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Anyone here been to Peru as a tourist?

Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
How safe is Peru for tourists? Seems more or less fine with 4 million tourists a year, but you always find lots of warnings and advice articles.

How much is Spanish required if you go through a guided tour agency? I got through China without knowing a word.

Any recommendations or info is appreciated. Just now starting to do research about it for sometime next year hopefully.
 
crowbrow

crowbrow

Banned
Perú is one of my favorite countries in Latin America. Machu Picchu is an amazing place, the energy there is something else. And the food, ffs the food!!

I speak Spanish but I saw tourists from everywhere from all ages everywhere so I don't think it should be a problem. if you stay in Lima some days try to get some information about the shady areas, there are definitely areas you shouldn't go but many other areas were pretty safe. I think Miraflores was a nice neighborhood, I stayed there.
 
Tesseract

Tesseract

Banned
Pagusas said:
Is it talk like Trump day?
Click to expand...
giphy.gif
 
Fbh

Fbh

Member
Went to Machu Picchu like 10 years ago as a highschool trip so I'm not exactly up to do date.
But we had a great time, people were really nice and the food was amazing. We stayed in the more touristy areas which felt perfectly safe and from what I've heard from friends who have gone more recently that's still the case.

The only "warning" I'd give (though it's more like traveling 101) is to not drink the tap water. Some people also recommend not eating raw stuff like salads and fruits though I had a ton of that when I was there and didn't have any issues (and if you are fine with raw fish you NEED to eat ceviche)

Also, if you go directly to Cusco be aware that it's fairly high up (3400m above the sea level), so expect to get tired faster and there's a chance you can get altitude sickness (head aches, Dizziness, Nausea, etc) which can last for a few days. As far as I know it's more common with people that go by plane, we went by bus so the increase in altitude was slower and no one got sick. I think there's some sort of pills you can take a few days before going which help prevent it.

Drink a ton of Pisco Sour, which is still by far the best cocktail ever.
piscosour_promperu.jpg

I'm from Chile where it's also a classic drink, and there's always been this discussion about who invented it. But I'm sorry, Peruvian Pisco Sour is just on another level than our Chilean one.
 
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manfestival

manfestival

Member
It really depends on the parts of Peru you are going to?
North Lima? Not safe
South Lima/Miraflores? Safe
Cusco? Safe (had many drunken nights walking the streets alone at 3am drunk and only worried about stray dogs)
North Peru? Depends on where you go
I have also been to many more places in Peru

Like many places in the world(US included), it really just depends on where you actually go since there are good and bad parts everywhere. I consider some places in the US more dangerous.
You don't need to know Spanish if you get a guided tour or even do your plans right. Also China I imagine would be much harder to travel than Peru and you said you did it.

As mentioned before, just be careful with the water. I have had tap water in Lima and Cusco but it depends in those places as well. Be careful about the food you eat in a market if you decide to eat in one.

Most tourists just go to Cusco, Peru for Machu Picchu and surrounding attractions.
 
way more

way more

Member
You have to store your used toilet paper in little trash cans next to the toilet and it smells. Literally, in their international airport in Lima you have to do this and you are shitting 30 meters from a Papa John's. The food the locals eat is bland. Machu Picchu is a great site but the city that you have to stay at near it's base is an absolute shit-hole. Like a Disney designed tourist trap.

I liked Cusco because it was a neat city but like I said, bland food. Lima has fresh fish so how can you go wrong?

In the end it's a must see and I never felt in danger. Even if you got robbed they would take at most $20. That was enough to get by. Oh, and the conversion rate is basically 1/3 of american money so it's easy to figure out how much things cost.
 
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Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
I've officially booked it. I'm going to hike the 4 day Trail of the Incas to Machu Piccu.

2-3 parts of the hike are named after death. "Dead Woman Trail." "Gringo Killer."

