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| » tips |
| Visa |
First of all your passport has to be valid for at least 6 more months when you want to go to enter
Peru. Tourists must also provide evidence of return or onward travel ( though i've never noticed it that
they take notice to it ). Visitors for other purposes ( other than tourists ) must obtain a visa in
advance. Business visitors should ascertain the tax and exit regulations that apply to the specific visa
they are granted. The citizens of the following countries need a visa to enter Peru:
African Continent: All the countries, with the exception of South Africa.
Asian Continent: Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, United Arab
Emirates, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhastan, Kirguistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal,
Omán, Qatar, Laos, North Korea, Pakistán, Syria, Sri Lanka, People's Republic of China, Turkemenistan,
Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.
American Continent: Cuba.
European Continent: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croacia,
Slovenia, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Letonia, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovac
Republic, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Yugoslavia.
To obtain a tourist visa, citizens from those countries are required to present the following items:
Passport
Round trip tickets
1 photo, passport size
Payment of USD 12.00
In the plane you will have to fill in a form ( tarjeta de embarque ) with your data which you
have to present to the immigrations at the airport afer arrival and you will get your visa stamp
( shown at the top in the picture to the left ). It really can depend on the immigration officer
who's attending you at that moment because some give a visa for 1 month, some for 2 and some for
3 months. Depending on your ticket you might need a visa which is valid for more than a month,
in that case you could ask the immigrations officer if you could get a visa for 2 or 3 months.
The maximum time for a visa you can get at the airport is 3 months, after the 3 months you can
go to Ministery of Immigrations and extend your visa for 1 month more ( shown in the middle in
the picture to the left ). The price of this is $20 and 27 soles.
You can do this 3 times, so you can extend the 3 months visa you already had with 3 more
months in total. If you want to stay longer in Peru then you could go to Tacna to go to
Chile ( in the picture the right right you can see the stamp they gave me when i left Peru, the visa i
got when i entered Chile, the stamp they gave me when i left Chile again after some hours and the new
visa i got for 90 days when i re-entered Peru ) or to Tumbes to go to Ecuador ( or any other border )
and re-enter Peru to get a new visa ( and you can start the whole visa process all over again ).When
your visa is expired you'll have to pay a $1 fine for each day you stay too long in Peru.
* Be careful, if you cross the border by bus and you leave Peru with an expired visa, even if it's
1 day, the immigration officers sometimes will take advantange of the situation and give you
an extra heavy fine, this could be $80 or maybe even more.
In Peru you are obligated to have an identity card ( for Peruvian citizens ) or a passport with you
and a the best thing to do is to make a photocopy of your passport, visa and tarjeta de embarque and
carry that with you instead of the original documents in case you get robbed or something. Like this
you won't loose your original documents in case you get robbed.
When you stay at a hotel and the hotel has a safe then keep your passport and Tarjeta de
Embarque there. If there is no safe and you can lock your sutecases well then keep your documents
well hidden in there.
Do not loose the form ( tarjeta de embarque which you filled in at arrival, without it you won't be able to
leave the country. In case you loose it you can apply for a new one at the
immigration office in Lima. The cost of a new one
is about $2 - $5, so that's not much.
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| Vaccinations |
It's really recommended to get vaccinations against Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A and B, TBC, Cholera,
Tetanus, Diptheria, Typhoid, Rabies. For some vaccinations you have to return several times to
complete the process, so if you are thinking about getting them, do it well planned before your
trip. There are a great number of street dogs everywhere you go in Peru and some can be very
agressive and might even bite you, so i'd strongly advice you to get a Rabies shot.
When you get your vaccins ask for a vaccination/medicine passport also.
You don't need malaria pills when you go to the highlands and to any of the costal regeons. also
if you are going somewhere check at what altitude the location is because there are no mosquitos
1500 meters above sea level. When you go to the Amazones then you need to think about getting
malaria pills, again, check at what altitude you will be at. When you take malaria pills you have
to start taking them some time before you take your trip, so plan that very well also. You can get
malaria pills in Peru also, and they are much cheaper there.
You can find more info at:
http://www.travelhealthclinic.nl/
http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/samerica/peru.html
http://www.lcr.nl/Landen/PE001.htm
http://www.minbuza.nl/
http://www.travelclinic.com/index.cfm/menuid/551/Hoofdcat/47/SubCat/0/Meta/1/Country/256
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| Luggage: |
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ACCOMPANIED
AND UNACCOMPANIED BAGGAGE
LIST OF BAGGAGE
EXEMPTED FROM PAYMENT OF DUTIES
a) Clothing items that are obviously for use by the traveler.
b) Toiletry articles attributable to the traveler.
c) Objects for personal use and adornment.
d) One portable electric hair dryer or brush.
e) One electric shaver.
f) One photographic camera and up to five (05) rolls of film.
g) One film or video-cassette camera, providing it is not for professional use, and up to five (05) rolls or cassettes of film.
h) Phonographic records, magnetic tapes, compact discs or cassettes, up to a total maximum of ten (10) units.
i) Five (5) cassettes for videorecorder.
j) One portable electronic calculator.
k) Medication for personal use.
l) Books, magazines and documents in general.
m) Up to twenty (20) packets of cigarettes or fifty (50) cigars or 250 grams of shredded or threaded tobacco for smoking.
n) Up to three (3) liters of liquor.
ñ) Up to THREE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US$ 300.00) worth in miscellaneous articles for use or consumption by the traveler, or for gifts that by their quantity, nature and variety are presumed not destined for commercial use and providing the value per article does not exceed ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US$$100.00).
o) One portable mechanical, electric or electronic typewriter.
p) One portable wind or string musical instrument.
q) One radio receiver, or one radiorecorder or one recorder, or one cassette player, or one tape player or record/disc player (conventional or compact disc), or one stereo system containing these items, providing it is PORTABLE with its own source of power (CC or CC-CA).
r) Suitcases, bags and other vessels of common use containing the objects that constitute the traveler's baggage.
s) The objects declared as baggage at the time of exit from the country and that are included in a TEMPORARY EXIT DECLARATION.
t) One live domestic animal as mascot; providing the corresponding sanitation regulations are met and that it arrives as accompanied baggage.
u) One personal, portable computer, with its own power source, providing it arrives as accompanied baggage, as stipulated by SUPREME DECREE N° 027 - 2001 - EF !New!
