First Time Traveling in Peru | What To Know Before You Go

If this is your first time traveling to Peru, and you’re wondering what (if anything) you need to know or do to prepare for your visit, we’ve got you covered! Continue reading for a brief outline of what we think would be helpful to know before your first trip to Peru, and all of the things we recommend doing in advance to prepare.

Water Is Not Potable in Peru

The water quality level in Peru is not safe enough to drink straight out of the tap. If you’re going to consume the water, it would need to be boiled to kill any possible bacteria that may be present in it.

To play it safe, it is recommended that you only drink bottled water while traveling in Peru if possible. As pointed out to me by one of the local guides, even if the locals are accustomed or adjusted to the water quality in Peru, as a traveler you most likely will NOT be.

To prevent running into any issues with the water while in Peru, we recommend taking the following actions:

• Purchase & Pack Medicine: While the goal is to prevent getting sick from the water altogether, the last thing you want to happen is to get sick in a foreign country without any medicine to help you through it. While I am not a medical professional, I would recommend bringing something to help settle the runs or any stomach bugs you may catch while traveling. Better to be prepared than to be sorry!
• Prepare to Purchase Water: As mentioned above, the tap water in Peru is not potable. For this reason, you should intend to stock up on bottled water to keep with you in your car or your hotel room. Remember that it is best practice to brush your teeth with bottled water as well! Taking these basic precautions, you should hopefully be able to avoid getting sick altogether.

Peruvian Destinations Often Reside at High Elevations

Another important thing to consider when traveling to Peru for your first time is that many of the popular tourist destinations, including Cusco and Machu Picchu, are located quite high above sea level.

At higher elevation levels, the air in the atmosphere becomes less dense. This can make it feel more difficult to breathe for those who are not used to it. It also may cause other symptoms commonly associated with altitude sickness, but it will vary from person to person.

If desired, you can always purchase a pulse oximeter to monitor your oxygen levels during your trip. These are commonly available over the counter at major cities in Peru, but can also be packed in advanced as they are relatively affordable and often pocket-sized.

If you have never traveled at high elevation before, or if you already know your body reacts to high elevations, we recommend taking a couple of steps to prepare your body for the trip.

• Identify the Elevation of Your Itinerary: To better understand what elevation levels you will be seeing throughout your trip, research the altitude of each of your destinations. To help your body adjust, it is best to breakdown the elevation jumps you take into as small of steps as possible. For example, Cusco is located around 11,000 feet above sea level while Arequipa sits less than 8,000 feet above sea level. When planning your itinerary, it would therefore be best to fly into Arequipa first, to allow your body to adjust to its altitude, before taking on the additional elevation to Cusco if possible.
• Discuss Altitude Sickness with Your Doctor: Once you know where you will be traveling in Peru, it is worth discussing with your doctor if they think it is appropriate to bring medicine to prevent or treat altitude sickness throughout your trip. This genre of medication is generally prescribed to help you transition to high elevations, and therefore is often prescribed for the days leading up to arriving at the new altitude, instead of upon arrival (again, I’m not a medical professional so please consult your doctor).
• Build in Extra Time: While we all love to make the most of our time while in a new destination, due to the elevation change it is best to build in more time than you would typically buffer for during each of your excursions. This will allow you to rest as needed if you need to catch your breath while exercising, without stressing about falling behind in your schedule. For example, if you typically take 20 minutes to walk a mile, build in 30 minutes in case you need to rest or go at a slower pace than you are used to.

Best Practice Before Going Abroad

While the water and elevation are the top things that come to mind when focusing on Peru, there are other best practice preparatory steps we recommend taking before visiting any foreign country for the first time.

• Confirm Travel Advisories: While Peru is a popular tourist destination (that I myself have traveled to!), it is always best practice to confirm if there are any active travel advisories for the country you plan to visit. Sometimes even if a country has a green light for travel, there may still be specific warnings about subregions that are worth being aware of.
• Confirm Required Vaccinations: Similarly, it is also best practice to confirm whether any regions you intend to travel to require vaccinations – or any other health precautions.
• Ensure Access to Basic Needs: While we could create a whole separate post on what to pack before embarking on your trip, always make a mental note of your bare necessities. By this, I generally mean any medication you may require on your trip, identification papers (like a passport), and access to money (debit card, credit card, cash, etc.). Theoretically speaking, most other forgotten items can be replaced while traveling – but these basic necessities should make for a smooth trip.

Please let us know in the comments below if you found anything particularly helpful to know before your first visit to Peru, or anything you learned on your first trip!

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About the Author: Hi, I’m Jill! I am a biomedical & mechanical engineer who loves traveling during my free time. My hope is to help make it easier for others to plan their dream trips by providing firsthand experience from the places I’ve been! Read More.