Peru Travel Overview
Important facts
Capital: Lima (See more on SIMPLYYELLOWPAGES.COM)
Official language: Spanish
Currency: Nuevo Sol
Continent: South-South America
Holidays in Peru: across the Andes at the back of Llamas
Peru is located in the Andes with its capital Lima. The old town of Lima is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The country offers great diversity for travelers. Marvel at the oldest sites of the Inca Empire or hike to the springs of the Amazon.
Useful information
According to Countryaah, The state borders Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and the Pacific Ocean. Peru is in the Andes. It is home to the llamas, a breed of camel from the high mountains. Peru is located on the Panamerican Highway (Spanish: Panamericana), a network of expressways between Tierra del Fuego and Alaska, the south-north extension of which is 25,750 km. The country is characterized by high mountains. For excursions into the nature of Peru you should observe some important medical rules of conduct.
Stay healthy
If you are interested in excursions into nature, a visit to your nearest tropical institute is advisable. Get vaccinated against yellow fever if you plan excursions into nature. They should also prevent altitude sickness as much as possible. “Soroche Pills” can counteract symptoms such as nausea and dizziness. Important note: Altitude sickness is a reaction of the body to ascending too quickly to higher areas. If you want to avoid symptoms of this disease, then you should not take the 1,000 bus 4,500 meters in one day, but rather stages.
Worth seeing
In addition to the natural beauties such as Lake Titicaca, the country is littered with silent testimonies of the ancient Inca Empire. Machu Picchu, the most sacred site of this ancient culture, is still well preserved today. The Nazca lines of the same name have been preserved from the Nazca culture. They are images of animals and people that have remained undiscovered for a long time, as they are up to 20 km long and can therefore only be viewed in their entirety from the air. Inquire about a balloon ride over the Nazca plain on site.
Culinary
A testimony to the modern age is the drink pisco, which is also known in Chile and is also drunk in Peru as pisco sour. The country’s cuisine depends on the region in which you are located. In the plains near the coast, fish and seafood are on the menu, in the highlands meat from alpaccas and guinea pigs. Eating these small animals is not uncommon in South America. You will also find them in the cuisine of Brazil or Argentina.
Currency
Currency (sub-unit)
Nuevo Sol (100 centimos)
ISO 4217 code
PEN / 604
Geography
Continent: South America
Region: south
Geo coordinates: S -9 ° -11 ‘-23.9 ” W -75 ° 0’ -54.5″
Highest mountain: Nevado Huascaran (6,768 m)
Total area: 1,285,220 km²
Mainland: 1,280,000 km²
National border: 5,536 km
Coastline: 2,414 km
Politics
Dependency: Spain until 1821
UN member since: 1945
Other political affiliation: Organization of American States
Form of government: Presidential Republic
Houses of Parliament: unikameral
Party system: Multi-party system
State building: decentralized
Political culture: Subject culture
Economy
Export goods: Fish, mining products
BSP: $ 75,336,000,000
GDP: $ 77,585,000,000
GDP purchasing power parity: $ 173.4 billion
Economic growth: 6.9%
Inflation rate: 2.4%
Unemployment: 8.4%
State budget revenue: $ 4294967295
State budget expenditure: $ 4294967295
National debt: 32.9%
Export: $ 18,252,000,000
Import: $ 15,884,000,000
Foreign debt: $ 32,430,000,000
Gold and currency reserves: $ 15,730,000,000
Electricity consumption: 23,420 million KWh
Gas reserves: 247,100 million m³
Gas production: 1,540 million m³
Gas consumption: 1,540 million m³
Oil reserves: 370 million m³
Oil production: 127,000 million m³
Oil consumption: 160,000 million m³
Cultivation area: 2.83%
Bovine: 4,380,000 pieces
Sheep: 15,100,000 pieces
Fishing: 8,210,000 t
Demographic data
Residents: 28,302,600
Residents in cities: 20,575,000
Minorities: White, black, Japanese, Chinese
Average age: 25.3 years
0-14 years: 30.9%
15-64 years: 63.7%
> 65 years: 5.4%
Population growth: 1.32%
Birth rate: 20.48 / 1,000 residents
Death rate: 6.23 / 1,000 residents
Migration: -1.01 / 1,000 residents
Ratio men / women: 1.01
Fertility: 2.51 children / woman
Infant mortality: 30.94 ‰
Life expectancy men: 68.05 years
Life expectancy women: 71.71 years
Country codes and abbreviations
ISO 3166 Alpha 2: PE
ISO 3166 Alpha 3: BY
ISO 3166 numeric: 604
Top Level Domain: pe
IOC country code: BY
UN / LOCODE: PE
Source: Abbreviationfinder
Communication
Telephone connections: 1,960,000
Cell Phones: 4,820,000
Radios: 7,910,000
TV: 5,720,000
Computer: 1,730,000
Internet users: 3,590,000
Transportation
Railway lines: 3,462 km
Paved roads: 11,659 km
of which expressways: 307 km
Cars: 1,057,000
Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 4
Pipelines: 1,958
Health
Number of doctors: 33,610
Daily food intake: 2,630 kcal / resident
HIV- infected people: 127,000
Education
Illiteracy: 12%
History
Foundation: 1200
Last sovereign since: 1821
Religion
Main religious group: Christians
Distribution of religions: Roman Catholic
Crime
Prison inmates: 32,300
Military
Armed forces (troop strength): 100,000
Main battle tank: 260
Battleships: 5
Submarines: 6th
Warplanes: 110
Defense Spending: $ 1,046,000,000
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
Peru’s national airline is Lan Peru (LP).
