Passports/visas
All foreigners need a passport that is valid for 180 days after your intended date of entry to Peru. Most tourists don’t need a visa for stays of up to 183 days, however please enter your passport info below to find out visa status for your country of origin.
Travel Insurance
When travelling to Peru (as to any foreign location) it is highly recommended that you take out travel insurance. Although chances are your trip to Peru will be a wonderful experience, it’s standard practice to cover yourself from any unforeseen event that may threaten to ruin your vacation – such as lost or stolen luggage and health/medical issues. There are a host of companies out there that should be able to meet your travel insurance needs.
A standard travel insurance will usually provide coverage for medical expenses, trip cancellation or interruption, baggage claim loss and emergency evacuation. Be sure to read through the fine print and list of what is and is not covered – as this can vary significantly from company to company. At the very least you want to make sure that the insurance covers you for emergency medical treatment and some type of trip cancellation and baggage loss.
Also, many credit card companies provide some level of coverage if you purchased the vacation with their card. Check with your company for details. However, this is often not comprehensive and you may still want to get additional insurance.
Airport Tax
All Peruvian airports charge an airport tax that is not usually covered in your ticket price (although some international carriers do include it – check your carrier for details). For all international departures, tourist must pay approximately $30 USD (or equivalent value in Soles). Domestic departures depend on airport, but are usually around $5-6 USD. All taxes must be paid in CASH!
Electric adapters/converters
The majority of outlets in Peru support both Type A and Type C plugs. So if you plug works in the US/Japan or Europe, you shouldn’t have a problem. If you device doesn’t work, most hotels will have adapters that you can borrow.
The one big difference from the US to Peru is that the voltage on most outlets is 220V (US is 120 V). Most electronic items (iPods, computers, etc) have internal converters that will handle differences in voltages. However, items such as hairdryers and electric razors don’t convert voltages and you will fry these items if you plug them directly into the wall. We recommend bringing a converter that adjusts the voltage to 120 volts. You can buy a converter on Amazon or check out this site – Walkabout Travel Gear.
Guidebooks
While we will provide you with much of the information you will need for your trip, you may still want to purchase a travelbook to serve as a point of reference before you trip. There are many on the market, but we have found the following to be really good:
- Footprints Peru Handbook – Footprints is well known for their easy to read and comprehensive travel guides of South America (Buy it on Amazon)
- Eyewitness Travel Peru – Eyewitness is popular among travelers who want a bit more background and history on the sites they are seeing (Buy it on Amazon)
- Lonely Planet Peru – Lonely Planet Guides are a best seller worldwide and Peru is no exception.(Buy it on Amazon)
If you are visiting other parts of South America, you might also consider the Footprints South American Handbook. This is by far the most complete guidebook (now in its 87th year) for South America and it comes in a compact, durable hard cover format.