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Peru Travel Tips &
Advice
Social ConventionsShaking hands
is the customary form of greeting.
Visitors should follow normal social
courtesies and the atmosphere is
generally informal. A small gift from a
company or home country is sufficient.
Dress is usually informal, although for
some business meetings and social
occasions men wear a jacket and tie.
Life is conducted at a leisurely
pace.
Tipping
Service charges of 10 per cent
are added to all bills. Additional tips
of 5 per cent are expected. Taxi drivers
do not generally expect tips.
International Travel:
NoteStreet crime is a problem,
particularly in Lima and Cusco. Street
demonstrations, sometimes violent, are a
common form of protest in Peru. Visitors
should avoid all protests and
demonstrations. Domestic terrorism in
Peru has largely ended but has not been
wholly eradicated. At the end of 2004
and early 2005, a number of rabies cases
were reported following bites from
vampire bats in the province of Amozonas
near the border with Ecuador. It is
advised that visitors to the Huaraz /
Huayhuash trekking circuit area contact
the tourist police prior to travel.
Air
Peru’s national airlines are
NuevoContinente (N6) (website:
www.nuevocontinente.com), Lan Perú (LP)
(website: www.lan.com) and Taca Perú
(TA) (website: www.taca.com).Other
airlines with regular services to Peru
include Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeroméxico,
AeroPostal, Air Madrid, Alitalia,
American Airlines, Avianca, Continental,
Copa, Delta Airlines, Iberia, KLM,
Lacsa, LAN Chile, Lloyd Aéreo
Boliviano, Lufthansa, Servivensa,
Transportes Aéreos Militares
Ecuatorianos (TAME), United Airlines and
Varig. Air Canada, Air Plus and Cubana
plan to launch services to Peru soon.
Many other airlines have representatives
in Peru.
Approximate flight times
From Lima to London is 15
hours (including stopover in Madrid), to
Los Angeles is six hours, to Miami is
five hours and to New York is nine
hours. Direct flights from Europe take
between 12 hours (from Madrid) and 14
hours (from Frankfurt).
International airports
Lima (LIM) (Jorge Chávez
International; website: www.lap.com.pe)
airport is 16km (10 miles) northwest of
the city center (travel time – 25
minutes). Taxis to the city center are
available. Airport facilities include a
duty free and handicrafts shop,
banks/bureaux de change, left luggage
facility, pharmacy, medical center,
Internet cafe, car hire (Avis, Budget,
Hertz, National and Thrifty), coffee
shops, bars and restaurants. Cusco
(CUZ), located in the south, receives
flights from La Paz (Bolivia).
Departure tax
US$28 from Lima’s airport.
Transit passengers and children under
two years of age are exempt. Payment
must be paid in cash prior to boarding.
Sea
Some international cruises
occasionally call at Callao, the main
seaport.
Road
The main international highway
is the Pan-American Highway running
north–south through the coastal desert
of Peru from Tumbes to Tacna. Transport from Argentina, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay,
Uruguay and Venezuela is available
through companies like Bus Tas Choapa
Internacional, Empresa Paraguaya de
Transporte, Ormeño, El Rápido and
Rutas de América. It is also possible to go from La Paz in Bolivia to Puno on Lake Titicaca
(south Peru).
Duty Free
The following items may be imported by visitors over 18 years of age into
Peru without incurring customs duty: 400
cigarettes or 50 cigars; alcoholic
beverages not exceeding 2.5l; a
reasonable amount of perfume for
personal use; gifts or new articles for
personal use up to a value of US$300;
2kg of processed food.
Restricted items
If importing sausages, salami, ham or cheese, a sanitary certificate from
the manufacturer is required. The export
of artistic or cultural articles is
prohibited.
Internal Travel:
Air
Aerocóndor, Aero Continente, Aviandina, LAN Perú, Star Up, Taca Perú
and TANS handle virtually all domestic
air traffic linking Lima to Arequipa,
Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Cusco,
Iquitos, Juliaca-Puno, Piura, Pucallpa,
Puerto Maldonado, Tacna, Tarapoto,
Trujillo, Tumbes and other cities. For
information on internal flights contact
the Peruvian Corporation of Airports
(Corpac) (website: www.corpac.gob.pe).
Departure tax
US$5. Children under two years of age are exempt. Payment must be paid in
cash prior to boarding.
River
Transportation is available between Pucallpa and Iquitos (approximately
five days) and from Iquitos to the
border with Brazil and Colombia (two to
three days). However, river travel can
be long and uncomfortable.
Rail
A tourist train operates services between Puno and Cusco and from Cusco
to Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. There
is a daytime connection from Puno and
Juliaca to Cusco. From Cusco there is a
daily train to Machu Picchu, which takes
approximately four hours. Always check
for revised schedules. For more
information contact Peru Rail in Lima
(tel: (01) 444 5020/5; e-mail:
reservas@perurail.com; website:
www.perurail.com). Fast and comfortable
electric autovagons operate on some
routes. There are no connections between
Lima and Cusco.
Road
The Central Highway connects Lima with La Oroya and Huancayo. From La
Oroya there is a road connecting Cerro
de Pasco, Huánuco, Tingo María and
Pucallpa on the Ucayali River.
Landslides are frequent in the rainy
season (December to March), making for
slow travel. The Touring y Automóvil
Club del Perú and the Instituto Geográfico
Nacional sell maps. Travel guides like
Guía Toyota and Guía Inca del Perú
include good road maps. Traffic drives
on the right. Bus: Operated extensively,
providing a very cheap means of travel.
Greyhound-type buses are operated by
Cruz del Sur, Enlaces, Ittsa, Oltursa,
Ormeño, Perú Bus and many others.
Quality of service varies according to
prices. Taxi: There are taxis at the
main hotels and airports.
Taxis do not have meters and fares should be agreed before
departure (they are relatively
inexpensive). There is an extensive and
safe taxi service available by telephone
in the main cities. Car hire: American,
Avis, Budget, Dollar, Mitsui, National,
Rentandina and others have offices in
Lima and provide service to all main
cities.
Documentation: Foreign driving permits are valid for 30 days
starting the date of arrival. An
International Driving Permit is required
in case of longer stays. International
driving permits in Peru can be obtained
through the Touring y Automóvil Club
del Perú. All foreign vehicles must
obtain the appropriate documentation
from the National Automobile Association
in their own country or on the Peruvian
border before entering the country (in
this case a 90-day permission will be
obtained). You should always carry your
driver's license, a copy of your
passport and, if the vehicle is rented,
a copy of the rental contract.
Urban
Public transport in Lima is provided by conventional buses and by
minibuses (combis). The minimum rate is
US$0.30. Wherever possible try to avoid
using bus travel late at night.
Travel times
The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes)
from Lima to other major cities/towns in
Peru.
Air
Road
Arequipa
1.25
14.00
Ayacucho
0.35
9.00
Cajamarca
1.00
15.00
Chachapoyas
1.30*
21.00
Chiclayo
1.00
10.00
Cusco
1.00
19.00/26.00
Huancayo
-
6.00
Huánuco
0.50
8.00
Huaraz
0.35*
6.00
Ica
-
4.00
Iquitos
1.30
-
Nazca
6.00
Piura
1.30
16.00
Pucallpa
1.00
20.00
Puerto Maldonado
2.20**
49.00/51.00
Puno (Juliaca)
1.30**
24.00
Tacna
1.30
18.00
Tarapoto
1.00
20.00/24.00
Trujillo
0.45
8.00
Tumbes
1.30
18.00
Note: (a) Approximate travel
times are given for travel by bus. (b)*
Only charter flights available. (c)**
Includes one stopover
 
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