(This notice is mainly for tourists departing from the United States. For passengers departing from China, please consult customer service for other details)

Passports and Visas   

Any passport held must be valid for at least six months from the date of return.  

In addition to their passports, U.S. permanent residents must carry a green card in order to re-enter the United States.  

Carry the name, phone number and address of an emergency contact in the United States with you.  

Properly keep travel documents, passports, credit cards, phone cards, traveler's checks, cash, air tickets, etc., make photocopies of them, and store them separately from the originals. It is best to email a copy to yourself so that you can get it quickly when needed.  

Before departure, you should inform the credit card company of your travel destination and date, and confirm your credit limit to ensure that you can use your credit card smoothly during your trip.  

At the last moment before departure, be sure to check again to make sure that all documents are complete.  

Holding a valid U.S. passport to travel to Peru is exempt from entry visa for 183 days, but the passport must retain enough blank pages for stamping when entering and exiting Peru. For the latest details about holding other passports and entering Peru, please check the Peruvian Consulate website:http://www.embassyofperu.org。

Travel consultation

The U.S. Department of State provides citizens with the latest travel information, travel alerts and warnings for every country around the world. Travelers can call 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444 or go online to travel.state.gov

luggage

Baggage regulations are subject to the airline you are flying on and may be adjusted at any time. All costs and responsibilities are borne by the passengers. Passengers should check and confirm on the website of the airline they are flying on before traveling.  

For convenience during the journey, it is recommended to keep your luggage simple and reserve space to store items purchased along the way. During long-distance travel, luggage will be moved multiple times. The luggage should be sturdy and durable, equipped with pulleys and safety locks. It is recommended to use TSA-qualified locks and easily identifiable luggage tags provided by our company (with English name, US address, phone number and group number).  

Valuables and personal medicines should be carried with you and should not be placed in checked luggage.  

You may consider mixing the belongings of couples and family members in separate boxes to avoid inconvenience caused by unexpected situations such as delayed or lost luggage.  

For information about U.S. airport security inspection instructions and TSA-qualified locks, please visit the U.S. Transportation Security Administration website:http://www.tsa.gov

Medical/Insurance/Health

Our company strongly recommends that travelers purchase travel insurance before departure to ensure their own rights and travel with peace of mind.

Being familiar with your own health conditions and your travel destination is crucial for travel. Travelers should consult the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before traveling. They can call 800-232-4636 or go online to check the latest news on vaccines and drugs for travel to Peru. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel。

Four to six weeks before departure, consult your doctor to understand your own situation and confirm that you have been regularly vaccinated against common infectious diseases as a child and whether you need additional injections or vaccines.

Bring your own commonly used medicines such as cold, gastrointestinal, motion sickness, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, vitamins, etc. Personal prescription medicines must be labeled with names for customs inquiries.  

Passengers departing from the United States do not need a quarantine certificate to enter Peru.  

In Peru, besides enjoying the delicious food, tourists may suffer from altitude sickness or altitude sickness, food or mosquito infections, or experience different tropical climate changes, which may affect their interest in traveling. In view of this, you should maintain good health before traveling, exercise more, consult a doctor, and get appropriate vaccinations. Also, pay more attention to your diet during the trip, prepare enough anti-mosquito medicine and spray, and be careful of mosquito bites. This will help you have a pleasant journey.

During the trip, if you have any medical or health problems, please tell the tour guide at any time so that we can assist you as soon as possible.  

climate

Peru is located in the tropics. Due to differences in altitude and seasons, the weather often changes, but it has plenty of sunshine all year round!  

Central and Southern Region (Lima): Two distinct seasons, winter from April to October and summer from November to March.  

Highland Region (Cusco): The weather is dry and mild, with two distinct seasons. The dry season is from April to October, which is the best tourist season, and the rainy season is from November to March. Please note that there is a large temperature difference between day and night.  

To check the local weather conditions in Peru during your trip, please go online before departure.  http://weather.com

Electrical appliances

The voltage in Peru is 220 volts 60 Hz. Travelers are advised to bring their own transformers, universal plugs, hair dryers, razors, etc. for international travel. Some hotels are equipped with 110-volt plugs and transformers.

Bring clothing and belongings

Daytime clothing:It is mainly light, practical, comfortable and breathable. In order to adapt to the local weather that changes with the terrain and time, it is best to wear clothing that is layered and easy to put on and take off. You should carry short-sleeved shirts, shorts, long-sleeved shirts and trousers at the same time.  