Lan Peru flies six times a week from Frankfurt / M. via Madrid to Lima. No direct flights from Zurich or Vienna (change e.g. in Frankfurt / M., Paris, Madrid, New York or Miami). Lan and Iberia (IB) (Internet: www.iberia.com) fly several times a week from Madrid to Lima. Lufthansa (LH) offers feeder flights from all cities in Germany and from Austria to LAN long-haul flights. Swiss International (LX) serves as a feeder from Switzerland. Iberia (IB)can also be used as a feeder to Madrid from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Lima is also used by Aeroméxico (AM) (Internet: www.aeromexico.com), Alitalia (AZ) (Internet: http://www.alitalia.com/), American Airlines (AA) (Internet: www.aa. com), United Airlines (UA) and Delta Airlines (DL) (Internet: www.delta.com).
Air passes
The TAM South American Airpass is valid on all routes of the participating airlines within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile (with the exception of Easter Island), Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The participating airline is: TAM (JJ). The pass is valid for stays of a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 45 days and is only available to passengers who are resident outside of South America in conjunction with an international round-trip ticket. A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 countries must be visited. A maximum of 8 flight coupons are allowed (9 if Iguazú is being flown to), with a maximum of 2 flight interruptions (stopovers) per country. The flight route must be specified in the ticket and firmly reserved. Flights may be rebooked, but the flight route may not be changed. Children under 12 years of age receive a 25% discount, infants under 2 years of age (without their own seat) 90% discount.
The Oneworld Visit South America Pass is valid on routes operated by participating airlinesAmerican Airlines, British Airways, LAN, Qatar Airwaysas well as the associated airlines within South America in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Applicable only to passengers residing outside of South America. Valid for a maximum of 6 months from arrival in South America. The Airpass includes at least 3 coupons. The number of coupons is not limited. A coupon is required for each section of the route. The stopovers are limited to the number of coupons purchased. Children from 2 years of age: no discount. Infants under 2 years of age are free (no seat occupancy). The reservation of the entire route must be made before departure or the ticket is issued. A fee will be charged for each route change or change in the flight date. Cancellation fees: With cancellation fee before departure, No reimbursement after departure. Purchase of tickets / issue before departure in Germany.
Departure fee
US $ 30.25, excluding transit travelers.
Arrival by car
The Panamericana is the most important international road connection. This highway runs in a north-south direction through the desert areas on the Peruvian coast from Tumbes to Tacna. The Andean Road connects Peru, Chile and Bolivia. This new tourist route leads from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile through Bolivia to Arequipa in Peru. Another road leads from La Paz (Bolivia) to Puno on Lake Titicaca in southern Peru.
Bus companies such as Ormeño, El Rápido, Tas Choapa Internacional, Empresa Paraguaya de Transporte and Rutas de América offer connections to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.
Arrival by ship
International cruise lines such as Princess Cruises (Internet: www.princess.com) now and then dock in Callao, the main port.
On Lake Titicaca there is a daily ferry service between La Paz in Bolivia and Puno in Peru.
