How to Prepare for a Trip to Peru (2023)
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Quick Rundown
Peru is a beautiful travel destination, but preparing for a trip to Peru is a more involved question than in many other places.
There are many fascinating places to visit in Peru, but there’s also a lot you need to know before you go. There are some things that need to be booked weeks or even months in advance, if possible.
We’ll go over everything you need to know to prepare for your trip to Peru. I’ll tell you what I did, and in some cases what I should have done so you can plan the best and easiest trip possible.
What to Know Before Booking Your Trip
Let’s start with a few things that are important to know before you start planning. It’s important to note right off the bat that Peru is a safe travel destination!
You’ll still want to be smart and exercise caution. We’ve even got a whole post on traveling to Peru safely. That said, you should still check travel advisories before you go.
Visa
While planning your trip to Peru, you’ll be relieved to know do not need a visa for trips lasting less than 183 days. All you need is a passport that will be valid for at least six months after your entry into the country, and one blank Visa page.
*It’s worth mentioning that if you plan to go to Bolivia, Brazil, or Paraguay from Peru, you will need a visa. I mention this because La Paz, Bolivia is a popular stop/detour when in the south part of Peru around Lake Titicaca.
If you’re traveling around South America, you’ll need to know which countries require a visa.
Lima Will be Your First Stop
When entering Peru, Lima will surely be your first stop. Almost all international flights land in Lima. Technically, Peru has five international airports, and sometimes international flights will stop in Cusco or one of the others. But in all likelihood, you’ll arrive in Lima first.
If you plan on spending any time in Lima, I recommend doing it when you enter the country. Flights are usually landing late at night or early in the morning. You’ve likely had a long night or day of travel.
It’s easier to find connecting flights from Peru’s other airports when leaving rather than when arriving. It’s also nice to go through immigration and customs and get right out into the city rather than go back into the airport and get another connecting flight.
Lima does make a good home base if you don’t plan on traveling around Peru except for Cusco and maybe some day trips from Lima to Huacachina, which is definitely worth visiting (more on Huacachina later).
Consider the Bus
Peru has more than twenty airports across the country. Some of those cities are quite far, or logistically necessary to fly to. Iquitos, for example, is only inaccessible by road, making a flight your only option.
While there are a lot of airports, many of them are small, and only go to Lima or Cusco, this can make connecting to a smaller city very time-consuming. For this reason, even when it’s a long ride, a bus trip is the better option.
Ten hours on a bus sounds daunting, undoable even. It did to me too. But take heart, overnight bus rides are WAY easier than you think. The charter buses, especially the ones for overnight trips are pretty comfortable, reclining sometimes up to 180 degrees.
It’s fairly easy to sleep for all or most of the trip. If not, if you’ve packed smartly, you’ll be just fine.
Buses are always cheaper than planes, for you budget travelers out there. It’ll also save you a night of lodging. If you’re looking at cities that are far apart, or far from other destinations, don’t rule out a bus trip as an option.
You’ll Need Less Cash Than Usual
Credit and debit cards are surprisingly easy to use in Peru. I’d argue it’s even easier in Peru than in most places in the States. Even the smaller cafes and shops have machines that make credit and debit card usage incredibly easy.
Normally, when we prepare for a trip, you want to have a good amount of cash on you. In Peru, you can get away with having less than $100 on you at almost any time. You’ll still want cash when buying goods from local artisans, street food, and of course, tips.
But using a card in Peru is far easier than anywhere else I’ve been.
Don’t Drink the Water
Like most of Latin America, it’s not recommended to drink tap water. Peru is a developed country, but the water filtration and distribution systems are still lacking. There are bacteria in the water that will give you a “run” for your money.
If you want to be as safe as possible, use bottled water to brush your teeth, and make sure to keep your mouth closed in the shower. Those bacteria are sneaky. While unlikely, they could sneak into your belly while brushing your teeth or showering.
I typically do not use bottled water for brushing my teeth and have not had a problem thus far, but I do know people who have gotten sick. It’s a weird world.
Prepare for the Elevation
When you visit parts of Peru like Cusco and Lake Titicaca, the elevation is high, likely higher than anything you’ve felt if you’re not a climber or intense hiker. Cusco sits at over 11,000 ft above sea level.
Some of the activities from Cusco, like Rainbow Mountain and Lake Humantay go even higher. The summit of Rainbow Mountain sits at over 17,000 feet! Do not underestimate the effects of altitude sickness.
It can make you dizzy, nauseous, short of breath, and give you a headache. I’ve seen some people get violently ill from pushing themselves too hard. If you climatize and take precautions, you’ll be ok, but be careful and don’t overlook it.
Precautions include
- Coca tea
- Coca leaves (fold up a couple and put them inside your cheek)
- Sorochipills (a local over-the-counter medicine to combat altitude sickness)
- Rest, don’t overdo it
If you buy coca leaves, don’t forget to leave them in Peru. If you try to bring them back to the States, trouble!
What to Book For Your Trip To Peru
I mentioned earlier that preparing for a trip to Peru is more involved than many other places. This is due to how far apart many of the destinations are, and the fact that some things sell out in advance.
We’ll go over all the things to consider so you can prepare for your trip to Peru in the best way possible.
Flights
This one is obvious, right? We won’t spend a lot of time here. I recommend booking whatever flight works best for you into Lima because I recommend staying in Lima and doing your Lima things on arrival.