I'm beginning my stairmaster and hiking training for the next 5 months.

location_img-1570-3285976407-148.jpg


The peak in the back is an available optional climb for $81. I'm skipping that part. It's called the "hike of death." It's a staircase, with irregular stairs up vertically, incredibly steep - with the decent being the most dangerous part.

Nope.

Hayna-Picchu-2.jpg
 
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cucuchu

cucuchu

Member
I misread the title and thought for a minute it was "Has anyone been to Peru as a terrorist?" I'm sure that would of been an interesting thread.

My uncle has been there 7 times as a tourist (not terrorist), and speaks nothing but good things about it.
 
Jooxed

Jooxed

Gold Member
Peru is great, we went to Ecuador and peru fam, most everyone speaks a lot English in the main cities in the younger generations they learn it in school. You will be able to get by with basic Spanish
 
lil puff

lil puff

Member
If I'm not mistaken, Peru was one of the places on the show Locked Up Abroad.

They seemed to cover the essence of it well.
Starts off sunny and beautiful, breathtaking landscape.

Once you involve yourself in trouble, everything gets cold and gray.
Once you get caught, it's one of the darkest places on earth.
 
EviLore

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Doesn't look like a particularly deadly hike, re: those stairs, but congrats on the impending Machu Picchu trip. Haven't done it yet myself, but a lot of people I know have and it's universally praised.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
EviLore said:
Doesn't look like a particularly deadly hike, re: those stairs, but congrats on the impending Machu Picchu trip. Haven't done it yet myself, but a lot of people I know have and it's universally praised.
Click to expand...
I'm a little scared of heights though and wouldn't want to go down the stairs lol. Lots of people do that part just fine. But it does supposedly have fatalities every year if the websites I looked at are accurate.
 
EviLore

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Miku Miku said:
I'm a little scared of heights though and wouldn't want to go down the stairs lol. Lots of people do that part just fine. But it does supposedly have fatalities every year if the websites I looked at are accurate.
Click to expand...

Ah, that's fair then.
 
lil puff

lil puff

Member
Miku Miku said:
I'm a little scared of heights though and wouldn't want to go down the stairs lol. Lots of people do that part just fine. But it does supposedly have fatalities every year if the websites I looked at are accurate.
Click to expand...
I'm the same way.

That pic above with them holding onto the walls creeps me out. Just the thought of being up there and you are in the middle with no way out, reminds me of some occasional nightmares that I have.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
lil puff said:
I'm the same way.

That pic above with them holding onto the walls creeps me out. Just the thought of being up there and you are in the middle with no way out, reminds me of some occasional nightmares that I have.
Click to expand...
Yeah, at 11 000 ft up after 4 days of hiking and tired legs. I could probably do it, but I'm not going to risk it.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
EviLore said:
Ah, that's fair then.
Click to expand...
Found this comment on youtube on this video. :messenger_downcast_sweat: And it's not even talking about the difficult optional part. :messenger_downcast_sweat:

"I did this trek a few years ago with a buddy. Here's my recommendation--don't underestimate this hike. It's not that it's a very demanding hike, skill-wise, but the Andes mountains are dangerous. We met one group there that lost a member (he died) when he got extreme elevation sickness and due to the remoteness of their trailhead, they weren't able to get him to lower elevation in time. We met another group whose hiking group had 2 members drown during the whitewater rafting optional excursion (one of them had luckily twisted her ankle and delayed her friends so long that they didn't complete the day's hike in time to go.) A family hiking the same route as us brought a special needs child to help him prove that he could overcome obstacles. In a torrential rainstorm, a mudslide cut them off from their porters and they ended up staying the night in a hut with the local family without their gear. Whether imposing on the locals because of hubris counts as "overcoming personal obstacles," I'm not sure. The mountain roads are also incredibly perilous, and the year I went the official statistics showed that 300+ tourists that year had died in traffic-related accidents. I have no idea how many were from driving-induced heart attacks from tourists who unwisely looked out the window to see how close their car was to the edge of a cliff. The views on this trail are unimaginable, and no photos or video will do them justice. If that's what you want to see (and it's worth it), accept the risk and go. But I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who's not serious about the mountaineering part, as straightforward as the hike itself is. After my buddy and I scrambled over the active mudslide to escape the crumbling trail ledge threatening drop us off the mountain's edge to our deaths, our guide (who is apparently used to this kind of thing) said, "You guys are really good! Ha ha! You should see most tourists when this happens. They just sit there and cry!" It made me wonder "How often does this happen?" I guess the answer is: more often than the tourism bureau lets on."

