it could potentially invalidate your passport and prevent you from entering or exiting a country. On page 5 of the US Passport it states only authorized officials can place stamps or additions to the passport. 

If you’re one to collect these types of stamps or want to start, another way to do it is to take a journal with you. With a journal you can get the stamp and then even write down some memories from that experience and still make it home!

9. Give yourself time to acclimate

Another crucial Peru travel tip is to acclimate. Going from Lima (sea level) to Cusco (3,399 meters/11,152 feet) is a HUGE shock to the system. And altitude sickness is very common among travelers, which could put a huge damper on your trip! Here are some of our top suggestions to adjust to the altitude.

Give yourself time to adjust

We suggest spending 2-3 full days in the Cusco area before venturing to even higher altitudes. And on these days, try to take it a bit easier. We spent 3 full days in Cusco before tackling the Salkantay Trek and minus a few headaches (which could’ve been due to less coffee than normal), our bodies did well!

Drink LOTS of water

Hydration is key when at high altitudes. We especially recommend adding electrolytes. LMNT is our absolute favorite! And if you use this link, you get a free sample pack (8 flavors!) with any order! 

Drink coca tea

Besides water, make sure to drink coca tea! Coca is a plant grown in Peru that is said to help with altitude sickness. Just make sure you don’t bring any back home, as it’s illegal in some countries due to it being used to make cocaine. Don’t worry though, in its leaf form it’s 100% safe to consume. You can get coca leaves ALL over Cusco and many accommodations have it readily available as well.

Get altitude sickness medicine

Ask your doctor about altitude sickness medicine before you go to Peru. Our doctor in the US, as well as the Urgent Care doctor in Peru, both recommended Diamox. We didn’t personally take it, but it’s worth looking into! 

11. Carry cash

One thing that is always tricky when traveling internationally is carrying cash. Back in the US, we use our credit cards for everything. But in many countries, including Peru, it was very hit or miss when we could use our credit card vs. cash.

In major cities, like Lima and Cusco, it is much easier to use your credit card, especially at nicer restaurants. But at markets, smaller local joints, and some attractions, both in larger cities and smaller cities, you will want to have cash. Plus you will need this for any taxis, toilets, and tips.

What is Peru’s currency?

Peru’s currency is the Peruvian Sol and you can find the current conversion for your country’s currency here.

There may be a fee for credit cards

There is sometimes an extra charge to pay with your credit card. For example, when booking our Ausangate Trek, we could either pay the remaining balance with cash or with our card. There was a 3% extra charge for using our credit card. But since we owed over $1,000 USD, we opted to pay the fee, as that would’ve been over S/3,700, which is a lot of cash to get from an ATM.

In some cases, like the one above, paying with a card will be safer and easier. But in others, you may want to ensure you have enough cash to avoid paying extra.

Try to get smaller bills

One thing we really struggled with in Peru was not having enough small bills. The ATM would give us larger bills and sometimes we would try to pay a taxi driver or buy a small item and they wouldn’t have enough change. So we would have to frantically find a way to get smaller bills to pay them. Try to think ahead of what you may need cash for and get smaller bills, if possible. One way to do this is to pay for a meal (even if it’s one you could use a credit card for) with a larger bill and get cash back.

Using ATMs in Peru

You don’t necessarily need to bring cash to Peru. However, we suggest getting cash out as soon as you arrive though, as you may need it quickly.

You can find ATMs all over Peru and we suggest going to a bank ATM for the best rates. Want to avoid ATM fees? We have a Charles Schwab checking account specifically for international travel. They refund ATM fees from ANY ATM worldwide! This gave us lots of freedom to use whichever ATM was most convenient.

12. Download offline Google Translate & Maps

Even if you have an eSIM, make sure to download offline Google Translate and Google Maps beforehand. This will come in handy if for some reason you do not have service or if you get a small data plan.

13. Learn some spanish

Peru is a Spanish speaking country, with many people in the more rural areas also (or only!) speaking Quechua, which is the indigenous language. While locals spoke some English in Lima, Cusco, and Paracas, we had many instances, like on treks or in smaller towns, where no one spoke English.

So make sure to learn some Spanish before you go (this list is helpful)! We like to use an app called Mango to practice Spanish. While we are far from fluent, we know a little bit and between that and Google Translate, we were able to get by just fine.

14. Understand the tipping culture

Figuring out how much to tip when traveling is always a bit stressful for us. Coming from the US, 20% is typically expected for any type of service. But this really varies across the world! In Peru, tipping is not required in all scenarios. However, since the prices in Peru were so affordable for us, we chose to tip most of the time.

At restaurants, we would typically give anywhere from 5-15 Soles (about $1-$4 USD), depending on how expensive the meal was. With Ubers, we usually added on a small amount as well.

But when it came to tours and treks, we tipped quite a bit more, as our guides, drivers, cooks, and horsemen were always so knowledgeable and worked very hard. We found this tipping guide by Salkantay Trekking helpful to figure out how much to tip. It is a few years old though, so we’d suggest doing a little more than it says. For us personally, we tried to always tip our guides 20% (with less for drivers, cooks, and horsemen), as they were all phenomenal.

