Peru Travel Blog: Practical tips for your trip
Peru as a travel destination and holiday destination has a lot to offer: friendly people, a very good tourist infrastructure, coast, mountains, old cities, jungle, rivers, deserts, beaches, great food, classic South America and Andean atmosphere, and remarkable sights and UNESCO world heritage.
Is it conceivable that the Incas hauled blocks of stone weighing tons up to 2,360 meters to build a city on Machu Picchu? Whole villages are floating on Lake Titicaca? That someone painted figures for miles in the desert sands of Nazca? That the much-cited “navel of the world” is in Cusco? That life is raging in the Amazon rainforest as it has always been? You can’t imagine it, you have to see it with your own eyes.
Peru is suitable for every travel style, for travelers; backpackers, family travel, and even group tours.
Some of the most beautiful sights in Peru are Machu Picchu, the old Inca city of Cusco, the rock fortress of Kuelap, Sacsayhuaman or the white city of Arequipa with the Colca Canyon.
The travel destination is not expensive, and it is also quite safe, there is a huge range of hotels, hotels, and apartments so that from solo backpackers to senior travelers, everyone can actually travel in such a way that budget and safety — and travel needs fit.
Peru as a travel destination can easily be done on your own without a group trip and very easily. The infrastructure for tourists and travelers, including backpackers, is very good. So you don’t have to plan long and time-consumingly in advance, you can organize accommodation, hostels, flights, buses, and tours as well as a round trip quite spontaneously on site.
National language: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara
Foreign language: Partly English
Capital: Lima, approx. 8.5 million inhabitants, 120 m above sea level. M
Local time: CET -6 hours
Currency regulations: Currency unit: 1 Sol (PEN) = 100 centimos
Recommendation: US$ notes. International credit cards and EC cards with the Maestro symbol are partially accepted.
Power supply: 220 VAC, 60 Hz, American plugs
Best travel time: All year round, the Andes region is at its most beautiful in the dry season from May to October. In the Amazon lowlands, there is a tropical, humid, and hot climate all year round with heavy rainfall.
Food: Peru’s national dish is ceviche, cubes of raw fish marinated with onions, chili and lime juice. Much fish and seafood is eaten on the coast, many dishes are prepared with avocado and corn (e.g. tamales: spicy or sweet corn porridge wrapped in corn husks). Common food is chicken or lomo saltado (fried strips of meat with vegetables), served with rice or potatoes. Holiday dinner: Cuy (guinea pig); National drink: Pisco (grape brandy).
Insider Tip: Avoid visiting the cathedrals in Lima and Cusco on Saturday and Sunday mornings as mass is held on these days. On Sundays, the Chincheros market takes place in the Urubamba Valley
Facts about the country and people
Peru is a semi-presidential republic, the capital of Peru is Lima. Around 10 million people live in the Lima-Callao metropolitan region. The country has an area of more than 1.2 million km² and about 32 million inhabitants.
The coastline of Peru from the northern border with Ecuador to the southern end of the country to the Chilean border is more than 3,300 km. The landscape and regions are diverse, a distinction is usually made between rainforest (selva), the mountains (sierra) and the coastal plain or coastal desert on the Pacific (costa).
The rainforest of the eastern Amazon lowlands, that is, beginning on the eastern slope of the Andes, stretches in the west and north of the country where Peru borders Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia. The so-called Cordillera Blanca is the central mountain chain with a montane landscape and the highest peak in Peru, the Nevado Huascaran at 6768m.
Long before the Spaniards began conquering Peru in 1536, various advanced cultures had long settled in the country. The Incas are probably the best known, but pre-Columbian peoples such as the Moche or the Chimu also left behind great artifacts and ancient cities such as Chanchan.
In 2019, i.e. before the pandemic, around 5 million tourists visited the country.
Travel tips for Peru in the rainy season:
The rainy season in the Andes in Peru is neglected in most travel blogs and travel guides, but I don’t know why. And to make it short and answer the question “Can I go to the Peruvian Andes in the rainy season” with a resounding “Yes”.
