Things to know Before Traveling to Peru
I’ve just finished up a three-month backpacking trip around Peru, and it’s safe to say my mind has been blown away.
Peru is one of the most varied countries I’ve traveled to in Latin America.
With its many historical cities, otherworldly landscapes, cuisine and cultural experiences, it’s very likely you’ll fall in love with at least one new place here.
Things to know Before Traveling to Peru
In this post I’m going to share some of my highs, lows and everything in-between during my backpacking South America trip to Peru.
Disclaimer: This is going to be very subjective as it’s based purely on my experiences, not to mention many other things such as my likes, personality, what pisses me off etc. which will most likely be different from others.
If you’ve traveled to Peru before and disagree with these then that’s cool. There’s no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to these topics anyway.
I’ll always share the raw experience as bluntly as I can so others can have more realistic expectations. Anyway let’s move onto the good stuff.
Traveling in Peru (George’s Highlights)
Below are some of my highlights from my backpacking Peru itinerary:
Arequipa
This city blew me away – quite literally. I ended up staying here longer than planned, and loved every minute (although altitude sickness on a volcano wasn’t too fun, but it’s all part of the experience).
If you read the Arequipa travel guide you’ll learn how it has its own culture. The city feels like it is its own country with its unique foods and culture.
For example, one of the best foods to try here is Queso Helado, with the vanilla and cinnamon-based ice cream a real treat, especially during the hotter parts of the day. I highly recommend joining this street food tour, where you’ll try 5 of the very best dishes from the Arequipa region such as Lomo Saltdo and Chupe de Camarones
The city’s streets are paved with cobblestone giving it a charming small town feel, despite it being Peru’s second largest city.
What’s also cool is that many buildings are made from the infamous white “Sillar” volcanic stone, which can be seen in abundance around the city’s Plaza de Armas.
Arequipa has some of the best hikes in Peru with the nearby Colca Canyon and Volcanoes which you can hike as day trips. Overall it’s a beautiful city with tonnes to see and do, and I could have easily stayed a month and not have been bored!
Ayahuasca in the Amazon Jungle
One of the main reasons I kicked off my travels this year in Peru was to head into the jungle and take Ayahuasca.
I had questions I wanted to explore as well as to improve myself, and having done so I can say it’s a pretty worthwhile (and life-changing dare I say) tool.
Sure you can do it pretty anywhere nowadays, but the most authentic and natural place to experience this medicine is in its native Amazon Jungle.
I’ll be honest – I was shit scared before, however it was 100% worth it with lots of introspection, healing and not to mention fucking crazy experiences (Soon I’ll publish a post about Ayahuasca so keep an eye out).
However, aside from Ayahuasca itself, the place I stayed at made the whole experience even better.
Dreamglade, which is a retreat centre about 2 hours drive from Iquitos, is where I stayed and it went above and beyond all of my expectations. Will be coming back here soon I’m sure!
Moto-Taxis
Arriving in Iquitos, I was dumbfounded when I left the airport.
A sea of moto-taxi drivers swarmed me asking to drive me and kept following me around despite me saying no, and to be honest this pissed me off.
However once I agreed a good price and hopped in one, it was an adventure in itself! Because whilst flying around in a golf cart isn’t fun enough, doing it during torrential rains in a foreign place is surely a good idea, right?
Another reason I love moto-taxis is because they’re an insanely cheap way of getting around. I always love traveling cheap and cutting costs where possible, it’s one of my main focuses when backpacking.
Aside from the obvious, it also helps you appreciate the locals and their perspective, something a lot of travelers tend not to focus too much on.
You’ll find moto-taxis in the smaller cities and more chill destinations such as Tarapoto, Ica and Cajamarca.
Papa Rellena
Never thought a food would end up being one of my highlights!
To be honest I have never been adventurous when it comes to eating different foods before, but coming to Peru I decided I would try pretty much everything I could get my hands on (as part of my bucket list for South America).
In the end, Papa Rellena became a staple for me in Lima (and wherever else I could find it). It’s basically a baked potato filled with meat, but fuck me it does the job and is also very cheap as well.