15. Download WhatsApp

Make sure to download WhatsApp before heading to Peru! We used it to book our Machu Picchu tour, make dinner reservations, and communicate with guides. It’s an extremely helpful way to be able to communicate with international phone numbers!

17. Always carry toilet paper (& don’t flush it!)

Minus the inside of most cafes and restaurants (that you’re a customer of), you will have to pay to use public toilets. These toilets are usually just a few Soles and while they typically include toilet paper, we suggest packing some of your own so you don’t have an issue. We just took a bunch off a roll and put it into a ziploc bag before flying to Peru and replenished it from our hotels as needed.

Also, you cannot flush toilet paper in Peru, so please throw it in the trash can next to the toilet. Most of our hotels had signs saying this, so this even applies at your lodging.

For the ladies, I LOVE my Kula cloth. This is an antimicrobial pee cloth that I mostly used on our treks, but it could also be handy when exploring town!

18. Download a VPN

If working remotely, you may want to download a VPN to be able to access specific websites while in Peru. There are tons of VPN options and you can get a trial for most, if you just want to test it out for your trip. 

19. Take buses to smaller towns

You can fly from Lima to Cusco, as well as to other larger cities. But there are no airports in some of the smaller destinations, like Paracas and Huacachina, so you will need to find another way to get there. While you could book a tour, the cheapest way to visit is by bus. Plus, you can then be on your own schedule!

Taking a bus in a foreign country may seem daunting, but Peru has a handful of tourist focused buses that can safely take you from place to place. These often have comfortable seats, plus toilets on board. We rode with Cruz del Sur three times and overall had a positive experience.

To book your buses in Peru, we highly recommend using BusBud. It made purchasing the tickets so easy and we had no issues redeeming them in person.

20. Hire local guides

Many of the country’s top sites, like the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu do not have signage, which means you will have zero idea what you’re looking at. So one of our top Peru travel tips is to hire a local guide when you can! 

We tend to prefer to explore places on our own and at our own pace, but having guides in Peru heavily enhanced our experience. Not only did they teach us about the important history, but they handled transportation, which made the logistics of visiting certain spots a lot easier. Plus, by hiring a guide, you get to help support a local.

We booked AB Expeditions for multiple tours in the Cusco area and highly recommend them! But there are tons of other great companies as well. You can see some of the top tours in Peru here and if you book a tour or experience on Tripadvisor, make sure to use our code APLUSK10 for 10% off!

21. Book some tours WELL in advance

While you can book many tours in Peru at the very last minute, there are some activities that you cannot do this for. Mostly, Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail.

For Machu Picchu, there are limits on how many people can visit per day. But not even just that, there are 10 total routes you can do within the ruins, each with set time slots. And the more popular times and routes sell out very far in advance. We suggest getting your Machu Picchu tickets 3-4 months in advance to ensure you can get the route and time slot you want.

For the Inca Trail, you are required to hire a guide and only 200 tourists are allowed to start the hike each day. And during the peak hiking months (April-October), these slots sell out very quickly. Make sure to secure your spot in advance!

For other tours, like day trips and less popular treks, some people opt to wait until they are in the starting city to book their tour. You can supposedly get a cheaper price if you do this. However, we would advise choosing a reputable company over the cheapest price, as not all tours are created equal. For us personally, we booked all of our tours in advance so we had one less thing to worry about while in Peru.

22. Tours can be far away

Something that you may not expect when visiting Peru is how far some of the top attractions are. For example, one of the top things to do in Cusco is visit Rainbow Mountain. But what you may not know is that Rainbow Mountain is 3 hours (one way!) from Cusco. And many tours leave around 3 AM. 😬 So it will be a VERY long day!

As you plan your time in Peru, keep this in mind and make sure to double check the distances, so you can plan your time accordingly. 

23. Prepare for WILD driving

Oh man, the driving in Peru is INSANE! We have been to quite a few countries with some wild driving, but Peru is definitely towards the top of the list. Drivers are very aggressive and love to inch into tiny spaces between cars, cut out in front of others, etc. There were so many moments where we thought “this would NEVER fly in the US!”

However, somehow it just works and we never saw road rage or an accident in Peru. And thankfully we always made it to our destination in one piece. But if you’re like me and struggle from car anxiety, prepare to feel a bit nervous!

24. Peru IS safe (but know what to be on alert for)

While bad things can happen anywhere, we felt 100% safe in Peru and had zero issues. However, there are a couple things to keep in mind in terms of safety.

Be alert & keep your valuables secure. As for any travel destination, it is always good to be aware of your surroundings and keep your valuables secure. The largest risk to tourists in Peru is theft. We suggest keeping your wallet and phone in a front pocket (preferably zipped). During our visit, we were walking around with expensive camera gear and never felt unsafe. But we did almost witness someone get pickpocketed in Plaza de Armas in Cusco at night.

There could be political unrest. Peru has had some political unrest in the past, which has caused protests and closures, and is something to be aware of if you visit. But for the most part, this would just cause an inconvenience or logistical challenge rather than a safety issue for tourists.

Scams are possible. The most common scam that could occur is being overcharged by a taxi driver. So make sure to take Uber instead! Another common occurrence in Cusco are women with llamas, alpacas, and baby lambs that try to get you to take photos with them. They will ask for money afterwards and may try to charge you a lot, so we suggest avoiding this photo opp.