While traveling in Latin America you should always carry your passport or a copy of it on your person (e.g. in a money belt). It is a good idea to bring photocopies of other essential documents (e.g. airline tickets, prescriptions) and store them in a separate location from the originals.

• No visa is necessary for citizens of the United States, Western European countries, South American countries (except Chile and Venezuela), Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months upon your return to your home country.
• When you arrive in Peru you will be given a tourist card (Tarjeta de Embarque) by immigration authorities. This tourist card is valid for 90 days. You are required to produce this card when you leave the country and also if you want to extend your visit past 90 days in Peru. So, don’t lose it! .
• Tourist cards can be renewed at prol. España #700, Lima, Cdra. 3 Arica. You can also renew tourist cards in major towns like Cuzco and Arequipa.
• The usual permitted stay for travelers in Peru is 90 days, but it’s not difficult to renew. You can have a maximum of 3 renewals (30 days each), until a total of 180 days in Peru. Then you must leave the country, to return and begin the process again. Each renewal will cost you US$20.
• An exit ticket is officially required to enter Peru.
• There is a US $20 departure tax on all international flights.
• Reconfirm your tickets more then once, because there is a lot of overbooking.
• Always telephone and double-check on entry requirements, since they change frequently. To do this, call the Peruvian Embassy in your country or ask your travel agent.

• Before you start traveling ensure that you’re in good condition and that your teeth are okay.
• Never drink tap water (anywhere in Latin America) unless it has been boiled or treated with iodine (although not too much as iodine can be harmful too). A particular tablet that doesn’t leave any flavor is "Micropur", a Swiss tablet available in drugstores. Bottled water is readily available in Peru.
• Ask your doctor which vaccinations are necessary for travel in Peru. Typhoid, Yellow Fever and Hepatitis A are present, as is Cholera. Those who follow proper food and drink precautions should not be at risk of Cholera. Rabies is also present, so make sure that you have a check up if bitten by a dog or other animal.
• In the mountains, be prepared for altitude sickness (especially if you have travelled from the coast). You may experience headaches and shortness of breath, especially during the first few days.
• If you are going to the low jungle areas such as Iquitos or Pto. Maldonado, bring anti-malarial pills. Malaria mosquitos only bite at night, so bring a mosquito net.
• There have been reports of Tuberculosis epidemics, so avoid all unpasteurized dairy products.
• Be careful when bathing in rivers and pools in the Amazon area. Wash and dry your hands before eating.
• Salads and fruits should be washed with purified water or peeled before eaten. Be especially careful in cheap restaurants when you’re not sure if the salad has been properly washed.
• Avoid ice, ice-creams (if it is a packaged brand it is probably okay), shellfish, mayonnaise, raw or half-cooked meat and any re-heated food.
• Juices are very good, but ensure that they aren’t mixed with tap water.
• If you require medical attention, we can make arrangements for you in Huancayo with excellent dentists and doctors who charge very low prices. .

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• The population is 25 million, of which 3 million are indigenous and include approximately 70 - 80 ethnic groups.
• Literacy rate is 85.1%. Approximately 8 million Indians speak Quechua, the language of the INCAS. Incas del Peru offers classes in this language.

• The mail service is good but expensive, and sometimes takes a while.
• For an extra expense, letters can be sent "con certificado" which is recommended.
• Sending parcels abroad is expensive. Post Office staff assists with all checking.
• Sometimes it is cheaper and easier to pay excess baggage charges for all of your souvenirs rather than send them home by post.
• If you need to send parcels by post to Peru, taxes to be paid by the receiver can be up to 20% extra of the value of the parcel’s contents.

• Faxes can be sent and Collect Calls can be made to most countries via the Telefonica del Peru offices. Otherwise you can call 108 and talk to an International operator, who can arrange Collect and Trunk calls.
• You can buy phone cards for International and Long Distance calls at the Telefonica del Peru offices.
• Public phones work with coins and phone cards. The phones only accept one sol coins.
• Faxes are available at many locations and hotels. Incas del Peru offers telephone / fax services as well as reception of messages.
• Many internet cafes have phones for international calls. You pay the cashier when you have completed your calls.

• Major Hotels: 10% in addition to the 10% on the bill.
• Restaurants: Service is included in the bill.
• Cheap Restaurants: Tips aren’t included in the bill. If you want to tip the waiter, give the tip directly to him/her. Do not leave it on the table.
• Taxis: No tips. Ensure that you always agree to a price before you get in. Bargaining: Ask for a "descuento", which is often given.
• “Yapa”: When buying food and drinks in the marketplace, ensure that you ask for your “yapa” – that little bit extra for the price that you paid.

• In 1991 the Peruvian currency "INTI" was replaced by the new "Sol" (S/.).
• In more expensive establishments, some prices are quoted in US Dollars.
• Try to break down large notes when you can due to a shortage of change. Taxi drivers are notorious for this, often telling their customers that they don’t have any change to give you for your larger note (often untrue). You do not have to accept this excuse.
• Traveler’s checks can be changed into Soles and into US Dollars at banks. In Casas de Cambio, they will rarely change them into  US Dollars.
• You can change US$ into Soles at banks (bank-rate), Hotels (often charge a high commission) and Casas de Cambio (sometimes better rates then in the banks, but be aware of fake currency). You can also change US$ at the airport in Lima, 24 hours per day.
• Examine your dollar bills carefully. Banks and exchange offices (Casas de Cambio) will not accept damaged notes. Occasionally exchange offices will change it for less than its original value. Occasionally a circulation of false dollars or soles exists, so be careful! .
• Credit cards like Visa (most common), Diners Club and MasterCard are widely accepted in the main cities, though often with a surcharge. Cash can be withdrawn from ATM’s with your credit card or cashpoint card (Cirrus and Plus systems) at some banks in US$ or in Soles.