The travel guides are all strangely ambiguous and fuzzy as if they didn’t dare to come out with the truth. And that applies to almost all texts that we have researched online.
Peru rainy season: yes or no?
Anyway, to make it short: Can you travel to the Andean highlands of Peru as an individual traveler in the so-called rainy season, WITHOUT rubber boots, a rain cape, and life jacket? Clear answer: yes, you can. But definitely not without sun protection!
It rains in the Peruvian Andes highlands, only at night. Dry during the day, the temperatures pleasant, with a T-shirt and fleece sweater over it you will well prepared. During the day the sun was almost always shining, and it was extremely strong. One tends to underestimate the sun at an altitude of 3,000 meters or more because it just seems colder. But the sun in this area close to the equator and at these altitudes is a killer: you should definitely have a hat, scarf, and mountaineering sunscreen with you, and you should generally avoid the sun!
Visit various Inca fortresses and mountain peaks in and around the Sacred Valley will get you out of breath pretty quickly, and on top of that you’ll get a bad sunburn if, see above, you don’t follow good and well-intentioned advice!
The weather in the rainy season in the highlands (Peru has very heterogeneous climate zones, in the Amazon lowlands or the coastal strip the weather in March is completely different, so please note, this is the southern Andean highlands, on the eastern side of the Andes) is excellent , to visit the country around Cusco, and on top of that it has the advantage that the tourist flows of the high season, around August, are still far from all sights.
Acclimate to the altitude in the Andes of Peru
The altitude of Cusco Peru (3400 m above sea level) is another challenge, but the same applies here: don’t let yourself go crazy. Whether you react to the altitude and how there is only one way to find out: drive there! And then acclimatize on site and don’t run a half marathon right away. Altitude sickness is called soroche in Spanish, and local pharmacies sell local remedies.
If this is too exotic for you and if you suffer from headaches because of the altitude, you can take well-known headache medication. And leaves the altitude in Cusco again. In Machu Picchu, for example, which is just over 2000 meters, the altitude is not a problem.
Acclimatizing to the altitude can also have meaningful consequences for travel planning to Peru: It is better NOT to start with the very high altitudes in Puno on Lake Titicaca (3800m) or in Cusco.
But begins, for example, in Arequipa, which is just over 2,000 meters above sea level. From there you can easily get to Cusco by bus or plane. And can then settle in there more easily, visit Machu Picchu, and continue to Puno on Lake Titicaca.
And it also applies if you want to visit e.g. Machu Picchu in the rainy season (i.e. between January and April) — the trains from Cusco to Machu Picchu could depart from a different station from Poroy, San Pedro or from Ollantaytambo
Peru’s accommodation: hotels, hostels, apartments
The selection of hotels and hostels in almost all price categories is very large in the tourist areas. In Lima and the tourist centers, you have the choice between grand hotels and shared rooms. There really is something for every travel budget and travel plan.
In the somewhat less visited areas, the choice is not that huge, but what is there in terms of accommodation is absolutely ok.
There are always beautiful old colonial buildings with charm and history, but also very inexpensive accommodations, where you can spread out your sleeping bag for as little as 5 dollars a night. Booking accommodation on site at short notice is also not a problem when you are traveling in Peru.
Photo equipment for Peru and the Andes
You don’t need any special planning for your photo equipment for Peru. The use of drones, for example, is totally and uncompromisingly forbidden in Machu Picchu, for all other sights I would find out very carefully in advance whether drones are allowed to be used.
When it comes to photography in the rainforest, it’s pretty dark under the canopy of leaves, so if you want to take macro photography, you need your own light source.
Always have a lens or travel lens, e.g. Canon 24–105
Wide-angle lens, e.g. Canon 17–40. You can use it to photograph almost anything: landscapes, buildings, portraits,
Packing list: mountains, rainforest, coast
Packing list for Peru: Equipment, photos, luggage, and the best clothing for each climate zone.