In the case of travelers who are sick or have impediments, also included as baggage will be those auxiliary means and equipment necessary for their mobilization (wheelchairs, stretchers, crutches and others).
The entry of items detailed in articles m) and n) above will not be permitted to minors under the age of 18.
ACCOMPANIED BAGGAGE
OBJECTIVE
Simplify and
facilitate the checking and control of new or used articles that the
traveler carries with him, providing they are obviously for use and
consumption according to the purpose and duration of the visit and providing
that by their quantity they are presumed to not be for commercial use.
REQUIREMENTS
a) Accompanied Baggage Sworn Declaration duly signed (whether or not baggage is exempt from duties).
b) Passport or official document issued by the pertinent institution.
Note: Travelers who carry with them animals, plants, and any byproducts of these, are under obligation to present the corresponding sanitary certificates of origin, and submit the items to customs and health authorities on arrival in the country.
STAGES
OF PROCEDURE
- The transport company is to provide
the traveler, on his return to the country, a Baggage Declaration form,
which must be completed.
- When the traveler arrives at the
airport, the first step is to pass through the General Immigration Office
for the passport verification process, following which baggage can be
claimed from the baggage ramp in the International Arrivals Hall to be
submitted to the Customs Control process.
- The traveler carrying articles
included in the List of Duty Exempt Baggage must only fill in his personal
data and sign the Baggage Declaration which must be presented to the
Customs officer.
- When a traveler carries goods to be
declared, he must also fill in and sign the Baggage Declaration form for
the article or articles that do not exceed a value of US$1000.00 per trip
or a total of US$3000.00 per calendar year. Likewise, if baggage includes
electric or electronic items, tools, spare parts and equipment proper to
the traveler's profession, job or activity, there can be no more than one
(1) item per tipe of article. The traveler must present the Baggage
Declaration to the evaluation officer to determine the minimum referential
value of the articles on which only one chargeof 20% on CIF value will be
applied, to be paid at the bank office in the International Arrivals
Hall.
- When the articles that form part
of the baggage exceed the value of US$1000.00, they will be subject to the
full tariff duty that corresponds to them. Likewise, if the articles are
not considered baggage or household goods or by their quantity are
presumed to be for commercial use and are not declared as freight, they
will be subject to the payment of a fine of 30%
of C.I.F. value and will be cleared through Customs through the normal
import procedure.
- The traveler is to be identified by
passport to the Customs Officer and will present his duly completed
Baggage Declaration.
- All travelers must present
themselves to the Green-Red Double Circuit Baggage Control System by
pressing the automatic button, and the result will determine if the
baggage will be subject or not to inspection.
- If the green light flashes,
whatever the traveler has stated in the Baggage Declaration will be
accepted and the baggage may be retrieved without inspection.
- If the red light flashes, this
indicates that the baggage has been selected at random for inspection. If
there is no discrepancy between the contents of the baggage and that
stated in the Baggage Declaration, the baggage may be retrieved for entry
into the country.
- If on random inspection a
discrepancy is found between the customs declaration and the contents of
the baggage, the baggage will be issued an administrative impoundment; if
the value of the merchandise subject to the fine is valued at more than 4
tax units (2001 Value of Tax Unit - S/.3000) the district attorney in
charge of Customs Judicial Matters will be notified to initiate legal
action for the charge of Contraband/Smuggling. S
UNACCOMPANIED BAGGAGE
OBJECTIVE
Authorize the
clearance of unaccompanied baggage proceeding from a country of origin or
countries the traveler has visited, providing that the passport or offical
document shows proof that the baggage within the term of one month prior to
or up to four (4) months after the arrival of the traveler.
REQUIREMENTS
a) Simplified Declaration.
b) Bill of Lading, Airway Bill, or Postal Notice, dependidng on the means of transport used.
c) Passport or official document issued by the pertinent authority (to be presented only as verification).
d) Other documents that the nature of the operation may requires.
Note: Travelers
carrying with them live animals, plants, or their subproducts and
byproducts, must present the required sanitation certificates or origin to
the customs and health authorities on arrival in the country.
STAGES
OF PROCEDURE
To retrieve
unaccompanied baggage from the Customs Clearance Intendency, the traveler
must first complete a Simplified Declaration form, attaching documentation as
indicated in subclause b), endorsed by the transport company, as well as
passport and the cancelled payment of the Rate for Simmplified Customs
Clearance process (US$2.77). Upon presentation of the complete documentation,
a number will be assigned to the process and a specialist for the physical
inspection and the assessment of duties payable. Once the duties are paid at
the bank, the unaccompanied baggage may be retried from the Customs
Warehouse.
RETAINED BAGGAGE
When the traveller
cannot pay the payable duties for the declared articles, a Retaining Receipt
is issued and a period of 10 days is given in which to pay the duties and
retrieve the articles.
Within the 10-day
period, the traveler will present the Simplifed Declaration form to the
Custosm Clearance Intendency with a copy of the Retainng Receipt, passport
and copy, for the numbering of the file and assessment of duties to be paid;
once payment is made at the bank, the baggage may be retried from the
warehouse.
REQUIREMENTS
a) Simplified Declaration
b) Copy of Retaining Receipt
c) Passport
STAGES
OF PROCEDURE
- The documents set out under
Requirements are presented and a number is given to the Simplified
Declaration.
- A Customs Specialist is assigned to
carry out the physical inspection of the baggage retained in the Customs
warehouse.
- The traveler receives the
assessment for duties payable and pays the duties at the Bank.
