
Our top 15 Peru travel tips
Whether you're heading there to taste the food, trek the Inca Trail, explore Lake Titicaca, visit the Amazon rainforest, sandboard desert dunes or something else entirely, follow our top 15 Peru travel tips for a safe, seamless and sensational holiday!

by Paul Kelly
19 min read
Overview:
- 1. Try to visit all three major regions
- 2. Visit in April or May for the best weather countrywide
- 3. Time your trip to attend a festival
- 4. Don't miss these three lesser-visited cities
- 5. Look for regional dishes wherever you visit
- 6. Always carry cash and toilet paper
- 7. Be wary of pickpockets and scammers
- Top travel tips for visiting the coastal desert
- 8. Plan your trip with coastal mist in mind
- Top travel tips for visiting the Andes
- 9. Prepare for the high altitude
- 10. Prepare for high UV exposure
- 11. Prepare for the winding roads
- 12. Avoid the wettest months
- Top travel tips for visiting the Amazon
- 13. Prepare for being in a malarial zone
- 14. Prepare for entering a yellow fever zone
- 15. Have a plan to combat the heat and humidity
1. Try to visit all three major regions
A low-lying coastal desert (part of the Atacama Desert). A cold highland (part of Andean mountain range). A hot and humid interior rainforest (part of the Amazon rainforest).
2. Visit in April or May for the best weather countrywide

The coastal desert belt hasn't entered its misty months, so you should still enjoy clear views and gorgeous sunsets. (More on this a little later in the post.) Popular tourist sites like Machu Picchu aren't yet as crowded as they become during the Northern Hemisphere's summer holidays (June to August). The rains in the Andes have mostly stopped but the landscape is still beautifully green and full of flowers. (We discuss this further a little later in the post.) The rains in the Amazon are abating, making it nicer to be on the water and forest trails easier to walk. The heat, humidity and insects in the rainforest are also less intense than they are during the summer.
3. Time your trip to attend a festival
4. Don't miss these three lesser-visited cities

5. Look for regional dishes wherever you visit
6. Always carry cash and toilet paper

7. Be wary of pickpockets and scammers
Credit card fraud. Don't hand over your card to anyone, but instead swipe or tap it yourself. ATM theft. It's far better to go inside of a bank to withdraw money. Or have a companion play watch guard while you draw money. Counterfeit banknotes. Look for the face watermark in the blank area of any banknote you're handed to ensure its real.
Top travel tips for visiting the coastal desert
8. Plan your trip with coastal mist in mind

Enjoy the expansive ocean view from the clifftop Malecón Walkway. Paraglide off the cliffs if the fancy takes you. Surf the waves with a view of the city above. Take a boat ride to the nearby Palomino Islands to observe their enormous seabird and sea lion colonies. Witness a glorious ocean sunset.
Top travel tips for visiting the Andes
9. Prepare for the high altitude

10. Prepare for high UV exposure
Pack and use a quality sunscreen that protects you skin from both UVA and UVB rays. Bring a nourishing lip balm that also offers broad-spectrum UV protection. Cover up when possible, from donning a sunhat with a broad rim to wearing long-sleeved tops when you're going to be outside for a long time. Remember that skin can burn even when there's cloud cover. Pack quality sunglasses that protect your eyes from UV rays. Preferably choose polarised ones to also cut out the glare. Maybe also opt for those with larger, wrap-around lenses like you find in sports sunglasses as this helps to prevent rays and glare sneaking in from the sides while also protecting the sensitive skin around the eyes.
11. Prepare for the winding roads

12. Avoid the wettest months
Top travel tips for visiting the Amazon
13. Prepare for being in a malarial zone

Anti-mosquito spray (a general anti-insect spray is also fine). Long-sleeved shirts, long pants (trousers) and closed shoes.
14. Prepare for entering a yellow fever zone
Pack anti-insect spray. Wear clothes that cover up your skin. Check your accommodation has a mozzie net for the bed.
15. Have a plan to combat the heat and humidity

A fan of some sort, like a foldable hand fan or a little handheld battery-operated fan. A sunhat, quality sunglasses and full-spectrum sunscreen (these will be especially important when you're on a boat and the sun is reflecting off the water). A small umbrella can be an asset too at times. Light-weight, sweat-wicking (or breathable), long-sleeved tops, as you want to protect yourself against the sun while not overheating. Tops with collars to protect the back of your neck are a good idea.