Evening clothing:Appropriate attire for a night out in and out of a restaurant, but doesn't have to be formal.  

Shoes that are comfortable and easy to walk on.  

Lightweight coat or jacket.  

Lightweight raincoat or rain gear.  

Swimsuit, swimming trunks, flip flops.  

Sunglasses, sunscreen, sunhat.  

Mosquito repellent or spray.  

Lightweight telescope.  

Simple first aid kit.  

Personal prescription medicines should be placed in the original medicine bottles/bags with name and prescription clearly marked.  

Chargers for mobile phones, cameras, camcorders and various small household appliances.  

Adapters and plugs for international travel.  

Most hotels provide laundry services.  

Arrival airport/customs

Our local representatives or tour guides are legally unable to enter immigration checkpoints, customs or baggage claim areas at international airports. Passengers must go through the immigration checkpoint and customs by themselves. After collecting their luggage, they walk to the arrival hall. Our local representative or tour guide will be waiting in the hall holding a sign saying "Peony Tours".

language

The official language of Peru is Spanish. Quechua is the second official language and is widely spoken in the high mountain areas. English is quite popular in major cities and tourist areas.  

jet lag 

Peruvian time is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and coincides with East Coast Standard Time in the United States (except for U.S. Daylight Saving Time from March to November). When it's 9 AM in Peru, it's the same day in the United States: 

9:00 am Eastern Coast Standard Time

8:00 am Central Standard Time

7:00 am Mountain Standard Time

6:00 am PST

Currency/Credit Card

The currency of Peru is Sol (Sol, S/.) and its currency code is PEN. As of January 2018, the exchange rate between US dollars and Sols was 1.00 USD = 3.20027 PEN (data is for reference only, the exchange rate will fluctuate daily).

There are no special restrictions on the amount of foreign currency or travelers checks you can bring into and out of Peru.  

Hotels and shops in big cities widely accept U.S. dollars, but the prices of goods are likely to rise at any time, and there are a large number of counterfeit U.S. dollar bills circulating in the market. Travelers should pay special attention to this.  

Major credit cards such as Visa and Master Card (American Express is less popular) are mostly accepted in large shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and airports in metropolitan areas. When traveling to rural towns, please bring enough local banknotes and change for convenience. ATMs are only found in big cities, and travelers can withdraw cash using major credit cards such as Visa and Master Card. For safety reasons, it is best to use cash machines attached to banks, which have better security measures, and preferably during the day.  

Passengers can exchange foreign currency at government-authorized locations such as banks and hotels. It is recommended that you only exchange the amount that is sufficient for your trip. Foreign exchange bureaus are more efficient, have longer business hours, and often provide better exchange rates than banks. It is difficult to use US$100 bills in small towns, so it is recommended to exchange them for local small-denomination banknotes and change. Do not accept damaged banknotes as it will most likely not be accepted by local Peruvians. Keep all currency exchange receipts properly. In case you want to exchange them back to US dollars, you must provide receipts; when leaving the country, Peruvian customs may also ask you to provide receipts.  

In addition to bringing some U.S. dollars to exchange into Peruvian currency, it is recommended to bring at least two major credit cards. When using a "Chip and PIN smart card", you should be careful when entering your password on the keyboard to avoid prying eyes or theft. Under no circumstances will your password be revealed. Before departure, you should notify your credit card company of your travel plans to prevent any fraud issues.  

We do not recommend the use of travellers' checks. Today, travelers checks are not as widely accepted as they used to be.

Meals/drinks

Peru is located in the tropics and has a dry climate. You should drink more water. Do not drink raw tap water or brush your teeth with tap water. Even so-called "purified water" should be avoided if it is placed in an open container. It is recommended to purchase bottled or canned water for drinking and brushing teeth.  

The tour fee does not include any drinks, and the cost of drinks is paid by the passengers themselves.  

No matter how careful the precautions are, changes in water and diet can lead to gastrointestinal illness and discomfort. To avoid contracting serious illness, be careful to avoid questionable foods such as uncooked vegetables, peeled fruits, unpasteurized milk and dairy products. Be especially wary of any food or drink sold by street vendors.  