ON THE GO
Traveling by plane
Lan Perú (LP), Avianca (AV) and Star Peru (2I) (Internet: www.starperu.com) operate the domestic air traffic and connect Lima with Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Chimbote, Huánuco, Cuzco, Iquitos, Juliaca- Puno, Piura, Pucallpa, Puerto Maldonado, Tacna, Tarapoto, Trujillo, Tumbes and other cities. Aero Condor (Q6) offers sightseeing and charter flights.
Note on air travel
Airport taxes
US $ 5.
On the way by car / bus
The largest and most important road in the country is the Carretera Panamericana, which follows the Pacific coast from Tumbes on the border with Ecuador down to Tacna on the Chilean border. Another important road leads from eastern Lima over the Andes to Huancayo, San Ramon, La Merced, Huanuco, Tingo Maria and Pucallpa.
Few roads in Peru are paved. Landslides and rough roads make driving difficult, and breakdowns are common. The Touring y Automóvil Club del Perúhelps with vacation planning and sells maps of the 12 departments. During the rainy season, roads in some areas, especially between the coast and the mountains, are closed due to landslides. The permit issued by the customs authorities upon entry must be clearly visible on all foreign vehicles.
Buses are inexpensive and widely used as a means of transport. The buses run regularly and at short intervals between the cities, but the buses also run with a certain regularity to remote areas. Tour buses from Ormeño, Cruz del Sur (Internet: www.cruzdelsur.com.pe), Ittsa, Enlaces, Perú Bus, Oltursaamong others offer nationwide connections. Also recommended are the so-called Bus Cama, modern sleeper buses, in which larger distances can be covered.
Taxis can be found in front of the hotels and at the airport. The Peruvian taxis do not have a meter, so the price should be negotiated before the trip. Taxis are usually cheap, with short trips within a district not costing much more than US $ 1.
Rental cars can be obtained from Hertz, Avis, National, Dollar, Mitsui, Rentandina, AAA, American, Budget, Sixt and others in Lima and other cities. Documents: For stays of up to 30 days a national driver’s license is sufficient, for longer stays theTouring y Automóvil Club del Perú apply for an international driver’s license.
Traveling in the city
Lima has a metro, city buses, taxis and minibuses called colectivos. These shared taxis have space for up to six people and they travel to the suburbs on prescribed routes. These taxis can be found at the La Colmena stop in Plaza San Martín. You pay a single price and you can get on and off anywhere. Ordinary taxis are relatively cheap and have no meter, so you should agree on the fare beforehand. A bus line with ten stops is used by ultra-modern buses.
On the go by train
The Peruvian Railway (Internet: www.perurail.com) operates a rail network that extends from Puno to Cuzco to Machu Picchu, from Puno to Lake Titikaka and from Arequipa to the Cola Canyon.
A branch line runs from Juliaca and Puno to Cuzco, another short route to Macchu Picchu (approx. 4 hours driving time). Since the two routes are not connected, you not only have to change the train, but also the station.
There are also short trips in the mining areas.
The timetable changes frequently. There is a winter and a summer timetable.
The luxury train Hiram Bingham is interesting (Internet: www.perurail.com/Pages/hiram_bingham.htm), which runs daily on the touristic route between Poroy and Machu Picchu. Travel time: 3 1/2 hours. The comfortable Vistadome also drives to Machu Picchu. The Andean Explorer sails between Cuzco and Lake Titicaca.
On some routes there are fast and comfortable electric car vagons.
Ferrocarril Central (Internet: www.ferrocarrilcentral.com.pe) connects Lima, La Oroya, Huancayo and Huancavelica; it is the highest railway line in the world (up to 4781 m) with over 50 tunnels and bridges (currently out of service due to privatization measures). There is no connection between Lima and Cuzco.
Tourists are not allowed to take the local trains, but must use the special tourist trains. There are generally two tariffs for train journeys: Vistadome and Backpacker. Vistadome is a comfortable wagon with service and catering on the way.
The Cusco-Puno train runs 3 times a week, the other routes several times a day. It is very advisable to buy the tickets a few days in advance as the trains are often fully booked, especially in the high season.
The Lima-Huancayo route is operated by Ferrocarril Central. But departures are only on certain days (mostly on weekends).
The Arequipa-Puno route is only used for groups on request.
On the way by ship
Regular connections between Pucallpa and Iquitos (approx. 5 days driving time) and from Iquitos to the border with Brazil and Colombia (2.5 days driving time). River cruises on the Amazon are offered by Amazon Tours & Cruises (Internet: www.amazontours.net).