Information on Peru |
Full country name: Republic of Peru
Area: 1,285,215 sq km (501,234 sq mi)
Population: 27,012,899
Capital city: Lima (pop 8 million)
People: 54% Indian, 32% Mestizo (mixed European and Indian
descent), 12% Spanish descent, 2% Black, Asian minority
Language: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara
Religion: Over 90% Roman Catholic, small Protestant population
Government: Democracy
Major industries: Pulp, paper, coca leaves, fishmeal, steel,
chemicals, oil, minerals,cement, auto assembly, steel, shipbuilding
 It's
the multiple layers of great civilizations which makes Peru so fascinating.
You can wander around colonial cities which have preserved the legacy
of the Spanish conquistadors, visit the ancient Incan capital of
Cuzco, explore the lost city of Machu Picchu and ponder the enigma
of the Nazca Lines (answers on a postcard please). You don't have
to be in Peru too long to realize that the 'New World' had a rich
and complex cultural life thousands of years before Pizarro turned
up wearing funny clothing.
All of this exists in a country with some of the most spectacular
and varied scenery in South America. The Peruvian Andes are arguably
the most beautiful on the continent and the mountains are home to
millions of highland Indians who still speak the ancient tongue
of Quechua and maintain a traditional way of life. The verdant Amazon
Basin, which occupies half of Peru, is one of the world's top 10
biodiversity 'hot spots' - a species-rich area of tropical rain
forest that will make your head spin when you start to learn about
its ecology. And the coastal deserts, with their huge rolling dunes,
farmland oases and fishing villages, are underappreciated by travelers
but offer the opportunity to get off the Gringo Trail in a big way.
But you don't have to be a zoologist, an anthropologist or a mountain
climber to enjoy Peru, all you need is a keen eye, a love of landscape,
an interest in history and a very good money belt.
Facts for the Traveler
Visas: Most travelers do not need visas; most nationals are
granted a 90-day stay and it can be extended
Health risks: Altitude sickness, cholera, hepatitis, malaria (in
the lowlands), rabies and typhoid. A yellow fever vaccination is
essential if you plan to visit the eastern slopes of the Andes or
the Amazonian Basin
Time: GMT/UTC minus 5 hours
Electricity: 220V, 60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Weather
Peru's peak tourist season is from June to August, which is the
dry season in the highlands, and this is the best time to go
if you're interested in hiking. Travelers do visit the highlands
year-round, though the wettest months, January to April,
make trekking a muddy proposition. Many of the major fiestas occur
in the wettest months and continue undiminished in spite of heavy
rain.
On the coast, Peruvians visit the beaches during the sunny months
from late December through March, although few beaches are particularly
enticing. The rest of the year, the coast is clothed in mist. In
the eastern rainforests, it naturally rains a lot. The wettest months
are December through April, though travelers visit year-round since
it rarely rains for more than a few hours and there's still plenty
of sunshine to enjoy.
Peru Events
Many of the main festivals favor the Roman Catholic liturgical
calendar. These are often celebrated with great pageantry, especially
in highland Indian villages, where the Catholic feast day is usually
linked with a traditional agricultural festival. Some of the major
events include: Carnaval (February-March), which is particularly
popular in the highlands and features numerous water fights; Inti
Raymi (24 June), the greatest of the Inca festivals with spectacular
dances and parades; Peru's Independence (28 July); All
Souls Day (2 November), celebrated with gifts of food, drink
and flowers which are taken to family graves; and Puno Day
(5 November), which features flamboyant costumes and street dancing
in Puno.
Money & Costs
Currency: Nuevo (New) Sol
Costs in Peru are lower, on average, than those in developed countries,
but higher than those in many neighboring countries. Lima and Cuzco
are the most expensive places in the country. If you're on a tight
budget, you can scrape by on around US$15-20 per day, but if you
want to stay in modest hotels and eat out at restaurants, you'll
have a better time on around US$50 a day. Prices for luxury accommodations
run up to US$200 at popular destinations like Machu Picchu.
The easiest currency to exchange is US dollars. Other currencies
are only exchangeable in major cities and at a high commission.
Money can be changed in banks, casas de cambio, first-class hotels
or with street changers. Casas de cambio are usually the easiest
places to change money. Street changers, who hang out near banks,
never offer better rates than the best bank rate and have been known
to cheat travelers so are best avoided. Rates vary from place to
place but not significantly, unless you try to change money at a
hotel which charges high commission. Travelers' checks are changed
at a slightly lower rate than cash. Visa is the most widely accepted
credit card, but credit cards attract an 8% commission unless you
are using it for a cash withdrawal (in Peruvian currency) from a
bank. ATMs (Visa and Plus system are most widely recognized) are
now the best way to extract money in Peru.