What kind of clothing does Peru need? This question can only be answered if it is clear where the trip is going and at what time of year. In the Andes it is much cooler, here you need clothes for the mountains — long pants, merino long soul, patch sweater, hat, sometimes even in summer. And very important: a rain jacket for the Andes is a must, but also for the highlands.
There are hardly any seasons in the rain forest, it is summer all year round, warm and humid, clothing that can be washed quickly and dries just as quickly is particularly important here. Or that you can put on when you’re still clammy because drying is the problem in the rainforest.
Tent lamp: Makes great light, really very practical. Small, light, robust, and also very useful as a reading lamp in hotels, tents, or buses and for outdoor adventures. The battery-operated, so no rechargeable battery.
Socket adapter: In Peru, there are all sorts of different sockets, but mostly not the classic European Schuko sockets. Therefore it is better to take an adapter with you! You don’t need a transformer or voltage converter.
Power bank: Also important for mobile phones and all other electronic devices: if you sit on the bus for 12 hours at a time, for example, and don’t have a plug in place or can’t find the adapter, you’ll be happy if you have your power bank with you.
Towel: I think it’s worth its weight in gold, and I always have it with me: a small, quick-drying towel. Is a real helper in so many situations in life.
Daypack or small daypack: 45 Liters — 42 Liters
Planning Your Trek
Machu Picchu is only accessible by train or by foot. Roughly eighty percent of visitors reach Machu Picchu by train, and 500 hikers start out on Inca Trail each day, Peru’s most popular trek. Technically, all these treks follow ‘Inca’ trails, but only one is known as the ‘classic route’. (Securing a permit for the Inca Trail must be done 4–6 months in advance.)
Luckily, if you’re looking to avoid the crowds and want to have a unique experience, there are a number of great options for getting to Machu Picchu. We’ve put together a brief summary and description of the various options to help you decide which route is best for you.
The Best Trail to Machu Picchu
Many tourists dream about visiting Machu Picchu as part of an intense pilgrimage. A few years ago, most of these travelers would choose the Inca Trail, which has become a real headache. Fortunately, nowadays you can choose between many options to be in contact with nature and history while you walk toward Machu Picchu, a World Heritage site.
Today, we will briefly describe the 3 routes that we think are the best to hike to Machu Picchu and highlight their pros and cons so you can choose the best option for you.
Inca Trail
One of the world’s most famous treks, the Inca trail follows one of the ancient paths of the Inca’s as it winds it’s way up toward the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu. The total distance is around 38 km., and we recommend doing this trek in 5 days (as opposed to 4) which allows you the time to really enjoy it, to admire the views, and to explore the ruins along the way. This will also allow you to trek a half-day ahead of or behind the majority of trekkers, so you have the camps and trails to yourself.
The main consideration for this trek is that you must purchase a permit in advance, which often sell out quickly (permits go on sale every January). Five hundred people are allowed to start the trek each day, as well as 250 people (as of recently) are issued a single-day permit to join in on the last day of the trek. Because of the large number of people, camping and guide/porter restrictions are highly regulated, where you camp in designated camp sites each night.
Needless to say, this trek is popular for a reason. Not only does it pass through great ruins along the way, you’ll enjoy amazing views of rivers and snow-capped mountains, before finally passing through the famous Sun Gate into Machu Picchu at sunset on your last day.
Note: If you’re short on time, check out the Short Inca Trail, a one-day trek along the last day of the Inca Trail.
Salkantay Trek
If you came to the Cusco region for visions of snow-capped peaks that look like sleeping giants, the Salkantay Trail is probably the route to Machu Picchu that’s for you. Certainly one for the devoted trekkers, this trail takes at least 5 full days to complete and goes through some of the most jaw-dropping parts of the Sacred Valley. It’s more physically demanding than the Inca Trail hike, has a touch less history, but far more in the way of off-the-beaten-path highland terrain on your way to Machu Picchu.