If you’re heading to Lima, then head to Aries (Calle de los Pinos in Miraflores) where you can try this beauty and other awesome Peruvian foods.
Things to Know traveling to Peru
Below you’ll learn notable highs/surprisingly good things to know about Peru.
Plaza de Armas
These beautiful parks are located in the heart of every city and town in Peru.
They all look pretty similar, with green spaces and lots of benches. I love these as there’s usually things happening here, and it’s also easy to meet locals here.
Whenever heading to a new city, you know it’s a good area to base yourself near, with many restaurants and good bars usually lining the plaza.
Hostels and accommodation are usually situated near these too.
They are pretty touristy, so expect the odd vendor or two (or three in Cusco) to catch your gaze and try to sell you something, but again is all part of the experience.
Bus Quality
Peru overall is quite an inexpensive country to visit.
And with this mind, before I even traveled here, I started to think about all the bumpy second class buses I’d have to take to get around (and Peru is big! Expect lots of overnight buses here).
However the reality was a shock, and in a good way. The buses were cheap, but also of very good quality.
Many of the bus companies such as Oltursa and Cruz del Sur had pretty spacious seats with legs rests and air conditioning (can be a double edged sword though – as it’s never turned off which can make it cold when traveling in the cooler, more mountainous areas).
You can even upgrade for a small price to the executive class, which has seats that can be reclined into beds for a good night sleep!
Peru’s Sceneries
Before I head anywhere new, I’m pretty obsessive in looking where’s best to stay, things to do and getting around etc.
Even so, Peru kept blowing me away with some of its epic landscapes. And having traveled throughout Latin America, I’d say these are hands down some of the best to visit.
Some of my favourites include Ausangate National Park, the Waterfalls in Chachapoyas and the giant dunes of The Ica Desert.
Those in Cusco will especially want to visit Ausangate, which has many scenic lakes and snow-capped peaks (as pictured above). You can only get there with a tour, and I recommend this one which includes breakfast, lunch and all transport
I would definitely recommend making a bucket list (if you haven’t done so already) and doing in-depth research before heading out.
One of these days I’ll write up a full, comprehensive Peru itinerary with all these destinations, so keep an eye out!
The Lows:
Below are some of the lows of traveling to Peru that I am going to share.
COVID Protocol
Many who I met or traveled with me in Peru will laugh when they read this.
There’s of course a reason why these protocols exist as COVID has been with us for a while and can be quite dangerous. However in my opinion, this country took matters further then I could even imagine.
For example, to get on a bus or flight you’d need two masks layered on top of your face, and then a visor on top (not to mention also the giant screens hanging between seats). Aside from sweating my balls off and looking like something out of I, Robot, it just didn’t make sense.
I think Peru originally handled COVID poorly, and to be fair with other problems in the country it’s understandable.
Again it’s an inconvenience we all have to deal with, but it seems more likely to pass out from a lack of oxygen rather than catching COVID here!
Soroche (Altitude Sickness)
Sometimes I can be pretty impulsive. When someone says not to do something then this probably spurs me on more to do it anyway. And when it comes to climbing a 6000ft volcano, surely nothing can go wrong?
Altitude sickness (known locally in Peru as “Soroche”) is a medical condition when the lack of oxygen in the air causes your body to react badly, with vomiting and difficulty breathing common symptoms. Usually happens at anywhere from 2000ft upwards.
I arrived in Arequipa pretty pumped to climb a volcano, so my second day I head straight to the tour office and book for that night.
The tour guide listed recommendations such as acclimatising to Arequipa’s altitude, no alcohol, no sex or junk food the day before.
Me being me I pretty much fucked them all up, with next to no preparation. And as a result I rightly went through hell for the next 8 hours.
Vomiting, stumbling over and a headache where it felt my skull had shrunk half its size, I had to stop after two hours of the hike at base camp by myself, and wait for the rest to come back down.
Aside from this (if you’re not a complete idiot like I was), you can still get altitude sickness in Peru without even hiking, especially when traveling to high-altitude cities such as Cusco and Puno.
In this case, be sure to buy lots of coca leaves and tea, and to spend the first couple of days chilled without doing anything too extraneous.