A combination of taxes and service charges are added to bills in
the best hotels and restaurants and can total as much as 28%. The
cheaper hotels and restaurants don't add taxes. Tipping is not expected
in budget restaurants. A tip of 10-15% is fine in upmarket restaurants
if a service charge has not already been added to the bill. Taxi
drivers are not tipped - bargain hard beforehand and stick to your
price. Local guides should be tipped US$3-5 per day. Bargaining
is a way of life in markets.
Getting There & Away
AeroPerú and Faucett, Peru's international airlines, are
indefinitely shut down. There is talk of reopening AeroPerú
in some form. For the time being, you must use a non-Peruvian airline
for international flights. Lima's international airport, Jorge Chavez,
is the main hub for flights to the Andean countries from North America
and Europe, and has plenty of connections to neighboring countries.
Some international flights land at Iquitos, in Peru's Amazon region.
There is a departure tax of approximately US$25 on international
flights.
There are overland border crossings between Peru and Bolivia at
Desaguadero and nearby Yunguyo on the shores of Lake Titicaca; between
Peru and Chile at Tacna; and between Peru and Ecuador at Tumbes.
It is possible to travel by river from Colombia and Brazil to Iquitos.
Getting Around
Peru is a big country, so many travelers take internal flights
if they have limited time. As of August 1999, Aero Continente has
effectively monopolized the domestic market. Prices have risen accordingly,
and route coverage is limited. In July 1999, LanPeru, co-owned by
LanChile, resumed domestic flights. There are also a handful of
small airlines flying to remote destinations in light aircraft.
There's an 18% tax on domestic flights, but you can avoid most of
this if you buy tickets abroad. There's also a US$4 departure tax
on domestic flights.
Public buses are the usual mode of transport over long distances.
They are cheap, frequent and relatively comfortable, at least on
major routes. When traveling between towns, have your passport with
you as it will need to be shown at police checkpoints. Armed robberies
on night buses are not unheard of in Peru, so travel on a day bus
(or fly) if you have the option. Trucks often double as buses in
remote areas. The fare is usually standardized according to the
distance, but agree on the fare in advance. Local buses are slow,
cheap and crowded; when you want to get off just yell out. Taxi
fares need to be haggled over; there are no metered cabs.
The government-owned railways (INAFER) is facing imminent privatization.
Services go from the coast to the highlands: The Central Railroad
runs from Lima to La Oroya, where it branches north and south. The
northbound line goes to Cerro de Pasco and the southbound to Huancayo;
although there are plans to open the southern route to passenger
trains, both of these routes are currently for freight use only.
A short passenger line continues from Huancayo to Huancavelica.
The Southern Railroad runs between Arequipa to Lake Titicaca and
Cuzco. Services are cheap and fairly comfortable, but not particularly
safe.
Boat travel is important in Peru's eastern lowlands. Dugout canoes
powered with outboard engines operate as water taxis; larger cargo
boats are often also available as water transport.
Attractions
Lima
Lima, Peru's capital, is overcrowded, polluted, noisy and often
has wretched weather. Nevertheless, the inhabitants are friendly
and hospitable, opportunities for dining and nightlife are ample
and the city has a great selection of museums. A project is now
underway to restore the city's colonial center, so Lima may be a
lot lovelier in the near future.
Attractions include the Museo de Arte, which exhibits colonial
furniture and pre-Columbian artifacts as well as 400 years of Peruvian
art, and the Museo Nacional de Antropología y Arquelogía,
noted for its excellent exhibits of prehistoric Peru. Churches such
as San Francisco (famous for its catacombs) and Santo Domingo
(circa 1540) provide a welcome respite from the outside clamor.
Lima's many markets, including Polvos Azules, overflow with
consumer goods and handicrafts. There are also plazas, lovely
colonial buildings and a zoo.
Inexpensive accommodation can be found in the city center. The suburb
of Barranco has a number of cheap restaurants and live music
venues and is very popular with backpackers. The suburb of Miraflores
has the city's best stores, restaurants and nightspots.
South Coast
The Panamerican highway hugs the coast and passes through many areas
of interest south of Lima, including Pisco, an important
fishing port (best known for its white grape brandy), used by travelers
as a base to see the wildlife of the nearby Islas Ballestas
and Península de Paracas. The area is of much historical
and archaeological interest, with burial sites of the Paracas culture
a major lure. Further south is the town of Nazca, known for
its colorful and elaborate pottery and the world-famous Nazca Lines
- huge geometric designs, mostly of animals and birds - which are
thought to have been built between 900 BC and 600 AD. The designs
are only visible from the air but there are numerous flights over
the area for around US$50.
