The honest brief
Peru is two altitudes. The coast (Lima, Paracas, Trujillo) is sea-level desert with the world's most respected fine-dining scene right now — Lima alone has three of the world's top 50 restaurants. The Andes (Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca) sit between 3,000m and 4,500m, which is real altitude and a real adjustment. Then there's the Amazon basin (Iquitos, the Tambopata reserve), which is its own country.
Plan the trip for altitude — fly into Lima sea-level, spend 2 nights there, fly to Cusco at 3,400m and immediately taxi DOWN to the Sacred Valley at 2,800m for 2 nights of acclimatization, THEN come back up to Cusco. Going Lima→Cusco→Machu Picchu in 48 hours is how altitude sickness ruins the trip.
Weather right now
Country facts
When to visit
May–September is dry season in the Andes — the right time for Machu Picchu and Inca Trail. June and July are coldest (Cusco nights freeze). December–March is the rainy season in the highlands (the Inca Trail closes February) but it's the summer beach window on the coast.
Lima is shrouded in coastal fog (la garúa) June–November; sun lovers come December–April. Festival of Inti Raymi (June 24, Cusco) is spectacular; book hotels six months out.
Money
Soles (PEN). Card in cities and hotels; cash in markets, taxis, Andean towns. ATM at Banco de la Nación or BCP. Tipping 10% in tourist-area restaurants, rounding up taxis. The classic Cusco scam: the 'official guide' at Machu Picchu who attaches themselves to your group; the real guides are licensed and wear a badge.
Machu Picchu tickets must be bought in advance — the 2024 reform limits daily visitors and timed routes, walking-up at the gate does not work.
Food + dining etiquette
Ceviche is a lunch dish, fresh-only — the fish is acidulated raw with lime juice + onions + chili + sweet potato + corn. No fresh ceviche after 3 PM at the coast; what's served later isn't fresh. Lomo saltado is the Peruvian-Chinese stir-fry (beef + onion + tomato + soy sauce + french fries — yes, fries in the dish). Ají de gallina is the comfort-food chicken stew. Pisco sour is the national cocktail; the egg white is non-negotiable.
Cuy (guinea pig) is real and is a special-occasion dish in the Andes; the presentation includes the head. Try it once. Quinoa is a staple, not a superfood photo-op.
Speaking the language
Spanish is the working language; Quechua in the Andes, Aymara around Titicaca. Buenos días / gracias / por favor — Peruvian Spanish is softer and slower than Spain's. Mate de coca — coca-leaf tea — is the polite altitude welcome.
Be careful with politics — Peru has had political turmoil in the 2020s (presidential resignations, protests). Don't ask about specific politicians unless your host raises it.
Essential phrases
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Numbers
What to pack
Layers for the Andes — 25°C noon, 0°C night, often the same day. Real hiking shoes if doing any Inca Trail / Salkantay segment; rented poles are fine. Coca leaves or coca tea (legal, sold everywhere) for altitude. A wide-brim hat at altitude — UV at 3,400m burns differently.
Getting around
Domestic flights — LATAM, Sky, JetSmart. Lima-Cusco is 1h15 and the right way to enter the highlands. The train to Machu Picchu (PeruRail / Inca Rail from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes) is the only way in besides hiking; reserve weeks ahead. Buses (Cruz del Sur is the safest brand) for budget long-haul. Don't drive in the Andes if you've never driven at altitude — the switchbacks + the thin air mess with judgment.
Where to actually go
One week: Lima 2 + Sacred Valley 3 + Machu Picchu 1 + Cusco 1. 10 days: add the Amazon (3-day Tambopata lodge from Puerto Maldonado). Two weeks: add Lake Titicaca + Arequipa. Skip first trip: the 4-day Inca Trail without training (altitude + climbing is real; do the 2-day Inca Trail or the Sacred Valley + train instead).
Common mistakes
Flying Lima→Cusco→Machu Picchu in 48h. Skipping Lima's food scene (it's a global top-10 right now). Eating ceviche at dinner. Ignoring altitude. Not booking Machu Picchu in advance. Pronouncing Cusco 'KOOSH-koh' instead of 'KOO-sko.' Saying 'Inca' when you mean 'Quechua' — the Inca were the empire, the people are Quechua.
Drinking the pisco sour like a margarita — pisco is 40% alcohol, the egg-white foam masks how strong the drink is, and the altitude doubles the effect. Two is plenty. Trekking the Inca Trail without coca leaves or Diamox — the trail's second day peaks at Warmiwañusca pass (4,215m) and people who didn't prepare turn around or get evacuated.
Notes for the diaspora
Peruvian diaspora is in Patterson NJ, Miami, Madrid, and Tokyo (the Japanese government has a long-running visa for descendants of Nikkei). Japanese-Peruvian (Nikkei) is the cultural hyphen that explains Lima's food scene — late-1800s immigration produced a fusion that became Nikkei cuisine (ceviche meets sashimi). Chinese-Peruvian (Chifa) is the parallel hyphen — lomo saltado and arroz chaufa are Chifa dishes, born in Lima's Chinatown. If your family is Andean Peruvian, the village in the Sacred Valley or Ayacucho has a Quechua-speaking grandmother who will recognize the surname and place you in the family tree within a conversation.
Cultural notes
- Altitude in Cusco/Machu Picchu is real — coca tea helps, avoid alcohol day 1
- Pickpocketing is common in Lima/Cusco — watch bags in markets and transit
- Don't drink tap water; ask 'sin hielo' (without ice) outside major restaurants
- Indigenous languages (Quechua, Aymara) are official alongside Spanish
- Greet with handshake; one cheek kiss for friends/family
Universal courtesies
- Try a greeting in the local language even if it's the only word you know — it's appreciated everywhere.
- Match local dress norms when entering religious sites, government buildings, or rural areas.
- Ask before photographing people, especially children or in religious settings.
- Tipping customs vary — never assume your home country's expectation applies.
- Remove shoes when entering homes if your host does; watch their cue.
- Keep voices lower than at home in temples, mosques, museums, public transport.
- Hands and gestures mean different things across cultures — observe before reaching out.
- Cash + cards: rural areas often need cash; major cities take cards. Carry small notes.
- Don't compare countries to each other in front of locals — every culture stands on its own.
- If you don't know the etiquette, watching for 30 seconds usually teaches it.