• Shops are open from 9 or 10am until 12.30pm and from 3 or 4pm until 8 or 9pm. In the main cities, supermarkets do not close on Saturdays but most are closed on Sundays. 
• Banks are open from 9am until 12.30pm and from 3pm until 6pm. They are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Offices are open from 8.30am until 12.30pm and from 3pm until 6pm. (Some are open from 9am until 5pm).
• Government Offices: January - March: Monday to Friday from 8.30 until 11.30am. April - December: Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm and from 3 until 5pm. This changes frequently! .
• Many of the Embassies are only open in the mornings.

Eveything closes on New Years Day and Christmas Eve. On these days, expect prices for transportation to rise. In July and August, when Peruvians have their annual vacations, everything is a little more expensive too. Sometimes when a public holiday falls on a weekend or in the middle of the week, it may be moved to the next Monday to create a long weekend. In the Andean region, especially in the Mantaro Valley where Huancayo is located, there are so many festivals that it is impossible to list them all. Every other day there is always some kind of celebration in one of the villages.

Some typical Peruvian dishes are:

• Ceviche - raw fish, shrimps etc ... marinated in lemon with onions and red peppers.
• Parihuela - Popular bouillabaisse with yuyo de mar (a tangy seaweed).
• Papa a la Huancaina: potatoes in a sauce made of milk, cheese and yellow chilies, usually served with a boiled egg and olives.
• Chupe de Camarones- shrimp stew.
• Causa and Carapulcra - potato dishes.
• Olluco con Charqui - a kind of potato with dried meat.
• Caucau - tripe, potatoes, peppers, and parsley served with rice.
• Anticuchos - heart kebab of beef with garlic, peppers, cumin and vinegar.
• Carne en Adobo - cut and seasoned steak.
• Chicharron - fried pork.
• Chifa - Chinese food.

• Mazamorra Morada - deep purple pudding, made of purple corn with lemon, dried fruits, cinnamon, cloves etc
• Manjar Blanco - milk, sugar, eggs
• Turron - the Lima nougat
• Tejas - sugar candies 
• Pastelillos - Yuccas with sweet potatoes, sugar and anise. Fried, powdered with sugar, and served hot

Common Fruits: bananas, citrus fruits, avocado, custard apple, egg fruit, papaya, mango, passion fruit and lots of exotic fruits from the jungle.

• If you like beer, the Cusqueña, Cristal, Pilsen and Arequipa brands are probably. the best. Peruvian beer is twice as alcoholic as a standard American beer.
• Pisco Sour - made from the national grape. It´s a mix of 40° Pisco, lemon, sugar, egg white. It is sweet and very potent.
• Chicha de Jora - corn beer (usually homemade).
• Chicha Morada - soft drink with purple corn.
• Some of the local wines are okay - e.g. the Ica wines Tacama and Ocucaje.
• Guinda - sweet cherry brandy.
• Aguardiente - sugarcane alcohol.
• Juices of any fruit - be careful that it isn´t mixed with tap water! 
• Inca-kola - a golden soda which is the national drink of Peru.
• Avoid ice-cubes in your drink.
• Coffee is often disappointing (usually instant not brewed).

Latin American officials know more English than you think. Always be polite even to the point of going a little overboard. Do not criticize by facial expressions or gestures in public. If you have a business card, hand this over. Always be prepared to shake hands with men and women and always say "Buenos dias" before mid-day or "Buenas tardes" after mid-day and wait for a reply before proceeding. DO NOT rush anyone!

Traveling overland can bring on exhilaration and despair, which are perfectly normal reactions for most travelers to unfamiliar cultures. Exhilaration is easy to handle, but despair can become a genuine trip spoiler. Learning as much as possible about the culture beforehand will help prevent culture shock. Above all, remember, as you begin your trip, to think of the normal sort of traveler discomforts such as a cultural jet lag. Relax, give it some time and it will disappear.

Much more important than the impact of the varying cultures on you is the problem of your impact on their culture, particularly that of the Andes. As traveling becomes increasingly popular in South America, travelers must develop an awareness of their effect on the environment both that of the landscape and the local people

Unfortunately, "Gringos" (as travelers are called by the locals) can be accused of dropping most of the litter in rural areas because the "campesinos" have so little to throw away. Cigarette packets and sardine tins are the only offerings of the campesinos. Gringo litter is much more conspicuous - brightly colored paper, cans, dried food packets, film cartons and aluminum foil.

Away from the mountains, the quantity of waste matter dropped on highways and byways is horrifying. In this situation, the local people are the worst culprits, but visitors follow soon after! There is no need to follow the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" - well, at least not in this matter!

Before you offer a child sweets or money, reflect on the consequences of your actions. You are giving the child a taste for sweets which they would never have otherwise acquired, and which they can only satisfy by begging. You are teaching children that begging is rewarding, and that they can, after all, get something for nothing. If you want to give something to children, please give it to their parents or teacher. They will thank you, and the child will still receive the item, but this avoids a dependant relation with gringos.