For your flight home from Lima, I recommend booking a flight later in the evening, so you can connect from Cusco or wherever you’re coming home from. You’ll have a lot more options if your flight home from Lima leaves later.
Book these flights in advance as you normally would. As for smaller flights to Iquitos or Arequipa, these smaller flights are affordable if you wait until you’re there to book. With Iquitos, you can even find deals on flights if you do it as part of a tour if that’s your jam.
The other reason I recommend waiting is you may decide once you get there that a bus will be better. You’ll want to leave yourself room to make that decision.
Tours
If you plan to take any tours, it’s a good idea to plan and book them ahead to ensure that you’ll be able to do it.
If you need help with what tours to book, my favorite was the sandboarding tour in Huacachina. There are some other great things to do in Huacachina too!
Some of my other favorite tours are based in Arequipa, the loveliest and most charming city in Peru.
Buses
I do recommend seeing a lot of Peru by bus. In some countries, this is a bad idea, either because of the roads, safety issues, or comfort issues. Those concerns are either drastically reduced or nonexistent in Peru.
Cruz del Sur is a local bus company that I’d recommend if you want to make your own way and save a few bucks. The tickets are affordable, the buses are big and comfortable (far more comfortable than most planes I’ve been on).
If you don’t mind spending a bit more for the ultimate convenience though, Peru Hop is the way to go. It’s a hop-on/hop-off bus service that comes with a guide on every bus. Their pick up days and times are completely customizable based on how much time you have.
Their Lima South to Cusco is their most popular ticket. It costs $200 and includes stops at:
- Paracas (National Reserve OR Ballestas Islands tour included)
- Huacachina (Pisco tasting tour in Ica included)
- Nazca
- Arequipa
- Puno
- Cusco (last stop)
If you have time, you can add La Paz, Bolivia in there between Puno and Cusco for an additional cost.
It’s important to know that travel by local buses like Cruz del Sur, you’ll likely pay half the price of the Peru Hop ticket. But, those included tours and the ultimate convenience of Peru Hop might be worth it for you.
Trains
The only way to get to Aguas Calientes, the small town near Machu Picchu, is to take a train. There are train stations in Cusco, but I recommend taking the train from Ollantaytambo. This is so you can wander around that town and its ruins for at least a half day either before the train, or when you return.
You can book with Inca Rail or Peru Rail, I recommend the latter. It’s a bit more expensive but totally worth it. The trains are nicer, and the windows are bigger, providing great views of the Andes as you cruise along. There’s even entertainment.
Machu Picchu Tickets
If you want to do one of the mountain hikes at Machu Picchu, you’ll need to book in advance, possibly months in advance. Huayna Picchu and Macchu Picchu mountain both book up in advance. If you want to do one, find the date that’s available and works for you and plan your trip around that.
That’s why we’re all going after all, right? It’s the hardest thing to book, so start there if you want to do Huaynapicchu or Macchu Picchu Mountain. If you’re not sure which one to do, I recommend Macchu Picchu Mountain. Here’s why.
Macchu Picchu mountain is part of the Circuit 1 and/or Circuit 2 ticket, the upper part of the ruins. Huaynapicchu is part of the Circuit 3 and/or Circuit 4 ticket, the lower part of the ruins.
The postcard photo of the Macchu Picchu ruin site, the photo that brought us all here in the first place is located in the upper part of the ruins. If you have a Circuit 3 and/or Circuit 4 ticket, including Huaynapicchu, you will not see this view.
If you hike Huaynapicchu, you would have to buy a separate ticket (the Llaqta ticket) for later the same day, or another day in order to see the upper part of the ruins, where that famous viewpoint is.
Do not buy your Macchu Picchu tickets without knowing that!
I saw some very disappointed people when I was there and had a close call with it myself you can read about here. I can’t talk about how to prepare for a Peru trip without emphasizing this as much as possible.
Lodging
Lodging is one of the easiest things to book in my opinion. Why? because I stay in hostels and there’s a handful of nice ones everywhere you go, and if one is booked, the one down the street is usually just fine.
I usually wait until I know exactly where I’m going to be that night before I book the room. That might sound strange but when you get on those buses and start seeing these cities, it’s very easy to say, “You know what? I’m going to stay here an extra day.”
Or vice versa. I hate cancelling reservations, and it can be messy sometimes, so I usually wait to book until I know for sure that I’m going to be there on that date.
How to Book
Flights
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Buses
Trains
Machu Picchu Tickets
There are tour companies that sell Machu Picchu tickets, but I recommend buying them yourself. This is the crown jewel of your trip to Peru, pick the date and ticket you want. From there, you can prepare for the rest of your trip.
Lodging
In my experience, Booking.com provides the best and most flexible options for booking hostels (and hotels, if you insist). They don’t charge until the completion of the stay, and changes are super easy.
I’ve used other services and apps. Nothing compares.
Conclusion: How to Prepare for a Trip to Peru
We did it! We made it through all the information you need to prepare for your trip to Peru. What to do, what not to do. You’ve been armed with the know-how. All that’s left now is to pack up and do it!
Don’t forget to pack your adventurous spirit. Peru is a fascinating country with tons of things to do and places to visit. If you follow these guidelines and recommendations, you’ll be ready for anything.
Have fun out there!