1. Get your passport (or renew it) immediately! 2. Get familiar with the COVID travel requirements (answered below in more detail). 3. Figure out your travel plans and dates, mainly will you go anywhere else? 4. Book your flight, hotel room, and other travel plans (Machu Picchu, etc.). 5. Get any vaccinations your doctor recommends (answered below in more detail). 6. Complete and print our your health declaration form (answered below in more detail). 7. Some may also feel comfortable purchasing travel health insurance. GeoBlue is popular. 8. Pack! Most airlines allow 1 checked bag and 1 carry-on for international flights. 9. Don't forget your passport, declaration forms (2 copies), vaccination card, and appetite! 10. Download a Spanish app to help immerse yourself! Que Rico! (prn. Kay Reeco! - It's delicious!) 11. Stay up to date with us! We'll keep you informed of shared travel arrangements, schedule, etc. Send your email please! 12. Hasta Pronto!
Before traveling, we recommend reviewing the following: The Peruvian Embassy site: pe.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/ Lima, Peru Airport requirements: lima-airport.com/eng/for-passengers/covid-19-protocol/arrival-protocol
Instructions on filling out the Declaration of Health Form: https://djsaludviajero.minsa.gob.pe/dj-salud/ This should be completed 1-2 days prior to your trip. First, choose English at the bottom of the page. Page 1: - US Nationality, choose "EE.UU" (Spanish abbv for US) - Type of document: PAS (Passport) - Number of document: passport number - Date of Birth: will display as Day / Month / Year Page 2: - Only one last name field is required - Choose International Trip - Country of Origin: "EE.UU" for United States - Destination Department: "LIMA" - Destination Province: "LIMA" - Destination District: Choose the district your hotel is in, either "Barranco" or "Miraflores", etc. - For "real address," put the same selections and add the address of the hotel you're staying at. Important!! You will need to print the form (make 2 copies). You will need to give one on arrival in Lima and one on departure (returning to the US).
We suggest making an appointment with a medical professional to determine which vaccine(s) (if any) you should get before traveling. According to the CDC, although there are no vaccines specific to visiting Lima (where the wedding is), it is recommended for all travelers to have the following when traveling anywhere outside the country: Hep A, Typhoid, and MMR. Diarrhea medication, Rabies vaccine, and a Tetanus booster may also be recommended. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/peru It's usually suggested to get a Malaria or Yellow Fever vaccine only if you're traveling to the rain forest, but not usually for Machu Picchu. For Machu Picchu, you will want to get altitude medication (usually Diamox). For the easiest vaccine experience, we recommend checking out Passport Health: https://www.passporthealthusa.com/ Red Planet website also offers some good suggestions: https://redplanet.travel/mdtravelhealth/destinations/lima_cusco
Don't worry! Barranco is a very touristy area and is easy to get around speaking only english. But we recommend downloading the app Duolingo just to learn some basics :)
We absolutely 100% recommend you travel to Machu Picchu if you have the extra time! Click on the "Things to Do" link above and you'll find 3 agencies we've contacted that have put some packages together. These agencies will take care of most of the arrangements for you, making it easy and smooth! In general, this is how you'd get from Lima to Machu Picchu: - Take a short 1.5 hours flight from Lima to Cusco - Take a private/share van through the mountains from Cusco to a train station - Take an incredible 2hr train ride to Aguas Calientes, the base of Machu Picchu - Take a short bus ride to the top, and arrive at Machu Picchu! There are so many different ways to do the trip, and the agency can help with this. We do recommend spending at least one day and night in Cusco, however. Cusco is a wonderful town to explore and an incredible destination in itself, full of history, great food and lots of shops.
Traveling to Peru is easy, here's what you need to know: 1. You need a Passport! It can take a couple months to get one, so do it soon. 2. Figure out the dates for traveling! For the wedding party, we recommend coming on Wednesday or Thursday, April 6th or 7th. The wedding is in Lima, but you should decide if you want to spend extra time traveling to other places too, like Machu Picchu or Puerto Maldonado (the rain forest). We recommend at LEAST 4-5 extra days if traveling to those places. 3. Book your flight and hotel! We made a couple specific recommendations on the "Travel" link above and strongly recommend staying in Barranco, a cute and historic walkable touristy town, full of restaurants, bars and shops along the coast. Mira Flores 4. Get any vaccinations and medication you need. Check out that question on this page. 5. Set a travel notice with your bank/credit/debit cards. 6. Fill out and print your Health declaration form, prior to your departure. 7. Pack and go!