- The traveler retrieves the goods
from the Customs Warehouse on presenting the processed Declaration and the
receipt of the Banking Transaction issued by the Bank.
CONSIGNED BAGGAGE
The transport company
hands over to Customs, with a corresponding Consignment Receipt, the baggage
that has not been claimed by the passenger, and grants a period of 10 days
from the date of notification to retrieve the baggage.
To retrieve the
consigned baggage, the traveler presents to the Customs Clearance Intendency
a completed Simplified Declaration form, attaching a copy of the Consignment
Receipt and passport. On presentation of these documents, the baggage will
be inspected; if the baggage is exempt from duties, the retrieval will be
processed immediately.
REQUIREMENTS
a) Simplified Declaration.
b) Copy of the Consignment Receipt.
c) Passport.
STAGES
OF PROCEDURE
- A Simplified Declaration form is
presented to the Customs Clearance Intendency with the required
documents.
- A specialist is assigned to carry
out the physical inspection:
- If the baggage is exempt from
tariff duties, only payment for storage will have to be made.
- If the baggage is subject to tariff
duties, the tariff duties assessment must be paid before the consigned
baggage may be retrieved from the Customs Warehouse.
LEGAL
BASIS
General Customs Law
- D.S. N° 121-96-EF of 24.DEC.96
Regulations of the General Customs Law.
- D.S. N° 059-95-EF of 04.APR.95
Regulations on Baggage and Household Goods.
- R. S. N° 000002 of 09.JAN.99
Instructions on Minimum Reference Values and their Rules of Application.
source: DESTINO ADUANERO ESPECIAL :EQUIPAJE ACOMPAÑADO Y NO ACOMPAÑADO
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| Money |
The peruvian currency is called Nuevo Soles ( S/. ), the coins are 5, 10 , 20 and 50
cents and 1, 2, and 5 soles, the bills they use are 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 , but you can
pay with Dollars and Euros almost everywhere. Money you can change into other currency
at almost any street corner. If you see a 'cambista' try to find a policeman nearby and
ask if the person is relyable ( at the center of Lima there are a lot of fake 'cambistas',
so beware there, i'd advice you not to change your money there unless you know they are
100% okay ) to change your money into Soles or other currency. Check if they have an
identification card which are given by the local city hall. Always check the money you
receive to see if it's real money and not fake money. The most easy and fast way to check
is to grab both ends of the bill and give it a little pull, if the bill breaks in half,
it's forged money. You can also check the little print on the Soles bills, if they are
unreadable they are forged also.
Tourists are often used to get rid of fake money because most don't know how to see which
are real bills or not.
If you are in Miraflores ( El Ovalo, Larco(Mar)) or San Isidro then you can be pretty sure
that the 'cambistas' are 100% okay, many can be found near banks also.
Only accept bills without any damage, if you have a damaged Dollar or Euro or Soles bill
then they won't accept it. It's really funny because most of the Soles bills look like old
used up paper. This is even more important outside of Lima, because if you have a damaged
bill and you try to pay, they won't accept it at all, doesn't matter how high you try to jump.
You should ask at what rate they change the money. If you are able to check a newspaper's
front page somewhere then you can see the exchange rate on the newspapers, some try to change
the money with a lower/higher exchange rate ( depends on if you change into Soles or into Dollars or
Euros ). Banks and Casas de Cambio change money at lower rates than when you change it 'on the street'.
When 'cambistas' give you the money ALWAYS count it, because most of the times they try to
scam you with giving not the total amount of money you should get. They try to confuse the
tourists with like giving a S/. 2.00 coin instead of S/. 5, because they look a lot alike.
Wherever you go and pay, ALWAYS check the money, ALWAYS, the bills and the coins, because
there is an awful lot of fake money going around.
Check your money also when you get change after taking taxi or any other kind of transportation.
When you arrive at your destination you just want to pay, get your change and you want to get out
of the car and because of that sometimes forged money can be given to you because they take
andvantage of you wanting to just get out of the car. During the night they sometimes take advantage
of the dark also because it's hard to see the coins/bill so it's easy to get forged money, so always
check.
If you want to be totally sure about having real money then you better change the money at
a bank, but like i said before they change the money with lower rates.
Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, American Express are accepted and usable all over Peru. Travelers
cheques can be changed at banks and casas de cambio. Banks and casas de cambio charge a commision
for cashing the cheques, you could ask before cashing what they charge for it.
Money can also be wired to Peru by Western Union, there are several offices, one you can find
in Av. Larco (near Marriot Hotel), Miraflores.
Banks / Money Machines:
If you own a Visa or Mastercard then you can get money from any ATM.
Owners of a Europas or other cards with Maestro or Cirrus are at the moment only
able to cash money from the following ATMs/Banks:
»UNICARD ATMs ( you can find UNICARD ATMS everywhere )
»Interbank
»Banco Wiese
If you want to find an ATM nearby then you could look for one at : MasterCard ATM Locator
A good thing is when you are in a neighbourhood where you feel a little uncomfortable and policeman is
nearby ask him to come with you when you want to cash money, it'll be safe then to cash some money. Most
ATM machines have some sort of security near by anyways.
To give you an idea what the Soles money bills look like there is a list below:
* click on one of the bills to enlarge them *
Below you can see what the Soles coins look like:
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| Telephone numbers: |
- Police: 105
- Fire Department: 116
- Ambulance: 117, 4400200, 3727272
- Other medical related telephone numbers:
- Alerta Médica ( Medical Emergency ): 225-4040
- Clave 5 ( Key 5 ): 467-5171
- Cruz Roja ( Red Cross ): 265-8783
- Cruz Verde ( Green Cross): 372-6025
- Plan Vital ( Plan Vital ): 241-1911
- Servimedic: 332-6720
- Clave Médica ( Key Medical ): 437-7071
- SAMU ( Sistema de Atención Médica Urgente ) ( Peruvian 911 ) : 117
- Service Proteccion Al Tourista (Tourists Protection Service): 080042579, 421-1227
- For telephone numbers inside Peru: 108
- Make a call with an operator: 108
- Call collect to The Netherlands: 080050940
- Mci: 190
- Sprint: 176
- AT&T: 191
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| Electricity: |
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Peru uses 220 volt electricity and the American socket. So depending from which
country you are you need or an adaptor and/or a plug converter. Countries which
use 240 volt can use the electricity without an adaptor. Many hotels have universal
sockets but it would be wise to get a plug adaptor anyways because plugs which
are 'earthed' do not fit in the universal sockets.
