12 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Visiting Peru

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When travelling to another country, there are sometimes a few things that you wish you would have known before going, or a few things that you weren’t expecting.  I did a lot of research before visiting Peru, and here are a few things that I experienced.

1.  Rush hour traffic is BUSY. 

Rush hour starts at around 6pm and goes until about 9pm.  It is SO busy.  On top of being busy, it is craaaaazy.  Traffic laws aren’t followed, and a lot of cars are literally falling apart.  Allow yourself extra time if you are travelling around Lima in the evening.  Book an Uber or with a reputable taxi company too. We went with Taxidatum for our airport transfers, and our day trips to the Sacred Valley from Cusco, and felt very safe.

2.  The toilets on the Inca Trail are squat toilets.

Before visiting Peru, I heard that the toilets on the Inca Trail were dirty.  I wasn’t prepared for squat toilets!!  I didn’t even know how to use them  properly, and luckily the one I used had JUST been cleaned.

3.  Bring toilet paper

You’ve probably already heard this, but just in case: BRING TOILET PAPER.  And hand sanitizer.  There was about a 50% chance that there would be toilet paper in the bathroom.  Oh, and don’t throw the paper in the toilet either.

4.  Learn some Spanish while visiting Peru

It’s always a good idea to learn the local language before travelling ANYwhere.  English isn’t as widely spoken in Peru, so we depended on Google Translate and the words that we had already learned before going.  Learning a few Spanish words before you go helps A LOT.

5.  Cusco is cold at night

In Peru, they don’t have heat in their buildings.  A few places don’t need it (like Paracas and Huachachina), but in Lima and especially Cusco it would get chilly at night.   The windows aren’t insulated, so it gets drafty.  A few places will offer space heaters, but just in case bring really warm clothing to sleep in at night.

6.  It gets dark early

Speaking of nighttime, depending on where you are coming from it also gets dark in Peru a lot earlier than what you may be used to.  We went in May, and it was pitch black by 6pm (when back at home it was pitch black by 9pm in May).   So if you’re planning an outing around sunset for example, then check this advance to see when the sun actually goes down.

7.  There are dogs EVERYWHERE

Stray dogs running around was just as common as seeing people walking around.  The dogs in Peru were friendly, but I wasn’t prepared for how many I would see.  I need to find out how I can save them!

8.  The altitude isn’t something to take lightly 

You never know how you are going to react to the altitude until you actually reach it.  When we hit altitude, everyone had different reactions. I felt weak, nauseous, I started to sweat, and my vision started to darken.  Luckily I was sitting down!  A few people threw up.  Luckily, we were in a bus and they descended again so it only lasted about 20 minutes.

We took Diamox, ate Coco leaves and drank a lot of water throughout the entire trip which helped a lot.  We also took it easy the first day.  One side effect of Diamox is tingly sensations in your hands, feet and face.

9.  Everything Dries Slower

Because of the high altitude, everything seems to dry slower.  Our towels wouldn’t be dry the next day.  And when your apartment get cold at night, the last thing you want to do is dry yourself off with a damp towel!  I brought a Microfibre Towel that dried really quickly (See what else I packed for Peru).

10.  MasterCard Isn’t Very Popular

Cash is your best friend when visiting Peru, and so is a Visa card.  I was surprised by how rare it was for MasterCard to be accepted.

11. The food isn’t as inexpensive as I thought

Before I went to Peru, I thought I had everything budgeted so well.  Well, I was wrong.  What I failed to do was check out a few menus online to see what the average cost of a meal would be, so that I could budget accordingly.  Before I went, I thought I was being generous by reserving  s./40 a day.  I was soooo wrong!  It depends on the restaurant and how fancy it is, but on average it will cost s./15 to s./40 PER MEAL.   Luckily, the portion sizes are very, very generous so I sometimes had left-overs to bring back to the apartment with me.

12.  Get your Inca Trail permits ASAP

We had planned to do the 4 day Inca Trail in May.  However, the permits sold out about 3 weeks after they allowed you to purchase them (booking opens in approx. October).  I personally didn’t mind at all, because I loved my experience on the 2 day, 1 night hike with Alpaca Expeditions.  We got to see Machu Picchu twice (once in the afternoon and again in the morning).   However, if booking the 4 day Inca Trail is a must while visiting Peru then make sure you book early!

Have you been to Peru before?  If so what surprised you the most about visiting Peru?

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