Shopping

Most tourists would like to have the opportunity to buy local Peruvian specialties. Our company's local tour guides are happy to assist travelers with their shopping needs and may also arrange shopping tours, but this should not be regarded as our company's endorsement of the store, products or prices. Any issues related to the price, quality or after-sales service, delivery, etc. of the goods are purely between passengers and merchants. Passengers are advised to consider and negotiate carefully before purchasing, and are responsible for everything after purchasing.  

Shopping while traveling is your personal choice and is in no way mandatory. Anytime you feel that shopping has become stressful during your trip, please contact our local tour guide or representative immediately.  

When shopping in Peruvian hotels and stores in tourist areas, a fixed sales tax (IGV) of 18% is levied; when shopping in local markets, price negotiation is necessary.  

To avoid disputes when shopping, we recommend the following principles: 

Calculate the exchange rate yourself and review credit card receipts carefully before signing.  

Whenever possible, bring your purchases back in person. Air freight is not only time-consuming, but the actual cost may be higher. In addition, customs delays, tariffs, regulations, etc., can complicate the problem. If you still choose to ship by air, it is recommended to take photos of the goods and related information for storage, and write your name on the back of the goods for easy confirmation. Normally, goods shipped to the United States from other countries are subject to tariffs.  

Passengers entering and exiting Peru are entitled to a duty-free exemption of $800 per person, but they can only bring 1 liter of wine, 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars.  

Keep the invoice or receipt properly, preferably together with the purchased goods, to facilitate entry and exit or to show to customs or tax officials when necessary.  

When bringing foreign goods into the United States, please comply with U.S. customs regulations. For more information, please consult the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website http://www.cbp.gov。

Telephone communication

Before departure, remember to notify your mobile phone company to confirm whether your mobile phone has Global System for Communications (GSM) and whether it needs to be activated; if your mobile phone does not support GSM, renting a mobile phone specially designed for overseas use may be an option.  

To call back to the United States from Peru, dial 00 + 1 + XXX + XXX XXXX

To call Peru from the United States, please dial 011 + 51 + XXX + XXX XXX 

Internet link

In Peru, most hotels offer free Wi-Fi as well as business centers. For specific details about each hotel, please consult the hotel front desk.

Photography/Etiquette

Unless you are photographing a crowded public place, seek permission before taking photos of locals, especially children.  

Specific places where photography is prohibited, such as government agencies, museums, art galleries, private residences, etc., are usually clearly marked, so please respect local regulations. Please do not take photos when religious services are taking place in the church.  

To ensure that your cameras and video cameras work smoothly during your trip, remember to bring enough batteries, memory cards and chargers. Additionally, to protect your valuable equipment, we recommend using a dust jacket and lens brush.  

tip 

The tour price does not include tips. Tipping is a general international etiquette, with the purpose of encouraging and rewarding excellent service. It is also a way for passengers to express their gratitude after receiving various services. If there is any deficiencies in service, passengers are welcome to call or write to make corrections. The company will fulfill its supervision responsibilities and ask the local responsible unit to make every effort to improve it. The recommended standard for Peruvian tourism tips (per person per day) is for reference only. Travelers may increase or decrease the amount appropriately based on the actual situation.  

Our company’s tour leader: US $5

Local tour guide: US $5

Driver: US $2

Other things to note

Respect the rights of the tour guide and other tour members, listen carefully and stay quiet when the tour guide explains.  

Safety is the first priority when traveling abroad. If you need to go out at night or during free activities, please inform the tour leader and bring a business card with the hotel address and phone number to prevent getting lost. It is best to travel together and avoid traveling alone. Pay attention to safety.  

When staying in a hotel, please lock the door at all times for safety.  

You should always pay attention to your luggage. Please carry valuables with you or put them in the hotel safe. Do not leave them in the car. Be careful of pickpockets. The more you pay attention to, the less trouble you have.  

On the train to Machu Picchu, the luggage limit is one piece per person, the weight must not exceed 11 pounds, and the total length, width and height must not exceed 62 inches. Please abide by this and prepare it before departure.  

For your own benefit, please read the itinerary carefully before traveling, and keep a copy of the itinerary and hotel information for family reference or contact.  

Group travel requires the cooperation of all group members. During the trip, please strictly abide by the specified gathering time and location, and wear the badge provided by the company to facilitate identification and assistance from the group leader. You must arrive at the airport at least two hours before taking a domestic flight, and at least three hours before taking an international flight, so that you can pass the airport security check easily. For any flight delays, cancellations or other emergencies, please contact us immediately.