Arequipa & Lake Titicaca
Nicknamed the 'white city', Arequipa is surrounded by spectacular
mountains, including the volcano El Misti. A feature of the
city is its many beautiful buildings made of a light-colored volcanic
rock called sillar. The Convento de Santa Catalina, perhaps
the most fascinating colonial religious building in the country,
was, until recently, home to almost 450 nuns. Many of the city's
beautiful colonial houses, such as Casa Ricketts, are now
used as art galleries or museums. Accommodation and food is cheap
and often provided in lovely locations. The Colca Canyon,
arguably the world's deepest canyon, is a popular excursion from
Arequipa.
Lake Titicaca, at 3820m (12,530ft), is the highest navigable lake
in the world. At over 170km (105mi) long, it is also the largest
lake in South America. Its altitude means the air is unusually clear
and the azure waters particularly striking. Interesting boat trips
can be made from Puno, the major port on the lake. The area
is also known for its folk dances and huge herds of alpacas and
llamas.
Cuzco
The archaeological capital of the Americas and the oldest continuously
inhabited city on the continent,  Cuzco
is now an important link in the South American travel network. Its
legacy as the hub of the Inca empire is readily apparent: Most of
the city streets are lined with Inca-built stone walls and crowded
with Quecha-speaking descendants of the Incas. The city has magnificent
repositories of colonial art such as the catedral (begun
in 1559) and La Merced Church. There is also the Coricancha
ruins, east of the city center, which were formerly covered with
gold (the stonework is all that remains) and the Museo de Arqueológia,
the interior of which is filled with metal and gold work, jewelery,
pottery, textiles and mummies. Four other ruins - Sacsayhuamán,
Qenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay - are nearby.
West of Cuzco is Machu Picchu, the best-known and most spectacular
site on the continent. Despite the relentless stampede of tourists
(especially during the dry season months, June to September), this
'Lost City of the Incas' still retains an air of grandeur and mystery
and is a 'must see' for any visitor to Peru.
Iquitos
Iquitos (pop 400,000), Peru's largest jungle city and the Amazon
Basin's largest settlement without road links, is connected to the
outside world only by air and river. Founded in the 1750s by Jesuits,
it would later become an oil and rubber boomtown. Today the tourist
economy is increasingly the area's main focus. Iquitos' main attraction
is as a civilized gateway to the Amazon and jumping-off point for
jungle excursions.
Huaraz Area
Huraz is the most important climbing, trekking and backpacking center
in Peru. The city of Huaraz has been demolished several times by
massive earthquakes and is therefore not particularly atractive.
The surrounding mountains, however, are exceptionally beautiful,
and many travelers come to Peru specifically to visit the Huaraz
area.
The Andes around Huaraz offer a wide range of attractions,
the most evident of which are the many permanently glaciated peaks
jutting up to 6000m. The climbing and hiking season runs May to
September. There are also glacial lakes and hot springs
and Inca and pre-Inca archeological sites, most notably Chavín
de Huántar. Parque Nacional Huascarán,
established in 1975, protects a large chunk of the Cordillera Blanca.
The city of Huaraz is a great base camp, with a multitude of hotels
and guide services to choose from.
Activities
Trekking and mountaineering are popular during the May to September
dry season in the Andes. The most popular hike on the continent
is the 33km (20mi) Inca Trail, west of Cuzco. Equipment can be rented
in Cuzco and the trek takes three days. Huaraz, north of Lima, is
the climbing and trekking center of Peru and the site
of Huascará, at 6768m (22,199ft) the highest mountain in
the country. Equipment, drivers and guides are readily available;
the best time for hiking is June to August.
Jungle treks can be arranged at Iquitos. Guides will probably
approach you but their quality and reliability varies considerably
so try to get a recommendation or a reference, and proceed with
caution. The better companies that run jungle lodges can provide
reputable guides. Treks can last anywhere from a day to over a week;
bring plenty of mosquito repellent.
The Río Urubamba, near Cuzco, has white-water rafting possibilities.
Yarinacocha has pleasant canoeing. The Peninsula de Paracs
and nearby Islas Ballestas have the best-known bird and marine sanctuaries
on the Peruvian coast, plus there's great swimming from secluded
beaches from January to March. Tours to the sanctuaries are available
daily and are relatively cheap. There are bodegas (wineries) to
visit in the city of Ica, on the south coast, and guided tours to
Colca Canyon, near the city of Arequipa. |
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