 
EviLore

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Miku Miku said:
Found this comment on youtube on this video. :messenger_downcast_sweat: And it's not even talking about the difficult optional part. :messenger_downcast_sweat:

"I did this trek a few years ago with a buddy. Here's my recommendation--don't underestimate this hike. It's not that it's a very demanding hike, skill-wise, but the Andes mountains are dangerous. We met one group there that lost a member (he died) when he got extreme elevation sickness and due to the remoteness of their trailhead, they weren't able to get him to lower elevation in time. We met another group whose hiking group had 2 members drown during the whitewater rafting optional excursion (one of them had luckily twisted her ankle and delayed her friends so long that they didn't complete the day's hike in time to go.) A family hiking the same route as us brought a special needs child to help him prove that he could overcome obstacles. In a torrential rainstorm, a mudslide cut them off from their porters and they ended up staying the night in a hut with the local family without their gear. Whether imposing on the locals because of hubris counts as "overcoming personal obstacles," I'm not sure. The mountain roads are also incredibly perilous, and the year I went the official statistics showed that 300+ tourists that year had died in traffic-related accidents. I have no idea how many were from driving-induced heart attacks from tourists who unwisely looked out the window to see how close their car was to the edge of a cliff. The views on this trail are unimaginable, and no photos or video will do them justice. If that's what you want to see (and it's worth it), accept the risk and go. But I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who's not serious about the mountaineering part, as straightforward as the hike itself is. After my buddy and I scrambled over the active mudslide to escape the crumbling trail ledge threatening drop us off the mountain's edge to our deaths, our guide (who is apparently used to this kind of thing) said, "You guys are really good! Ha ha! You should see most tourists when this happens. They just sit there and cry!" It made me wonder "How often does this happen?" I guess the answer is: more often than the tourism bureau lets on."

Click to expand...


Hah, crazy. :messenger_fire::messenger_fire:
 
Liljagare

Liljagare

Member
Its like travelling anywhere, dont be a idiot, toilet experiences might vary, out in the boonies only drink bottled or own boiled water.

Above all, dont be a moron.

Think that is my top tip for travelling anywhere though, you'd be suprised the amount of trouble people get in by being simpleton morons. If you're not one, you can travel safely almost anywhere.

Listen to yourself, feel unsafe? Yeah, in a jungle or 10000 feet up? You're probarly doing something you shouldn't be doing. Stop. In a frozen wilderness? Stop. Probarly being stupid again. Don't be.

Facing people wanting your stuff? Guess what, hand it over.

Travelling the world is safe, and fun, just don't be a idiot about it. Very few areas are worse than the worst spot in your own nation.

You dont need language, been all over, never had any problems. Hand language gets you far.

Funnily enough, my biggest surpise has been the hole in the ground toilet at Gare du Nord train staition, in Paris, the restaurants outside, some of them still has, a hole, down in the basement, for nr 2.

I'd expect that in a jungle village, not in Paris. :p

Travel and have fun.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
SLoWMoTIoN said:
Punished Miku Punished Miku how can you afford all these trips?
Click to expand...
They're not really THAT expensive honestly. I think travel cost has dropped dramatically in just the last few years. My girlfriend and I are both nurses and we can both pay our own way. Overtime is basically unlimited availability anytime we want to work.