You should not drink the tap water in Peru (unless it is boiled) and avoid drinks/food not from a restaurant or grocery store, such as street vendors, etc. Also, a doctor can prescribe you medication (back-up) before your trip in case of diarrhea (usually Cipro). For more complete recommendations, check out the Food and Drink section on Red Planet: https://redplanet.travel/mdtravelhealth/destinations/lima_cusco
Yes and No. Your wifi will work fine on your phone, and almost all hotels and most restaurants have free wifi. With an iPhone, you can make Facetime phone calls over wifi, without cellular function. Unless your plan supports international calls from Peru, your cellular function is unlikely to work. And in fact, to be safe, we recommend keeping your cellular function off during the entire trip, in the case that your carrier might support international roaming. You don't want to be surprised with costly roaming charges just to be safe! If you do want to be able to make phone calls in Peru outside of wifi zones, you'll need to contact your carrier to talk about options for an international plan while traveling.
We recommend booking your flight no later than 6-7 weeks before the trip! Ideally, before February.
From the airport, we recommend ordering a taxi from the official taxi counters at the airport. Taxi Green is a popular one. You can use Uber (we recommend downloading beforehand if you don't have it already). You can also use taxis very easily in popular areas, especially in Barranco. Remember to follow obvious precautions whenever traveling in a taxi anywhere: Never travel alone, especially late at night. Choose a car that looks safe and keep your passenger door locked.
If you travel to Cusco and/or Machu Picchu, coca leaves are a popular food for teas and especially energy in high altitudes. But absolutely do NOT bring them back to the US! Other normal US customs rules apply... no fruits, vegetables or meat, etc. Food that is canned or packaged is usually fine.
We strongly recommend staying in Barranco, a cute, walkable, and historic town full of restaurants, bars, and shops along the coast. This is where the wedding party will be staying and it's in walking distance to the church. Click on the "Travel" link above to see specific hotel recommendations.
In Peru, and especially in Lima/Barranco, almost all places accept credit cards (Visa). To take full advantage, we absolutely recommend applying for a travel credit card that has no foreign transaction fees. Of course, you'll want to take some cash as well. While some places accept dollars, it's best to pay with the local currency, Soles (pronounced sol-ay-s). Everything will be priced in Soles. Generally speaking, 1 dollar = 4 soles. So if something costs 40 soles, it's about $10. We recommend exchanging some cash at the airport in Lima (dollars for soles), before leaving the airport. A currency exchange booth is located next to the baggage pickup carousels. Of course, there are several Banks/ATMs you can take out more cash from throughout your trip. IMPORTANT: Remember to set a travel notice with your bank on all applicable debit/credit cards before your trip. This will decrease the chances of a denied charge.
For basic traveling to Lima for the wedding, we recommend budgeting a cost of about $1400 per person, which includes: - $700 Airfare - $300 Hotels (avg. $120/night for a double room) - $100 Transportation - $200 Food - $100 Gifts If you plan on traveling to Machu Picchu or the rain forest, you can check out the package costs we've posted on the "Things to Do" link above.
Absolutely! We recommend checking out Inka Terra resorts for an unforgettable experience. They do all inclusive packages, including food, excursions and more. https://www.inkaterra.com/inkaterra/inkaterra-hacienda-concepcion/rooms/ Getting there is easy. From Lima, you'll take a short 2 hour flight to Puerto Maldonado. From there, you'll take a short bus ride to an Inka Terra boat (they will be expecting you). That will take you up river to the resort.
Lima is GMT-5 (no daylight savings). So during April it's one hour behind ET.
Seafood!!! Being on the coast, Lima has some of the most fresh, incredible-tasting seafood! We recommend trying the ceviche, fried fish, and the sushi--a Peruvian-Japanese fusion you'll find no where else in the world. Some of our other favorite and very popular dishes in Peru are: - Aji de Gallina (a-hee-day-ga-ee-na) (shredded chicken in a savory yellow sauce) - Papa la Huancaina (pa-pa-la-won-ca-ee-na) (potatoes in a creamy yellow sauce) - Lomo Saltado (low-mo-sal-tod-o) (sautéed vegetables and beef) - Pollo al la Brasa (poy-yo-ah-la-brah-sa) (rotisserie chicken) Check out the Things To Do Link above for specific restaurant recommendations!