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| Peru and it's climates: |
Peru is located in the tropics near the equator, Peru's weather is not what you'd expect.
On Earth you can find a total of 32 kinds of climate and Peru has 28 of them. On a trip
through Peru you might find hot deserts, dry forests, humid savannas, plain rainforests,
cold plateaus, cool steppes and icy mountains. So it's hard to figure out what kind of
clothes you need to bring with you.
Generally speaking, the climate varies from region to region in Peru:
The Coast:
Humidity in these areas produces a sensation of cold, although temperatures rarely dip
below 12°C. During the summer, meanwhile, the sun beats down and temperatures often top
30°C. The central and southern sections of the coast feature two well-defined seasons:
winter from April to October, and summer from November to March. The north coast,
meanwhile, is not touched by the effects of the cold current, which means it enjoys 300
days of sunshine a year and warm temperatures all year-long (as much as 35°C in the
summer). The rain season runs from November to March.
Be very careful when staying in the sun, the sun in Peru is very strong and you could get
sunburn in notime!
The Highlands:
In the Peruvian highlands, there are two well-defined seasons: the dry season (from April
to October), marked by sunny days, cold nights and the lack of rain (the ideal time for
visiting); and the rainy season (November to March), when there are frequent rain showers
(generally more than 1000 mm). A characteristic of the mountain region is the drop in
temperature during the day: temperatures commonly range around 24°C at midday before
plunging to -3°C at night.
The Jungle:
The vast Peruvian jungle, which surrounds the wide and winding Amazon river, is divided
into two differentiated areas: the cloud forest (above 700 masl), which features a
subtropical, balmy climate, with heavy rain showers (around 3000 mm a year) between
November and March, and sunny days from April to October; and the lowland jungle
(below 700 meters above sea level), where the dry season runs from April to October and
is ideal for tourism, with sunshine and high temperatures often topping 35°C.
During this season, the river levels dip and roads are easy to drive. The rainy season,
meanwhile, which runs from November to March, features frequent rain showers (at least
once a day) which can damage roads in the area.
The jungle features high humidity all year long. In the southern jungle, there are
sometimes cold spells known locally as friajes or surazos, cold fronts which drift up
from the far south of the continent between May and August, where temperatures can drop
to 8-12°C.
For actual weather reports check Weather.
It's really funny when you are in Lima, you can actually notice different climates there
also. If you go from one part to another you can pass thru hot/sunny, clouded, humid and
then again very hot and sunny weather. If you live in Lima it's hard to know what to wear
when you go somewhere.
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| Taxi |
As a tourists a taxi driver only sees $$$$. When you arrive at the airport and you want to go
for instance to Miraflores then they will try to charge you $25 or even more, when you can do
the same trip for 7-8 soles (that's like $2 - $2,5. The taxis at the airport will always charge
you redicilous prices. They will yell things like "taxi seguro" and things like that but that
doesn't mean anything.
For example once i arrived at the airport and had to get a cab, the taxi driver was asking $25
for the trip, while the normal price should be 13 soles (15 max), he gave me a good laugh at
least when i arrived.
If you want to know how much the prices i mention in soles are in your currency then you could
take a look at: Currency Coverter.
Leave the airport to the right side of the parking place and go to the
avenue where there is a bridge for people that goes over the avenue. There is a lot of Police
there so it's very secure. Get a taxi there and you can safe a lot of money. Remember, going
to Miraflores shouldn't cost you more than 8 soles, same goes for the center of Lima, and this
is a high price already. When you stop a cab you always have to ping down the prices, they will
always ask you for way more than needed. A trip with a few blocks should cost you 2 soles max.
A distance from like El Ovalo in Miraflores to let's say Cuadra 15 of av. Arequipa should be
about 5 soles and not more. Anywhere near the center of Lima to center of lima 3 soles max.
Going from the store called Metro in the district Breña (corner of av. Venezuela/Alfonso Guarte)
and you wan to go to the center of Lima you should pay like 3 soles (4 soles max), to Miraflores
you should be paying like 7 soles. No need to go to that Metro store anymore though, because
they've build one in the center of lima also.
Always agree on a price before you get into a taxi and not while driving or when you arrived
at the destination. Some taxi drivers tend to change their price after you arrived at the
destination, just let them talk, give them the money you agreed on and just leave the cab.
Check the Warnings for more about taking a taxi.
|
| Hotels |
There are many VERY pretty and expensive hotels in Lima (San Isidrio, Miraflores) and if you
want to spend a whole lot of money on a hotel room, well go ahead. You could be saving a lot
of money though, because there are also VERY good hotels for 25-45 soles per night (doesn't
matter if you are with 1, 2 or more persons). When you don't want to waste your money on
expensive hotels and choose to go to a cheaper one like i said before then check if they have
warm water and if you want, cable. It's a good idea to check a room before you take one, check
the bed sheets, and under the bed, to see if everything is clean and previous 'guests' did not
leave anything behind on the sheets or under the bed which you rather not want to see.
Do not pay any attention to how many stars a hotel has, this means nothing because they put as
many stars as they want to have.
There is a good hotel in av. Arequipa cuadra 14 ( Hotel C ) for example, costs 25-40 soles, and
you are located in a very safe area and very near to Miraflores and San Isidro.
