I traveled to Peru to volunteer at a school.
I spent three weeks there. In my free time I had time to see the main sights – the ancient city of Machu Picchu, the Cordillera Mountains and Titicaca, the favorite lake of schoolchildren.
I was in Peru in 2018. In the article I will tell you how much such a trip costs and what you can save on.
Why go to Peru
History and Culture. In 11-16 centuries the territory of Peru was occupied by the Inca Empire. Then the conquistadors came there, and the state ceased to exist. Now tourists go to Peru to see the palaces of the colonial era, museums, temples and ancient cultural monuments.
Cuisine. Peru is called the gastronomic capital of Latin America. It combines Indian, African, Spanish and Asian traditions. Peruvian cuisine was even included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most diverse. Traditional dishes include fried guinea pigs and kebabs made from cow hearts.
Nature. In Peru you can see the Cordillera Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, Lake Titicaca and the Amazon jungle. It is pointless to describe the nature of Peru – just look at this photo.
Safety
Before going to Peru, you should realize that it can be dangerous. For example, it is easy to meet an armed robber in the street. But if you take precautions, you can avoid unpleasant situations. Here is what I advise you to do.
Make copies of documents before traveling. The originals and your phone can be stolen. I recommend leaving your passport in the hotel safe. Take it with you only if you will definitely need it: for example, when entering Machu Picchu.
In Lima, even during the day, you should not go to the neighborhoods of Comas, Callao, San Juan de Lurigancho, Ate Vitarte, La Victoria, San Martin de Porres. You can live and have fun in the neighborhoods of Miraflores, San Isidro, Barranco, Pueblo Libre.
Do not take pictures of the locals without permission. Some Indians believe that you can steal souls through photos. To avoid taking risks, it’s best to ask permission for a photo. Many Peruvians allow themselves to be photographed, but some ask for a couple coins for it. For my children, I always gave a sola per photo.
Keep things to yourself. On public transportation, hang your backpack in front of you, keep your bag close to you, and keep your phone hidden. We were told how a group of volunteers were robbed by Peruvians. A local saw them using their phones on the bus and called an acquaintance. The man entered the bus at the next stop with a gun and took the phones from the volunteers. He didn’t hit or kill anyone, but it wasn’t pleasant.
Do not carry valuables in your pockets. I recommend a belt wallet to hold your passport during the move, cards and money. The closer your valuables are to your body, the harder it is to get them out. I didn’t realize to take a belt wallet, so I sewed the bag to my T-shirt and put a sweatshirt on top. The thieves didn’t get anything.
When to go
Peru is below the equator, so when it is summer there it is winter and vice versa. Weather conditions depend on the region.
Most of the country is humid and hot jungle. They are called the jungle. The average temperature in the jungle is +18 to +27 °C. In the central and eastern part of Peru is the mountainous zone, or sierra. The climate depends on the altitude. For example, at the end of July 2018, it was +15…20 °C during the day and down to -2 °C at night in the city of Cusco.
The Pacific coast, the coste, is dry and cool because the cold Humboldt Current passes through there. The hottest period is from December to April. In July, the temperature was +15…18 °C during the day and +12 at night.
In my opinion, the best time to visit Peru is from June through October, when it’s the dry season in the jelva and sierra.
Buy airline tickets
The hardest part of planning a trip to Peru is finding airfare that isn’t too expensive.
Peru. Peru’s main airport is in Lima. Most airplanes arrive there.
In 2018, I was living in Rome. There are no direct flights from there to Peru, so I flew via Madrid. First you have to get to Istanbul or Doha, and from there you fly to Lima with a connection, for example in Madrid or Amsterdam.
Despite the fact that Lima has one of the most modern airports in South America, it is still dirty and there are few seats in the waiting room. There is free wi-fi, but reviews on Google Maps are contradictory: some people have excellent internet, while others complain about poor connection.
From and to the Lima airport, you can get safely to and from the airport by express bus for $6. The nearest stops to the hotels are listed on the airport bus website. There is also a Quick Llama shuttle to the airport. The fare is $5. The shuttle seats 20 people. Travel time is about 50 minutes and there is wifi in the cabin.
By country. From Lima, I flew straight to Cusco. Cusco airport takes flights from 06:00 to 22:30. I had to spend 10 hours in Lima airport. To pass the time, I bought a spa pass at the Costa del Sol hotel near the airport, six hours cost me $50.
From Lima, you can fly to major cities in Peru. I used to fly to Cusco on Viva Air, but this airline closed in 2023. When buying tickets, I recommend paying attention to check-in conditions and baggage allowances. For example, Viva Air’s base fare included only hand luggage up to 10 kg.
