- passport and visa
- climate
- what to bring?
Peru
With a few exceptions visas are not required for tourists entering Peru. Your passport must be valid for at least half a year more when entering the country. You’ll get a tourist stamp in your passport, valid for between 30 and 90 days. Before that you have to fill in a tourist card, the so-called Tarjeta Andina de Migración. This card will also be stamped and you must return it when you leave the country. Be careful not to loose the card, as you’ll have to pay a fine!
Check if your passport and the card indeed have been stamped.
It’s a good idea to make a copy of both documents and carry that with you.
More information:
Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for a complete list of visa requirements per country, or the embassy of your country.
Bolivia
The situation in Bolivia is likely to change every now and then. US citizens should check with the Bolivian embassy.
In general, your passport must be valid for at least half a year more when entering the country. Citizens of most European countries, Canada, Australia and New Zealand get a tourist stamp for 30 days. Also in Bolivia you’ll get a tourist card that you’ll have to return when leaving the country.
More information:
Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the embassy of your country.
Disclaimer:
This information is with reservation. We make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of it and, to the maximum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use. Please check with the embassies of your country for the latest information.
Peru
Peru has two main seasons: dry and wet. But the weather varies a lot, depending on the geographical region. There are three regions: the dry desert on the west coast, the rain forest in the east and in between the Andes that cuts through Peru from north to south.
The dry season runs from April until October. A large part of the coastal desert looks a bit dreary during that period. Lima for example is covered in a dense mist called guarúa, caused by the warm air that rises from the desert and hits the cold air of the Humboldt Current. Luckily other places like Ica and Nazca are almost always sunny. Thirty degrees Celsius (86 F) is not an exception during ‘winter’!
In the highlands it’s also almost always sunny during this period, although there are huge variations in temperature between day and night. Especially in May and June it can be around 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) at night in Cusco, while during the day it can become easily 20 degrees Celsius (68 F) or more. The sun burns at this altitude – like in the desert by the way – very fierce.
In the rain forest it can always rain, also during dry season. The months June till September are relatively dry however, and also during the rest of the year it seldom rains more than a couple of hours in a row.
The opposite happens in the desert: Peru is situated just north of the Atacama Desert in Chile (worlds’ driest desert, where at some places it has never rained since the arrival of the Spaniards) and at some places it almost never rains. So it’s not that strange that the Peruvians visit their beaches during ‘rainy season’ especially while it coincides with summer holiday and because the garúa mist has finally cleared up. Beware of the sun, which is very fierce so close to the equator!
It’s a bit harder to travel in the Andes during rainy season, especially when you leave the paved roads. Landslides can occur and leave roads and sometimes railroads impassable. Normally the weather is better in the morning (that’s why 90% of the flights to and from Cusco are in the morning). It rarely rains all day and weather can change suddenly. Like everywhere in the mountains weather can be really bad: violent thunderstorms, hail and snow do occur sometimes. But a couple of hours later it’s again sunny and hot.
One huge advantage of rainy season: everything gets beautiful green. We actually prefer the landscapes then!
Bolivia
Bolivia also consists of highland and rain forest. The circumstances here are more or less the same as in Peru. There is more variation in temperature though. A good example is Uyuni: in the winter months (from May till September) it can easily reach -20 degrees Celsius (-4 F) at night, but during the day, behind the window-glass of a jeep, it feels hot.
Clothes
What do you need to prepare for when you pack your stuff? Quite simple: for everything. We advise you to take a lot of layers with you: t-shirts, shorts, trousers, shirts with long sleeves, fleece sweaters and a watertight, windproof jacket.
This list is meant to assist you but can be much more extensive. Keep in mind that many of the elsewhere-recommended articles (especially medicines) can be bought fairly easily in the larger cities. About money: there are many ATM’s, especially in the large cities in both Peru and Bolivia. In our opinion it isn’t necessary to bring huge amounts of money or traveller cheques with you.
Important documents
- tickets
- passport (check the validity)
- proof of vaccination yellow fever (required for persons arriving from countries where yellow fever is endemic)
- credit cards (check the validity. VISA and MasterCard are the most accepted, but often you get charged up to 10% of commission)
- cash cards (there are many ATM’s in the larger cities)
- dollars ($ 300 is sufficient, in the airport there already are ATM’s and exchange offices)
- ISIC student card (with the official card you often receive interesting discounts)
- copies (of your passport, tickets, insurance policy, etc.)
Clothes
The weather circumstances in Peru and Bolivia can vary a lot from place to place and in the Andes even from hour to hour. We advice you to bring ‘layers of clothes’ and to expect both intense sun shine and (sometimes) bitter cold nights, and – in the ‘wrong’ season – a lot of rain.
- layer 1: underwear/t-shirts
- layer 2: shirts with long sleeves
- layer 3: fleece sweaters
- layer 4: jacket (watertight and windproof)
- trousers (also shorts)
- underwear, socks
- hiking boots
- sandals
- small towel
- hat/cap
- swimming clothes
- sunglasses
Luggage
Take also a day backpack with you. And remember that it’s handy to be able to lock everything up. Also on the airports: we always seal our luggage.
- padlocks for your luggage
- backpack or trunk
- day backpack
- backpack cover (watertight and lockable)
- plastic bags (for dirty or wet clothes)
General
- money belt (for beneath your clothes)
- dictionaries
- address book (with important addresses, alarm numbers, number of your insurance policy, etc.)
- watertight address labels
- watch (possibly with altimeter and alarm)
- head torch (very handy during hikes or electricity interruptions; you have your hands free)
- batteries
- reading book (just one, afterwards you buy or exchange)
- pen (necessary in borders)
- practical travel guide
Audio & video
- MP3 or iPod
- digital camera
- spare battery
- extra memory cards
- laptop (more and more hotels offer free wireless internet)
- mobile phone (with world coverage and alarm)
Medicines & others
Besides your standard deodorant and toothpaste the following can be handy. Keep in mind that almost everything can be bought fairly easily, especially in the larger cities.
- toilet paper (always somewhere necessary, take it with you in your backpack!)
- sun-block (high factor; possibly after-sun and UV-lipstick)
- disinfection cream (to disinfect your hands without having to use water)
- medicine against travel-sickness
- pain-killers
- ORS (against rehydration, for example when suffering from diarrhoea or high altitude sickness)
- medicines against diarrhoea
- insect repellent
- Betadine liniment (against infection of wounds, in the rainforest)
- compeed (against blisters)
- (tick) tweezers
- (sterilized) gauze, Elastoplast