You can also get cheaper hotels, some are good, but if you go lower than 20 soles it's better
to check first how the room is and if everything is clean, check very well, bed sheets, under
the bed etc. Most of the time those hotels which are lower than 20 soles are used by
prostitutes and their clients or for one night stands (or just an hour) so you you can expect
a lot of noise all day and all night long. Cheap hotels most of the time have lousy beds,
are old buildings, shared bathrooms, cold water, etc. Most of the cheap hotels you can find
in the center of Lima and other neighbourhoods which you'd prefer to avoid, check Places
to avoid.
If you are going to Lima with your family, i kinda should inform you that 24 hours a day you
could hear 'noises' made by 'happy couples'. If you want to avoid this you better take a more
expensive hotel or go to a private hotel where ppl rent rooms for tourists, there u will be free
from any 'happy couple' generated noise.
If you want to know how much the prices i mention in soles are in your currency then you could
take a look at: Currency Coverter.
Always put away your stuff when you leave your room and lock your suitcases, so no one can
steal anything from you, like the cleaning personel for instance.
|
| Calling inside Peru: |
La Telefonica and Bellsouth are the main telephone companies in Peru. You can find a public
phone at any corner really and there are a lot of stores who have a public telephone also.
National and International calls can be done with calling cards or with coins, S/. 0.10, S/. 0.20, S/. 050,
S/. 1.00. When you call local you have to put in S/. 0.50 cents first, this will
allow you to call for 3 mintues, after that you can use a S/. 0.10 cent coin for each more minute
you want to call.
If you call interlocal then the call with cost you S/. 1.00 minumum, local calls are cheaper.
International calls cost you at least S/. 3.50 per minute.
Bellsouth public phone prices are a little higher though.
|
| To call outside of Peru: |
When you are in Peru i strongly advice you to not call with a mobile inside or outside
of Peru, because this will cost you a fortune, read : Mobile Calling.
You can Call Collect to The Netherlands, but that's expensive also and
even more expensive when you call collect from a public phone, La Telefonica and Bellsouth.
Calling by normal
telephone to The Netherlands or any other country is VERY expensive also. International calls cost you at least S/. 3.50 per minute.
The best way to call to outside of Peru is by internet. There are Internet Cafes ( well
you can't call them cafes because you can't get any coffee, hehe ) where you can call to
foreign countries so very cheap. I always use an Internet Cafe in Av. Arequipa and it
costs me 50 cents ( soles ) per minute to call to The Netherlands. The only problem with
calling by internet is the echo all the time and an irritating delay.
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| Mobile phones: |
|
To be able to call in Peru you need a triple band (GSM 900/1800/1900) cell phone or a cell phone which
works with GSM 1900. You should check your provider ( roaming ) for prices though, because calling or
getting called to your cell phone while beeing in Peru will cost you a fortune, same for SMS messages.
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| Medicine: |
You can go to any 'Farmacia' or 'Botica' when you are in need of medicine in Peru
and the medicine is pretty cheap. A doctor's prescription is not needed. Go to a
good Farmacia and Botica though, because some smaller ones sell fake medicine. Some
of the good 'Farmacias' ( Inkafarma, Farmacia Deza, Botica TL ) have a doctor also
and if you want to they can examine you to find out what you got exactly or they'll
ask what symptoms you have and give you medicine based on that. If you got a good
travel insurance the medicine will me compensated by your insurance company when
you get back in your own country.
When you are suffering from diarrea or a stomach infection because of the water or
wrong food i'd advice you to drink a tea made out of 'Payco', this tea helps
excellent against stomach infections and diarrea!
In case you are suffering from altitude sickness and alternative to medicine is
drinking a tea made out of coca leafs, or putting a coca leaf under your tongue.
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| Altitude sickness: |
When you plan to go to the Andes or other places which are located above 2000 meters
sea level i strongly advice you to read the text below, for sure when you thinking
about going to Huaraz (3100m above sea level) and maybe climb the Pasto Ruri ( 5240m
above sea level) there or when you are plannding to go to Huancayo ( 3244 m above sea
level). When you go by bus to Huancayo you will pass by La Oroya ( a city that is
build for the mine workers ) which is located at an altitude of 4700m above sea level.
I've seen many people starting to get sich during the trip, peruvian and foreign
tourists, because of the change of altitude and they were starting to show little
signs of altitude sickness ( Soroche ).
What is altitude sickness?
Altitude sickness is the name given to the physiological and symptomatic reactions
of the human body to the low oxygen pressure ('thinner' air) that occurs at high
altitude. It is also known as acute mountain sickness.
Altitude sickness can be fatal: in Nepal there are at least seven altitude-related
deaths each year.
Where do you get altitude sickness?
About 20 per cent of people experience mild symptoms at altitudes between 2200 and
2500m above sea level. Many ski resorts are found at these altitudes. The incidence
of altitude sickness, which varies from one individual to another, is directly related
to the rate of ascent. It is also significantly related to how long a person stays at
that height.
The risk of getting altitude sickness in areas such as Nepal and the Andes mountains,
where tourist regions can be as high as 3000-4000m, is very real. Each year, out of
50,000 travellers to Nepal, there are at least seven altitude-related deaths. The
death rate is about 4 per cent for trips to peaks above 7000m.
How do you get altitude sickness?
When oxygen pressure falls, the body puts in place a number of counter measures.
Breathing and pulse rates increase, as does the heart's pumping efficiency, and the
size and number of red blood cells, which are responsible for the blood's oxygen
carrying capacity.
However, the shortage of oxygen also has a number of unwanted consequences: increased
pressure in the pulmonary (lung) circulation, changes in blood pH (acidity) values,
disturbances in the fluid/electrolyte (salt) balance, as well as the leakage and spread
of blood or fluid into surrounding vessels and tissues (fluid extravasation or oedema).
