South America
Rainbow Mountain September 2024
South American Destinations
Our one and only South American destination at the moment - Peru. Check back later for new trips. If only working for a living didn't get in the way!
Peru
10 Days in Peru
Our solo travel expert, Nick, travelled to Peru in September 2024, visiting Lima, Arequipa, Cola Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Rainbow Mountain and of course, Macchu Pichu. Here is his 10-day guide to one of his now favourite countries.
Added January 2026
Plan your trip to Peru
Nick is your expert here, he visited Peru as a solo traveller. Here are some of the most important considerations for a well prepared and safe trip:
Entering the Peru from the UK
UK citizens travelling to Peru on a UK passport for tourism do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in a 180 day period. However, your passport must be valid for six months after your arrival date. If you overstay, you will be fined, and maybe detained.
If your trip includes entering/travelling through the USA at any point, you will need to apply for an ESTA, see here for our USA Essentials.
Arriving at an International Airport - Airport Fees
If you are arriving, or connecting through Lima (Jorge Chávez International) Airport, you will be required to pay a fee, known as a TUUA (Tarifa Unica por Uso de Aeropuerto, or Airport Use Fee). This fee is NOT part of your airline fee and is payable in addition.
It's best to pay in advance via the Portal de Pago TUUA for Lima Airport to avoid delays, or you can pay at the airport.
Arriving by land
MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR PASSPORT STAMPED
If you enter Peru by land from another country, get your passport stamped at the immigration checkpoint. You can't leave Peru without it.
The British Embassy can help you to apply for an entry stamp if for some reason you end up in Peru without it! You should start this process as soon as possible.
See gov.uk for more details.
Health and Security
Foreign and Commonwealth Office guidelines
Keep up-to-date with Foreign and Commonwealth Office Guidelines, travel advice, and current affairs for the area you are visiting.
Be cautious, and be compliant with authority figures. At the time of writing, the FCO advises against all but essential travel to PARTS of Peru, so do your research. If you go to a destination that the FCO advises against, your travel insurance is likely to be invalid.
Stay safe - there are high chances of terrorism and political unrest in parts of the country. Crime is widespread - muggings and theft, fake taxis, kidnappings, sexual assault, and drink spiking are all examples of situations you could end up in if you don't take extra care. Don't go anywhere on your own, especially at night. Stick to pre-booked group tours.
Health and Travel Insurance
Make sure you take out a good worldwide travel insurance policy that covers emergency medical, accident, and legal costs. If you are going to be doing anything adventurous, make sure your insurance covers all your activities.
Make sure that you buy your travel insurance as soon as you have booked, not just before you go, in case you need to cancel your trip. Your insurance should also include delays and missed departures, cutting your trip short, plus baggage delays and loses.
It's also worth looking to see if you can get travel insurance as an annual policy, or through your bank via a paid-for bank account that often offers other perks such as mobile phone insurance and breakdown cover, as this is often cheaper in the long run.
We have had to claim on our travel insurance twice - once when a close family member died while we were abroad, and once when illness prevented travel. Both times, we saved hundreds of pounds in costs. We have an annual policy through our bank account with RBS.
Vaccines
Make sure you are up-to-date with your measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus-polio vaccine.
You would also be sensible to get the following vaccines from your GP in the UK before travelling:
- Hepatitis A
- Tetanus
- Typhoid
Take very special care over your personal, food, and water hygiene.
Driving in Peru
International Driving Permits
You will need a 1968 Permit (there are three different types). An IDP currently costs £5.50 and you will need a physical printed passport photo. IDPs look like they were issued in the 1930s, and are basically is small paper book with your photo glued in. You used to get IDPs from the Post Office, but now you need to go to a shop with a PayPoint. Not all PayPoints offer all services, so check their website.
You will also have to print your driving licence information from .gov.uk. This will show the car hire company whether or not you have any current diving convictions.
Motor Insurance
Your UK motor insurance policy is unlikely to cover driving a hire car in the Peru. Make sure you take out the insurance offered with the hire, and depending on your attitude to risk, you can customise your policy to include such things as Collision Damage Waiver (paying a fee upfront to cover any (very likely) large excess on the policy), or breakdown cover.
Laws and Customs
Drug Laws
Illegal drug use, or trafficking attracts lengthy prison sentences. Don't do anything daft, or allow anyone to talk you into carrying anything.
LGBTQ+
Whilst same-sex relationships are legal, any public display of affection will attract negative interest, or even hostility.
Mobile Phones and Plugs
There aren't many mobile phones these days that DON'T work in the Peru. To avoid extortionate charges, make sure you either purchase an add-on with your current mobile phone provider, which can be quite expensive, or buy an eSIM from a provider such as Airalo.
eSIMS are usually much cheaper than your normal provider's add-on. Bear in mind though, that a lot of add-ons or eSIMS are for data only, calls and texts will cost a lot if not included in your plan. Or in my case, texts just don't come through while you are on an eSIM, which if you are relying on SMS for two-factor authorisation for anything this causes problems. Prepare for this if you can by moving any two-factor authorisation you might need while you are abroad to an authenticator app.
Also, don't forget a travel adaptor for your phone charger. You'll need a type G (UK) to type A/B, and C adapter. Most outlets in Peru are designed to fit both flat (Type A/B) and round (Type C) pins. There's loads on Amazon.
Resources and Tips Based on Personal Experience
Urgent help for British people abroad - https://www.contact.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/home
Getting home after losing your UK passport - https://www.gov.uk/travel-urgently-from-abroad-without-uk-passport
The British Embassy in Lima - https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-peru
Time Zones
There is just the one timezone in Peru - Peru (GMT-5)
Public Holidays and Festivals
There are 16 Public Holidays in Peru:
- New Year's Day (1st January)
- Maundy Thursday
- Good Friday
- Labour day (1st May)
- Flag Day (7th June)
- St Peter & St Paul's Day (29th June)
- Airforce Day (23rd July)
- Independence Day (28th-29th July)
- Battle of Junin (6th August)
- Santa Rosa de Lima (30th August)
- Battle of Angamos (8th October)
- All Saints Day (1st November)
- Immaculate Conception (8th December)
- Battle of Ayacucho (9th December)
- Christmas Day (25th December)
When booking your trip, check these holiday dates first. While hotels, and car hire offices will be open, you may find some restaurants or attractions will be closed.
Other cultural festivals that you might want to consider when booking
- Carnaval (Arequipa/Cajamarca) in Feb/March - Known for water fights and colourful parades.
- Inti Raymi (Cusco) on 24th June - The Inca Festival of the Sun.
- Lord of the Miracles on 18th to 28th October - Massive religious procession.
- Puno Day on November 5th - Colourful dances, parades, and musical performances in the city's main square
Apps to Download
The app of the airline you are flying with - in my experience, the app is always updated with gate numbers and delays before the boards in the lounge. You can also hold your boarding pass in some airline apps (or in your phone's digital wallet).
The app of the hotel(s) you are staying in. You can access the details of your booking easily, and increasingly, you can get a digital room key instead of carrying around a card.
A currency converter app, or if you have an iPhone, the latest ios gives you a currency converter within the calculator app. I have deleted OandA now, and use this instead.
What3Words - for finding precise locations, or giving the emergency services your precise location (within 3 metres)