Local’s Attitude
First up – this is not to sound like I’m generalising and saying all Peruvian locals are awful humans. Quite on the contrary – I’ve met loads of cool and friendly locals who became friends, and also showed my why it is I love to travel.
However, having traveled to many other countries before, this definitely got on my radar especially around the 3 or 4 week marker once I’d been to a few places, and realised it may not just be “bad luck” or isolated to one area.
Coming from Europe to Latin America, there’s always going to be culture clashes and all, and I had a wild variety of encounters with people here; from heart-warming shamans and crazy but cool tuk-tuk drivers, to being threatened by jealous groups of guys as well as elderly women shoulder-barging me in the street (I can’t help but laugh when I read this last one).
Peru has definitely reminded me that there’s always going to be cool and shit people wherever you are (backpacking or not).
However, in my view, there definitely seems to be more of a lack of manners here.
I’ve spoken to lots of travelers in Peru and even locals I met here, and most agree with this.
One thing is people to trying to sell you things which is cool and understandable (we all need to work to live), however when people try to grab you, put their hand in your face or push in front of you in a queue, then yeah this definitely goes too far.
Tips for Backpacking Peru
Below are some tips to remember for when traveling around Peru.
Peru is cheap
Make the extra effort to look around for cheaper eats and services and you’ll be savings loads.
That is If you like to save money and travel cheap. And if that’s the case, then Peru will be a dream for you.
However this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy, you’ll still need to venture out yourself, do your research and ask locals.
But on the whole it’s pretty easy to live on a daily budget of £25 or less if you’re determined enough. Also as already mentioned earlier, even the buses between destinations can be quite economical. As well as this, tours are also pretty inexpensive (with the exception of Machu Picchu).
If you’re heading to Peru soon, then this highly-rated tour is one of the best options you can pick. As well as including the entrance ticket, you’ll also have a knowledgeable local guide teach you everything you’ll need to know about this legendary citadel.
Check the weather
Always check the weather twice before leaving (or better three times).
I have to admit I was pretty naïve. I assumed Peru would be “pretty hot” wherever I was, but I was slapped in the face when I arrived in Lima.
Coming in July, Peru was well into its winter season due to its location in the southern hemisphere.
Anywhere from Lima towards the south means it can get quite chilly come the night, and even more so in higher altitudes areas like Lake Titicaca and Huaraz.
Be sure to pack a range of clothes with this in mind, with a good pair of hiking boots one of the mandatories to bring when backpacking Peru.
Learn Spanish
Aim to pick up some Spanish before heading off.
This is pretty standard advice among most backpacking sites.
Yes, sure, you can get away with English and some hand gestures and get things done. But why cause yourself the extra stress?
In some areas of Peru like Lima, some locals will know English, but venture out further and most will look at you puzzled.
Learning a few basic phrases will help you in two ways.
- Firstly, you’ll communicate better what you want or need, wasting less time and getting what you need to get done quicker.
- Secondly, unless you look like you’re from Peru, then they’ll know pretty much off the bat that you’re foreign. As a result, when you make the effort to speak Spanish (this is pretty much the same anywhere else in Latin America), locals tend to be a lot warmer and more patient with you, even walking you to where you need to go sometimes!
The more you practice the more confidence you’ll gain with your conversations.
Things to know Before Traveling to Peru: Final Words
Peru is hands-down one of my favourite countries in Latin America.
I came to this country with little expectations, and as a result found myself a lot more open.
There will always be things that will piss you off when traveling around a new country, but accepting these as part of the ride is definitely a much healthier attitude to have – and ironically you’ll find you have less problems too.
As well as some fantastic cities and landscapes, Peru’s unique culture and cuisine are great to explore.
If you’re thinking of heading here then I recommend making a bucket list that will push you, such as trying street foods and activities you know full well you would never try at home.
Why? Because backpacking is a time enjoy but also to push yourself, and also, well – why not?
Whilst I rarely head to the same places twice, Peru definitely left a good impression on me, so most likely I’ll be heading back and exploring some more gems here. I’ll definitely be sharing what I see on this blog so keep an eye out!
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