Altitude sickness can occur by travelling relatively quickly to a greater height and
staying at the new height for more than 24 hours, without adequate acclimatisation
beforehand. Altitude sickness is not dependent on a person's fitness and can affect
even the most experienced athletes.
How can altitude sickness be prevented?
» By taking a graded ascent. Climb relatively slowly to higher levels, and allow adequate
periods of acclimatisation (two to three days) at a given height (starting from 2200m)
before spending a night at a greater height.
It's fine to climb up during the day, but you should try to get down to 2200m (or the
height you are currently acclimatised to) in the course of the same day. Then you can
move up, depending on your individual tolerance, by 300 to 500m, until you rest and get
acclimatised again for at least a couple of days, and so on.
» If you feel ill at a particular height, come down to your previously acclimatised height.
» Drink plenty of liquids (at least three litres a day). Avoid drinking alcohol.
» Avoid getting cold.
Danger signals for altitude sickness:
Danger signals usually develop in the first 36 hours. They affect more than 50 per cent of travellers
above 3500m and almost 100 per cent of people who climb quickly to 5000m without acclimatising.
» An insignificant headache that disappears with one to two ordinary headache tablets.
» Nausea and general malaise.
» Slight dizziness.
» Some difficulty sleeping.
With these symptoms at heights below 3000m, you can usually allow yourself to stay on and to rest for a
couple of days before further permanent ascents. At heights around 3500m, you should try moving down 300
to 500m and stay there for two days before further permanent ascents.
Serious symptoms of altitude sickness:
» A severe, enduring headache, which is not cured by a couple of ordinary painkillers.
» Marked nausea and repeated vomiting.
» Irritating dizziness or actual difficulty with balance and direction.
» Regular visual disturbances with flickering vision and problems judging distance.
» Pressure in the chest, rapid breathing and pulse rate, crackles in breathing and shortness of breath.
» Swelling beneath the skin (oedema), typically around the eyes and in some cases swollen ankles and hands.
» Confusion.
» Convulsions.
In the presence of these symptoms, medical attention must be sought immediately, and the patient brought
down to the lowest possible height.
Acute mountain sickness:
Acute mountain sickness is the name given to two life-threatening complications of acute altitude sickness.
Both have a high mortality rate and may occur when you have already spent 24 to 36 hours at 'too great' a
height (typically over 3500m). These are:
» HAPE - high altitude pulmonary oedema (water in the lungs).
» HACE - high altitude cerebral oedema (fluid on the brain).
High altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE):
The symptoms of HAPE are predominantly severe and include increasing difficulty breathing, dry cough,
pressure in the chest, palpitations and fatigue. A bubbling noise may be heard during breathing (oedema
in the lungs). The lips, outer edges of the ears and nails may look blue (cyanosed) due to a shortage of oxygen.
» The patient should be transported to the lowest possible altitude as soon as possible.
» If possible, oxygen should be given by nasal catheter, or if an oxygen mask and bottle are available as CPAP
(continuous positive airways pressure), or better still, hyperbaric treatment (Gamow-bag).
» A calcium antagonist (nifedipine capsules 10-20mg [quick-acting] should be given - this must not be repeated,
but followed by slower acting nifedipine tablets 20mg every six hours).
» Dexamethasone injection (into a vein or a muscle) should be given.
» The victim should be transported sitting on a stretcher or something similar.
High altitude cerebral oedema (HACE):
The symptoms of HACE are essentially very severe headache, visual disturbances, light shunning, irritability,
vomiting, vagueness and confusion, possible unconsciousness and convulsions.
» The patient should be transported to the lowest possible altitude as soon as possible.
» Oxygen (CPAP) or better still, hyperbaric treatment (Gamow-bag) should be given.
» Dexamethasone injection (into a vein or a muscle) should be given.
» Convulsions may be treated with a benzodiazepine - eg diazepam.
Transportation should be in the natal position (strapped lateral) to avoid vomit getting into the lungs.
Who should never be exposed to high altitude?
» People with chronic diseases of the heart/lungs (eg angina pectoris or chronic bronchitis, emphysema and
some people with severe asthma).
» People with anaemia, including sickle-cell anaemia (low haemoglobin content in the blood).
» People with untreated blood clotting disorders and a history of thromboses (clots).
» People who have previously developed HAPE or HACE.
Who should be careful at high altitude?
» People with successfully treated heart/lung diseases (eg emphysema, asthma).
» Pregnant women.
» Children.
» People with severe diabetes.
» People with high blood pressure.
» People with a tendency to sleep apnoea.
» People who have previously developed HAPE or HACE.
Other problems to consider are the prevention of sunburn, snowblindness, cold, frostbite and sunburn.
When you are experiencing symtoms go to a 'Farmacy' or 'Botica', they most ( in touristic cities
at high altitude, like Huaraz, they are used to tourists having altitude sickness so it's no
problem to get something against it there ) of the time have something that helps against altitude
sickness. Sometimes it helps also to drink a 'mate de coca' which is a tea made out of coca leafs.
You can also get coca leafs and put one under your tongue, that helps also.
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| Staying healthy, Water! |
In peru it's NOT possible to drink tap water, if you do you could get hepatitis, colera,
diarrea or other deseases (we don't have the antibodies to resist the bacterias which
are in the water). The only way to drink the water is to boil it first, do the
same with water for brushing your teeth. Even the slightest drop from the wrong glass
of bad water can make you sick for weeks. If you want to drink water you can can buy
bottles at any store really, you could use the water also for brushing your teeth.
When you go somewhere to eat and you want to have something which include vegetables then
ask if the vegetables are washed with boiled water and not with 'agua crudo', water that
isn't boiled before.
Everywhere people sell icecreams and all kinds of fresh fruits in the streets. Take my
advice and don't buy them, the icecreams are done with unboiled water ( and no, even
frozen water isn't clean ) and the fresh fruits are washed with unboiled water.
When you get something to drink, don't get ice in your drink ( sin hielo ). Icecubes
are made out of unboiled water, so it could infect you with something.
