Tips for Peru trip

by **ylo** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 5:56 pm

I returned from Highlights of Peru tour on June 23, 2009. Here are some tips.

Plan to use cash (soles). ATM works great. I rarely used credit card. Make sure the cash you give for the local payment is in perfect condition; no rips, no tape, no holes. My group leader wouldn't accept cash that was defected. Inspect your change after a sale. Make sure the paper currency is in good condition. I was surprised to pay cash for my excursions. I quickly ran out of cash. Save your coins for souvenir shopping and tips. The little ladies usually wanted exact amount of soles.

The weather was cool during the day about high 60's (F) and cold at night except in the Amazon. Pack short and long sleeve t- shirts. In the Amazon, the weather changes all the time. The first day we were there it was hot and humid. The last day we were there it rained hard. I wore the liner of my ski jacket most evenings and wore sweater too when it was really cold. The travelers hiking the inca trail needed a warmer jacket.

Plan on lotsa idle time. I wish i brought a book. Deck of cards was a blessing. (Easy to find in Peru for cheap). I was on the van/bus for hours.

I'm glad i brought a small luggage that rolls instead of a large backpack. I used a small backpack for day trips. Most of us used a small purse that can hold a small bottle of water and our camera. I bought mine at REI.

Probably don't need to mention it but... I only brought 1GB of memory. By the end of the 2nd week i ran out of memory and had to buy more. Good thing i was in Cuzco at the time. My fellow travelers had 4KB memory cards.

I hope that helps with your planning for Peru. I had a great trip overall.

by **margo** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:34 am

Hi, I will be doing the absolute Peru trip soon, need to know are towels or shampoo provided in hotel rooms . Thanks.

by **ballu** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 10:21 am

Hopefully the original poster will have some up-to-date info...I did the Absolute Peru trip in 2004. From what I remember there was shampoo and towels in all the places we stayed. You may want to bring a small travel towel and a small travel bottle of shampoo from home as a back up...and also for the Inca Trail (we were able to pay for showers on night 3). The towel might also be useful if you go swimming (we visited hot springs in the Colca Canyon).

by **lovely_tori** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 12:21 pm

i did a trip to peru with gap, although not this one, and MOST of our hotels had shampoo and towels but some just had towels. it's a good idea to bring a small bottle of your own and a small towel. (you can always throw that away)

by **lorne** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:12 pm

I would actually make sure you have one of those small little tissue packs in your back pack. Just as emergency back up. Toilets other than at hotels do not always have tissue. I had a real dilema at one washroom. No toilet paper, only paper I could find was a 10 sole note. That was a tough decision.....