The Traditional Salkantay Trek begins with a ramble out of Soraypampa up to the turquoise waters of Humantay Lake. The Humantay Lake sits in an amphitheatre of Andean summits, with the mighty top of Salkantay itself (20,574 feet / 6,271 meters) keeping watch from the clouds above. The next morning marks the start of the hardest part of the trek, as you gain altitude to traverse the soaring Salkantay Pass at 15,090 feet (4,600 meters). The mountains feel super-close there, the air is thin, but the views are simply spectacular.
After that high point, you’ll descend into green rainforest and meadowlands on the way to Lucmabamba. There, you’ll trek in the company of hummingbirds and alpaca herds as you trudge north hiking towards Machu Picchu. Arrival at the famous UNESCO site is kept for day 5, but most travelers opt to soak in the hot springs at Aguas Calientes before reaching Machu Picchu itself.
Inca Quarry Trek
Hike in the stunning Andes mountains to Machu Picchu, explore remote Quechua villages, Incan ruins, and experience the mountains grandeur of Urubamba Range on this exciting adventure in Cusco Peru. This trek offers a different way to reach Machu Picchu by hiking and train, mostly taken by the ones who could not get their Inca Trail permits. The Inca Quarry Trek takes 3 days hiking, ending in Ollantaytambo town and the last day (day 4) is to explore the lost city of the Incas–Machu Picchu and the trail covers a total distance of 33 km/ 20.50 miles. We will hike and follow wild mountain trails, the highlands of the Valley of Urubamba (Sacred Valley) amid impressive sceneries, hidden Incan ruins, where the Gate of the Sun is already iconic for this trail, a unique gate overlooking the Veronica Mountain, and take the train to Machu Picchu with scenic window, follow the Urubamba Valley. Along the way, we will taste the local cuisine that has been earning accolades worldwide and Pisco of the region. Take a little stroll in Ollantaytambo Incan living town to enjoy its authentic Incan cobblestone streets which are still as in The Incan times, before boarding your train.
Choquequirao
Choquequirao is a Quechua word that translates to “cradle of gold” and is considered the sister city of Machu Picchu. The trek allows you to see both of these awe-inspiring citadels hidden in the majestic Andes on one unforgettable adventure. Aside from exploring the well-preserved Inca ruins that were once metropolises for nobles and priestesses, you’ll see some of the most beautiful vistas, flora and fauna that the Andes has to offer.
The launching point for this trek is the historic city of Cusco. From there you will be transported to the village of Cachora, which is the starting point of the trek. The trail traverses mountain passes, glacial lakes, fertile river valleys, high jungle and canyons, taking you to Choquequirao on day 3 and Machu Picchu on the last day.
Lares Trek
If you want to go trekking to Machu Picchu, then you cannot miss is the Lares Trek. This is an excellent option to learn a little more about the Andean culture. The walk lasts three days and as its name implies, it begins in Lares. In this alternative, you will have the option of passing through several traditional towns where they still lead a typical lifestyle. While it is not a hike to be taken lightly, it could be considered moderate in difficulty. But despite this, it can be defined as relatively easy compared to the others. The walk crosses a high-altitude mountain pass, about 4640 meters above sea level. Everything ends in a wonderful tour of the Inca citadel. If you plan to visit Machu Picchu, this trek is an incredible option.
OTHER MACHU PICCHU HIKING ROUTES
Many routes and tour companies are proclaiming to have “the best new alternative to the Inca Trail”. Okay guys, if you say so. Here’s a quick breakdown of where some of these other hikes to Machu Picchu actually go. Whatever you decide, check the details of the trek: some catch public transport to Machu Picchu on a penultimate day.
- Vilcabamba to Machu Picchu Trek
- Huchuyqosqo trek to Machu Picchu
- Inca Jungle Trek
- Rainbow Mountain Hike to Inca Trail