Most people go to Peru for a couple of weeks and therefor i strongly advice you to keep
this in mind, because you don't want to ruin half of your vacation time (or more) beeing
totally sick because of taking the risk with using bad water. When you stay for months
or longer you'll get used to the water, after getting very sick several times, you can
brush your teeth with tap water and eat vegatables with unboiled water also etc. But even
after years the water can make you VERY sick. What i am going to say now maybe sounds a
little strange but if you are going to stay in Peru for a long time, months or longer,
it's best to take the risk of drinking just a little water from the tap. You will get
sick anyways in the near future, that i can assure you 100%, and it's better to start
building up antibodies as fast as possible. So better to face the inevitable rather
sooner than later.
If you get diarrea or some other stomach infection because of the food or water, you can
get quite good medicine at the Farmacias and Boticas but what helped me very well, maybe
even better is a tea made out of Payco.
Please check also Staying healty, Food!
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| Staying healthy, Food! |
Before you read further i strongly advice you first to read
Staying healty, Water!.
If you are going to Peru i strongly advice you not to eat anything that's sold by
street venders. The chance of you eating food that's bad is very high and you will
get very sick from it.
If you want to taste some typical delicous Peruvian 'snacks' then you should go to
the little square near Plaza de Armas, behind the goverment palace. Stand in front
of the Goverment Palace and enter the street to the left of the palace, after that
block go to the left and there is the square. At this square you can eat the things
they offer. These food stands ( typical Peruvian things ) are provided by the City
Hall of Lima and it's ment for tourists. The food is clean here and u can get some
delicious things for less than 2 soles. When you are at the square i would strongly
suggest to breathe tru your mouth, because if the wind comes from the wrong way you
will smell the river ( Rio Rimac ) and it smells horrible.
If you are packed with backpacks, cameras, sun glasses, visisble watches etc, then
i strongly advice you not to cross the bridge ( Puente Piedra ) over the river
because you will enter Rimac and this is a VERY dangerous area. Read:
warnings, places to avoid.
There are plenty of restaurants in Peru, expensive ones, cheap ones and all kinds
of fastfood restaurants, it's pretty safe to eat there. If you want to eat in a
restaurant somewhere, look inside how it looks, if it's clean, etc. Expensive
restaurants don't mean that they are better with the food, i've eaten dishes which
cost me 8 soles and that dish was much more delicious at a restaurant where i payed
25 soles for the same thing.
There are several good supermarkets where you can buy food without any problems.
Metro, Santa Isabel, E. Wong and Plaza Vea. Almost every district in Lima has 1 or all
of them, you won't find them in most of the cities/villages outside of Lima though.
All cities in the province have little stores selling the things you need.
When you by something to drink on the streets or at little (local) stores Always
check for the date and if the seal of a bottle's tap hasn't been broken. This goes
for any small store or person who sells on the street, always check the bottle's
tap if it has it's original seal and for the expire date, because some fill coca or
pepsi cola bottles with fake cola or bottles which should have mineral water with tap
water! Some even collect used bottles from the streets, wash them and fill them with
normal water and sell them as mineral water also. I've seen so many news reports about
people selling fake cola which made people very sick, so be warned about this! It
happens also in the districts of Lima like Miraflores and San Isidro so don't think
there are places where you don't have to check for it!
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| Taking photos: |
It's forbidden to take photos of military sights, police stations, control posts, strategic
sights and airports. Besides this you can take photos without any problems. If you want to
take a photo and you are not sure if you can, ask a policeman, security guard or a soldier
nearby. Some people might ask you for some money to get photographed.
You can find rolls for your camera many stores, so no worries if you run out of film. If you
are in the provice where it's very touristic it's not a problem to find the right the roll you
need. Check for prices though and the expire date, some try to get some extra money out of it
because you are a tourist, check several stores, etc, etc.
Don't buy batteries from streed venders, buy them at stores and check if they are not fake
batteries and also check the expire date, like with the photo rolls.
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| Clubs/Discos |
Well, i can tell you many stories about those, but if i have to narrow it down for you. Be
careful at some clubs/discos. Many girls use clubs/discos to find a tourist to get out of
Peru and lot of girls are prostitutes also. Many girls are just out for your money and will
pretend that they like you, want to go to some hotel with you and there u will wake up the
next morning without anything on and you find out that you got totally robbed. It's a very
common trick, they slip something into your drink when you don't see take you to a hotel
where you fall asleep and rob you. This happens every day uncountable times per day, so be
warned. I've heared guys waking up in the middle of nowhere without anything on anymore,
they got totally stripped and dropped somewhere.
I've seen girls rotate so many guys in 1 night it's horrible. They leave with a guy for an
hour, and come back and after notime they leave with another guy again and this goes on the
whole night. Think with your brain because it could cost your life because many prostitutes
in Peru are infected with AIDS and/or have sexual transmitted deseases.
Places where this happens a lot are Tequila Rock a club in Miraflores ( Calle Diez Canseco
146, behind the Municipalidad ) and Calle San Ramon, also known as Pizza Street ( if you
stand in front of the Municipalidad, you go to the right, crossing the park ( Parque Kennedy )
and you see a street there filled with pizza restaurants. There are other clubs/places like
these but i don't know where exactly because i didn't bother to find out.
After a few times i have started to avoid these places because to be honest the way tourists
behave at those places made me feel ashamed to be a foreighner. Something i noticed also is
that a lot of older male tourists can be found at these locations, and judging by their age
and ring on their finger, married ones. I guess they want something they can't get at home or
in their own country.
Sadly enough this happens a lot also in touristic cities in other parts of Peru.
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| Ways to get robbed. |
Somebody spits on your jacket without you noticing it, then another person points at you
and helps you cleaning it off and at the same time they try to pickpocket you.
Somebody taps on your shoulder so you look at the direction you get tapped and from the
opposite side they sneak up on you and try to pickpocket you.
