Practical Information

Passport

Remember to check the expiration date of your passport if travelling internationally. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return.

Visa

Peru

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Peru. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/peru
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/peru
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/peru/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Peru.html

If you are travelling via the USA and are eligible to transit under the Visa Waiver Program, you are required to register in advance for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). There is a US$21 charge, which is only payable online.

Please note: not all nationalities have the same eligibility for travel to or transit via the USA, and you may not be covered by the Visa Waiver Program. Regulations stipulate that any person who has travelled to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since March 2011, or have dual nationalities of these countries, may no longer qualify. In addition, if you have travelled to Cuba since 12 January 2021 you will not be eligible for the visa waiver program and should instead apply for a visa.

If you are in doubt of your eligibility, please check the visa requirements with your local US embassy.

Vaccinations and Health

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, typhoid, tuberculosis and yellow fever. Additionally, Zika fever, a mosquito‐borne viral disease, is a known risk in Peru. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so you should take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Please check all vaccination recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

Local Time

Peru's time zone: America/Lima (UTC -05:00)

Electricity

Peru’s electricity: Plug types A (two flat pins), B (three pins: two flat, one round) and C (two round pins)– 220V, 60Hz. There are no charging facilities available on the Inca Trail, so we recommend you take spare batteries or a solar charger with you.

Money

Peru's currency: Peruvian nuevo sol (PEN)

ATM Availability

ATMs are available in the larger cities and towns and are particularly recommended since they often allow you to withdraw either dollars or soles and exchange rates are generally good. Most international credit and debit cards are accepted, but you should inform your bank you are travelling to Peru and check if your card works in the local ATMs.

It is a good idea to take your spending money for Machu Picchu with you on the trek itself. Credit card acceptance is increasing, but generally they can be used only at the large (and more expensive) restaurants and shops. Check with your card provider to ensure your card can be used in Peru.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

We recommend either taking cash with you to change into sol locally or using ATMs to withdraw money in Peru as you go, so you are not left with excess at the end of your trip. It is a good idea to change a small amount into sol at the counters in the baggage hall upon arrival. Change is often in short supply, so ask for small denomination banknotes and try to break up any large notes at the earliest opportunity.

It is possible to obtain Peruvian sol before you travel but exchange rates can be lower than exchanging money locally in Peru. Some larger establishments and hotels accept US dollars, but most places will only accept sol.

Food, drinks and similar incidentals can vary in price enormously in Peru and are relatively expensive compared to other developing nations. Allow about 55-75 soles (US$15-US$20) per meal to eat at tourist-class restaurants. Cheaper food is abundant at small local cafes, although sanitary conditions at these places cannot be guaranteed. Bottled water and soft drinks are readily available for around 3.75-7.50 soles (US$1‐US$2) each.

Peruvian airport taxes are included in the price of your flight ticket and there is no need to pay these locally. Please note, there is a possibility the Peruvian Ministry of Tourism may increase entrance fees to archaeological sites at any time. If this happens, we will inform you of the increase and the additional amount will be payable locally.

Peruvian passport or Identity Card holders

The cost of Exodus trips in Peru is based on the assumption you do not hold a Peruvian passport or residents card. If you are officially resident in Peru or a Peruvian passport holder, you are liable to an additional 18 percent tax on most services, and this extra sum is payable locally to our local partner.

Other nationalities are exempt from this tax. Please notify us at the time of booking if you are legally resident in Peru or hold a Peruvian passport so we can advise you of the total cost of these taxes.

Tipping

Our local staff are paid fairly for their work, but tipping is customary in Peru. Tipping is greatly appreciated, but not compulsory and based on service provided. Whether and how much to tip is a personal decision; however, we have included some guidelines below.

Peruvian sol is the preferred currency for tips.

Tipping kitty: We recommend running a tipping kitty on this trip. A tipping kitty means we tip as a group, and individuals don’t need to worry about giving out small tips to various people who have helped during the trip (ie drivers, local guides, hotel staff). The tipping kitty excludes tips for Inca Trail trekking crew and the tour leader. The contribution we suggest is 25 soles (US$6) per person per day.

Tour leader: Leaders are paid fairly for their role but are always grateful for recognition of their skills and hard work. Tips for your leader should be based on their performance and engagement with the group. If you are happy with the leader’s work, we recommend somewhere around 25 soles (US$6) per person per day.

Tipping of your trekking crew: The trekking crew is made of guides, cooks, kitchen staff and porters. Tips are best arranged on a group basis, and a volunteer from the group should gather the money and split the total collected into smaller amounts for each person. This is normally done on the last night of the trek. Your leader is happy to assist as needed.

Inca Trail Trek: The recommended contribution per group member is approximately 160-210 soles (US$40-US$53) or 180-240 soles (US$45-US$60) per person for small groups of six or fewer.

Around 200-300 soles (US$50-US$75) of the total collection would normally be allocated to the main trek guide.

Based on the above distributions, tips for absolutely everyone (inclusive of a tipping kitty and a tip for your trekking crew and tour leader) for the whole tour duration should amount to a total of around 535-615 soles (US$135-US$155) per person, depending on the group size.

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony though practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Important Information

Water safety

This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.

Machu Picchu regulations

1. Tickets are valid for one entry
2. We spend approximately three hours at Machu Picchu and our guided tour lasts about two hours
3. Upon finishing our one-way Machu Picchu guided tour, we must exit the site
4. Tickets are linked to your passport, details of which we take at the time of booking. It is essential that you inform us of any passport updates before departure and pay the administration fee of £25 (US$35/CA$42/AU$52/€32). Failure to inform us of any update can result in refused entry to the site. If entry is still possible, our local operator will charge you an administration fee locally to update your details.

Please note, we visit Machu Picchu in the morning or afternoon to avoid the peak entry time (10am to midday).

Inca Trail regulations

1. Spaces on the Inca Trail are on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis and we urge you to book as early as possible.
2. If you cancel your booking more than eight weeks before departure and wish to transfer your deposit to another departure or another trip the transfer fee is approximately £150 (US$210 / CA$252 / AU$308 / €191) as we will lose the permit we have purchased on your behalf. This is an amendment to our Booking Conditions. No transfers are possible within eight weeks of departure.
3. Bookings can only be made if we are supplied with your full name, passport details, date of birth and nationality, exactly as per the passport you will be using to travel to Peru (this information is used to purchase your Inca Trail permit). If your passport details do not match those on your permit you will be refused entry to the Inca Trail by the local authorities.
4. The Inca Trail permit is linked to your passport, details of which we take at the time of booking. It is essential you inform us of any passport updates before departure. To do this, you must supply copies of both your old and new passports to us in advance of travel and pay the administration fee of £25 (US$35/CA$42/AU$52/€32). For this reason, we strongly recommend that you make a copy of your passport at the time of booking and keep it somewhere safe. Failure to inform us of any update can result in refused entry to the trail. If entry is still possible, our local operator will charge you an administration fee locally to update your details.
5. Please be aware that these regulations may change at any time, and Exodus is not responsible for the decisions made by Peruvian authorities.
6. There is a possibility the Peruvian authorities may increase the entrance fees to the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and other major sights at any time. If they do so, we will inform you of this increase and the extra amount will need to be paid locally in cash in Peru.

Please note: While your departure date may be ‘Guaranteed’, your Inca Trail permit itself will initially be ‘On Request’. If you’re travelling within the current year, we try to purchase your permit immediately upon receiving your booking. If travelling next year, we will apply for your permit as soon as they are released for sale. If we are unable to get your permit, we will contact you to discuss your options.