Both the trips we've purchased so far were on groupon. Sometimes they have insane discounts. This one was $1120 for everything but the flight. Includes the hotels, meals, guides in the city and on the trail, and the additional cost for porters to carry sleeping bags and things. It's still a lot of money, but we save a bit it's really not as impossible as it used to be. We really can only afford these guided package ones, but honestly they seem better to me.

We don't have kids either, so that helps. I only get one big vacation a year, so it's like saving $150 - $200 a month basically. I'm not going on this one until May, so a year from the last one.
 
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Soapbox Killer

Soapbox Killer

Grand Nagus
I was in Lima for a few weeks back in the early 2000s no cellphone limited Spanish, I was more than fine. Except for some little boy calling me a monkey for not giving him "1 sole" it was a great time.


Went to some sights but we were staying near "Pizza Alley" . I was in South America for about 3 months. Greatest trip of my life!
 
lil puff

lil puff

Member
Liljagare said:
Its like travelling anywhere, dont be a idiot, toilet experiences might vary, out in the boonies only drink bottled or own boiled water.

Above all, dont be a moron.

Think that is my top tip for travelling anywhere though, you'd be suprised the amount of trouble people get in by being simpleton morons. If you're not one, you can travel safely almost anywhere.

Listen to yourself, feel unsafe? Yeah, in a jungle or 10000 feet up? You're probarly doing something you shouldn't be doing. Stop. In a frozen wilderness? Stop. Probarly being stupid again. Don't be.

Facing people wanting your stuff? Guess what, hand it over.

Travelling the world is safe, and fun, just don't be a idiot about it. Very few areas are worse than the worst spot in your own nation.

You dont need language, been all over, never had any problems. Hand language gets you far.

Funnily enough, my biggest surpise has been the hole in the ground toilet at Gare du Nord train staition, in Paris, the restaurants outside, some of them still has, a hole, down in the basement, for nr 2.

I'd expect that in a jungle village, not in Paris. :p

Travel and have fun.
Click to expand...
One thing I notice by living/working in probably one of the most tourist areas in the world...

People generally tend to leave their brains at home. The stupid things I witness on a daily basis by tourists are unbelievable. My tip to any tourist would be to do your research before leaving and have a pre- formed itinerary. It shocks me how many clueless people just stand in groups in the center of sidewalks or on corners. It's not difficult to move to the side so others can maybe also use the damn sidewalk.

And get a map or use your phone. I always get asked where Times Square is when people are standing right in the middle of it. If you didn't figure out what Times Square looked like at some point before you left, and can't look up and tell, you're some kinda special class of idiot.
 
Ingeniero

Ingeniero

Member
<------Fellow Peruvian here.

Cusco and Machu Picchu are amazing obviously, guaranteed fun.
If you plan to stay in Lima or Arequipa for a few days as well, I can recommend some cool places/activities/restaurants.
Lima is not dangerous if you go to the right places, very tourist friendly.
Arequipa is amazing too, you can climb the Misti volcano or do the "Colca canyon" hike.

Cheers.
 
termos

termos

Banned
I am not sure about peru but I wanted to visit Latvia and I assume this is one of beautiful country .
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
www.bbc.com

'We're stuck in Peru and the government won't help'

Around 400 UK tourists are stranded after Peru shut its borders to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

www.nbcnews.com

Americans stuck in Peru over coronavirus fears urge U.S. to bring them home

Many of the two dozen people on a tour were able to book flights back to the U.S., but then they were canceled.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com

www.cnn.com

‘We’re stuck.’ Americans stranded in Peru seek help after country shuts borders | CNN Politics

As nations around the world shut their borders in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic, American travelers have found themselves stranded.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com

Sooooo, you guys think it's still cool if I go in mid-May? It's all non-refundable.

:messenger_grinning_sweat::messenger_grinning_sweat::messenger_grinning_sweat:

9a5d6eb32518f66f6714d9f05198607c.gif
 
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