Most of the time everything is done by multiple persons and i've seen people getting robbed
by 8 or more persons. So often that in the middle of the night sitting in a cab comming
back from somewhere i saw people getting stripped naked by robbers.
Check the Warnings for more about getting or beeing
robbed.
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| When you walk on the streets. |
When you walk around on the streets and you are wearing a t-shirt then put your watch away.
You will be an easy target to get your watch stolen otherwise. They come running at you
grab your watch, give it a twist and the watch breaks off and they run away with it.
If you have a backpack, wear it in front on your chest instead of your back. When you still
want to wear it on your back, secure the zippers as much as possible, so no one can sneak
up on you from behind and open the zippers of the backpack without you noticing it.
When you use a purse, hold it tight, because sometimes they come running at you with a sharp
knife or razorblade and they cut the purse so it slips off your shoulder and they run away
with it.
Don't walk with expensive cameras, suitcases, sunglasses, or anything else that could be a
target to rob in any of the dangerous areas. Believe me, i've seen it all, tourists walking
with everything on then and with them, cameras, sunglasses, nice watch, backpack, and
suitecases. Well, u'll get like 5 or more guys running at you who will steal everything you
got. You've been warned. When they rob you, don't resist. Most 'chorros, rateros' are not
working alone like i said before, and if you want to put up a fight be sure to expect several
guys surrounding you.
You can always call for the police, because there is almost always a policeman nearby.
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| Places to avoid! |
Districts: La Victoria, Breña, Rimac, Centro de Lima, further than cuadra 10 de av. Canto
Grande.
Streets/Avenues: Wilson, Abancay, Grau, Tacna.
Areas: Anywhere around Canepa (outside the gates). When you are in the center of Lima, stay
in the main shopping avenue and don't go checking the site roads/alleys. Avoid these alleys/roads
which are connected to the main shopping as much as possible because during the day the "pirañitas"
are hiding there, those are little kids, 4-15 years or older, who walk around sniffing glue in
little bags all day long and don't care about anything. Don't think they are 'just little kids'
because if they want to rob you 10 will pop up out of nowhere and they WILL rob you if they want
to. If you want to put up a fight with them, try it, but beware, they carry all kinds of deseases
and i don't think you want to get in any contact with their blood. I've seen them put up a fight
with some people they had set their mind on robbing, well, believe me, those people who did lost
their fight...
After like 9:00, 9:30pm they come also in the main shopping alley in the center of Lima so be
warned about that also.
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| Warnings for taxis! |
When you take a taxi, check if the taxi is in a good condition, has a SOAT certificate, most
of the time glued to the front window, and if the driver looks relyable. The cheapest
taxis are Ticos, those are the small, cubish formed, cars, and they go in all kinds of
colors, best is to get a white or yellow one though.
If you know Lima a bit and you take a taxi and you notice that the taxi driver takes an odd
route, tell him to take the correct route or ask him what he's doing. There are a lot of taxi
drivers these days who rob (even rape) people who take their taxi. They use an excuse that
they have to go to some gas station and that he needs to buy something. At this point he will
leave the taxi with the window a little open and he will spray some gas/liquid into the car
that make you fall asleep and he will stay away from the car long enough for the gas/liquid
to vaporate and he will take you somewhere to rob or even worse, rape you.
ALWAYS lock the doors of the taxi and close the windows. When taxis need to stop for traffic
or at a stoplight it happens so often some theif comes and puts an arm in the taxi and robs
whatever he's able to rob from you. I've also seen thieves smashing a car's window to steal
everything that's stashed in the trunk/behind the backseat! If you got something with you, a
bag or a box, keep it stashed on the floor of the car so they can't notice it!
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| Warnings for public tranportation ( combis, collectivos, etc. )! |
First when you want to take a combi ( also called 'Piratas' because Combi drivers are notorious for their lack of driving skills ), micros , carro, bus, collectivo or something like that, check like with
taxis if they have a SOAT certificate. When you sit in a bus near to the door, hide
your purse, backpack or whatever. The 'combi', 'micro' or 'carro' stops all the time and it happens a lot that
all of a sudden a guys jumps into the bus and grabs the nearest purse possible. You also need
to take care of your pockets if the bus is really crowded with people because there are a lot
who pickpocket.
If it's late and you want to take a combi and there are no other passengers in the car, then
skip it and wait for another one. It happens sometimes that when you are for example the only
passenger left, they take you to some forgotten place and rob you or even worse, rape you..
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| Warnings for bus trips! |
When you go travel by bus ALWAYS watch your luggage etc. Be really careful with this because
when you fall asleep people take your coat, luggage or whatever else you took with you in
the cabin of the bus and they get off with it. I've seen it so many times that people fell
asleep and at arrival their things were gone. Yups, somebody stole it while the person fell
asleep during the trip and got off somewhere. Don't ignore this warning because it happens
not only to tourists but also to Peruvians, so don't think it's something that happens to
tourists only. If you are with 2 persons you can sleep 'shifts', first one then another so
you always got an eye on your stuff and that's YOUR eye or your travel partner's eye.
Watch who is sitting next to you or who puts luggage next to you or above in the luggage
compartment. Try to keep your things there only because there are people who try to smuggle
cocain or stolen stuff during the trip and they keep it away from where they sit. Neither
allow people to hang or put their clothes where you sit, because the chances are high it's
stolen stuff or it's stuff with drugs in it and then you will end up beeing arrested. Most
of the time these people get off just before checkpoints and take a cab to pass the
checkpoints and get on the bus again at another point, so if their stuff (and you) is still
there they continue their trip with the cocaine or other smuggled/stolen stuff. Some just
go sit in another seat in the bus and if you get caught with it and you point at the person
who owns it the person will just deny and act all innocent and you'll be blamed. The minimim
sentence they give to people who get caught with cocain is 15 years.
Be very careful with this, you've been warned and you wouldn't be the first person
who could be an innotent victim!
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