Cheap travel in PeruTravel in Peru can be cheap thanks to affordable hotels, hostels and other accommodation, but your holiday can be enjoyable at the same time. The Aymara-speaking Uros island people pictured below are collecting buoyant totora reeds from the shallow marshy waters of Lake Titicaca in Peru. The people of Lake Titicaca use ongoing collections of the reed to create a spongy substrate foundation on the lake bed, upon which they build houses and village communities. As bottom layers rot, new layers are spread on top so that the Uros have a permanent floating island upon which to walk. |
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CLICK ON THE PICTURE above for more world tour photos with travel tips about cheap holiday spots and travel agency links for plane tickets, hotel reservations and car rentals. What's on the next page? Alpaca in Peru If you're looking for cheap tickets, travel accessories, discount hotels, car rentals, holiday books, maps, etc, for your trip to Peru, visit our Travel Shop Thumbnail Picture Index Last Minute Travel Tips Useful Peru Links Maps of Peru |
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Cheap travel in Peru Note: Peru was struck by a major earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale on August 16, 2007. The evening earthquake lasted about two minutes and struck offshore 148 kilometres south-south east of Lima at a depth of 40 kilometres, and about 80 minutes later a second quake struck measuring 5.9 located in the same area at a depth of ten kilometres. Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured with damage caused to numerous towns, transport and communication links. Peru's southern coastal region was hardest-hit with towns such as Pisco, Chincha and Ica devastated. Peru is the home of cheap travel. It's possible to get around the country on just US$20 a day, particularly if you have a student card, but budget for at least US$50 if you want your Peru travel to be comfortable. Bargaining is common in low budget hotels and in markets and it's usually not necessary to add a tip to the price charged, even when catching a taxi. Hotels in provincial areas of Peru are usually of good quality and their room rates are cheaper than in Lima or other cities. Throughout Lima and in most towns in Peru you can find plenty of cheap hostels and pensiones, although their quality varies enormously. All travel accommodation in Peru incurs an 18% tax and upmarket hotels might also add a service charge. No regulations control camping or caravanning in Peru. As a simple guide to costs for food and accommodation, US$20 a day will keep a roof over your head and prevent starvation, US$40 a day will provide a comfortable room, a restaurant meal and a taxi ride, while US$60 a day will let you enjoy various Peru travel luxuries such as fine cuisine. If you're satisfied with a shared dormitory and a communal bathroom, you can find travel accommodation for as little as US$5 a night in Lima and most regional centres in Peru. Spend US$15 a night and you should be able to find a single or double room. In 2003, Peru had 28 youth hostels and these can sometimes provide a bed for less than US$5 a night. City and remote jungle prices are usually a little higher. The cheapest Peru travel is enjoyed in villages and rural towns. In short, your travel, tickets and tours in Peru can be very cheap if you're willing to forego a few luxuries.
A tourist card is issued upon flight arrival and you should carefully protect it or you'll have major problems when the time comes for the flight home. The normal stay in Peru is for 90 days, although this can be extended up to three times at a price, or you can drop into a neighbouring country for at least two days and then return as often as you can convince the border officials that you're merely a tourist. Alternatively, you can pay in advance to have your travel visa renewed at the immigration offices in Lima or Cusco. Visas for up to 90 days are required by citizens of most countries and it's worth investigating what other documentation and tickets are necessary for hassle-free travel through Peru. Travel tip ... It's advisable to always carry your passport and tourist card (or at least photocopies) during your trip to Peru as authorities can legally demand your identification. All airline tickets to Peru land at Jorge Chavez International Airport, which is about half an hour from the upmarket quarter of Lima. There is a US$28 airfare departure tax from Jorge Chavez International Airport and a US$5 airport ticket fee for domestic flights within Peru. If you're traveling to Peru by car, you'll enter via Tumbes in Ecuador, Puno in Bolivia or Tacna in Chile. If you hire a car, be aware that traffic jams are a nightmare in Lima and local driving skills are a nightmare wherever you travel in Peru. Most taxis in Peru don't have common company colours and are marked simply with a sticker on the windshield. Many don't have meters and you should negotiate a predetermined price before getting in. Ask trusted locals or other tourists what is a reasonable fare for the required journey, and it might also be worth asking about the reliability of some taxi operators as they aren't all honest. Peru has a totally unregulated taxi system and there are cabs in every town. Cab drivers don't expect tips. Collectivos, or shared taxis, are vans which can carry as many as a dozen people. Collectivos are a cheap way to travel in Peru but they are accident-prone. Buses and trains are the best way to travel around Peru. The fastest, most regular and cheapest transport for Peru travel is by bus. Bus tickets are comparatively cheap but it's worth taking your own food and water because roadside eateries in Peru can be both expensive and of dubious quality. Trains are also cheap and offer slow journeys to soak up the Peru travel sights. However, pickpockets and petty theft are rife in economy class. Travel tip ... Fairly good exchange rates can be hawked from money traders on the streets of Peru but be constantly mindful that they may try to hoodwink you. Don't accept torn or other dilapidated notes as these might be rejected elsewhere. Nightlife is vibrant in Lima and Cusco with bars, discotheques and nightclubs open till 3am or 4am. The customary form of greeting in Peru is to shake hands. Tourists can have a great time during their trip to Peru with cheap shopping for Peruvian handicrafts such as paintings, weavings, ceramics, jewellery, woodcraft, silver filigrees and alpaca sweaters, but it's important to bargain hard if you want to enjoy a cheap holiday. It's worth planning ahead to make room for all your luggage when the time comes to travel back to your home country. If you're tempted to buy anything of true archaeological, historical or biological value, be careful because regulations prevent the export of many such items from Peru and penalties can apply. Acquire the correct paperwork if you wish to leave Peru with any authentic antiquities. Also be aware that even though coca-leaf tea is legal in Peru (and a great cure for altitude sickness), you'll probably be arrested if you take any home from your holiday. Restaurant and hotel staff will usually expect a 5% tip in addition to the 10% service charge. Although food and shop prices in Peru are usually fixed, you are expected to bargain hard when you're in markets or negotiating with taxi drivers. A tourist magnet in Lima is the Plaza Mayor, where the changing of the guards outside the Government Palace at midday draws hundreds of spectators every day. The Plaza Mayor is dominated by a 17th century bronze fountain and is encircled by a beautiful baroque cathedral, Archbishop's Palace, City Hall and Teatro Colon. Around the corner is the San Francisco Monastery, one of Lima's first religious buildings and a drawcard partly because of its catacombs filled with tens of thousands of human bones. Lima has little to attract travellers but is the obvious starting point from which to explore the cheap travel and exciting wonders of Peru. Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Peru weather for holiday travel To book airfares, hotels, car rentals, etc. for a trip to Peru, visit our Travel Shop. |
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