Money
The official currency is the Peruvian sol, 1 PEN. In Spanish, “sol” means sun – it is the symbol of Peru.
There is a lot of counterfeit money in Peru. I advise you to use the services of exchange offices and legal street changers. They wear uniforms: vests with the name of the exchange company on the back. All banknotes are stamped with the address of the exchange office, where you can return and change the bill if it was not accepted in the store. Fortunately, I did not come across any counterfeit money.
If change is given in salt, which does not have a stamp on it, and it turns out to be fake, you cannot get it back. I recommend that you check your money carefully at the cash register. There should be watermarks on the banknotes, and the letters and numbers should be slightly different to the touch from the rest of the banknote. If you take the banknote perpendicularly and move it up and down, the numbers on the banknote will change color.
In seven out of ten cases I had to pay in cash. Supermarkets and large restaurants accepted Visa, but Mastercard was not accepted for some reason.
Carrying a lot of cash is not a good idea from a security point of view. I recommend taking some coins for tips – propina in Spanish – and small expenses for water, ice cream, and toilets. I usually had 50-100 PEN. In total, I spent $500 in cash to pay for three hostels, public transportation, food, and souvenirs. The rest I paid by card.
ATMs are located near major attractions and in shopping centers. Some banks charge a commission. For example, in the city of Ollantaytambo it was 15 soles. The Scotiabank ATM in the Plaza San Miguel shopping center in Lima and the Cajero BCP ATM in Cusco at the Plaza de Armas gave out money without a fee. If the card is linked to a foreign currency account, it is more favorable to withdraw dollars and change them into salts, so that there is no double conversion.
Volunteering
I went to Peru as a volunteer. I taught English at a school in Lima for three weeks. The volunteer program cost $470 in 2018. It was $250$ cheaper than in Argentina and Chile. I had to pay another $299 to register for the program. This is a one-time payment: the next time I go to volunteer, I only have to pay for the project itself. For the international bank transfer I had to pay 5% of the amount.
I didn’t see any free volunteer programs in Peru. There were organizations that offered accommodation, work and a project for $8 a day. But they had questionable reputations and conditions for volunteers. I decided not to save money and chose the International Volunteer HQ program with accommodation, meals, airport transfers and 24/7 support.
At school I worked five days a week from 09:00 to 14:00, the rest of the time is free. Sunday and Monday are days off. One time instead of school we were at a center for cancer patients, and on another day we collected money for them.
This was my first volunteering experience. I liked everything: the organization, the other volunteers, the students and the family I lived with. Peruvians may look a little glum and even aggressive, but in reality they are kind and sociable people. If I asked for help, I was never refused. The children at school often treated me to chocolate and fruit.
Volunteering has a disadvantage: it leaves less time for sightseeing. I had four days before and five days after the project to go to Puno and Cusco. On weekends, we would go somewhere nearby.
Housing
In Lima, I lived with a family with four other volunteers. The family was wonderful. We quickly got along with the hostess Cecilia – it was easy to communicate. She lived with her parents and her dad and I listened to classical music and danced.
There was only one problem in the domestic sphere – water supply. The shower temperature was 25…27 °C and the pressure was very weak. As in other Latin American countries, you cannot flush paper down the toilet.
Apartments and hostels. In most cities, you can rent a hotel or hostel on the “Island”. In Lima, you should choose the safe neighborhoods of Miraflores, San Isidro, Barranco, and Pueblo Libre. In Cusco – closer to the central square and San Blas.
A room for two in a 3* hotel with an 8+ rating on The Island will cost from 214 PEN in February 2024.
The cheapest accommodation is hostels and guesthouses. In Peru they are the same as everywhere else. Of the three hostels I stayed in while traveling, only one had a locker for personal belongings, but without a lock. The others had open shelves next to the beds.
In Cusco, I rented a place in a shared eight-bed room in a hostel near the main square. The room was cold and the beds creaked. But the girl at the front desk was nice and only charged for one night, even though I checked in at five in the morning. She also let me leave my backpack for two days when I went on a tour. It was safe.
In Huaraz, my roommate and I stayed at Aldo’s house guesthouse. The spacious kitchen is located on the roof. There you can cook your own food, play table soccer or have a beer on the terrace with your neighbors. The night cost $4.
Despite the low cost of staying in hostels, the volunteer program was almost twice as cheap as traveling independently.
How to get around Peru
Trains are convenient for traveling to cities near major attractions, such as Cusco or Puno. Tickets can be purchased on the Peruvian Railways website.
Prices vary depending on the type of train and extras. For example, a ticket from Cusco to Aguas Calientes may include food and drinks, a bus to Machu Picchu and a national dance show on the train.
Bus is a popular and inexpensive way to travel between cities. This option is suitable if you are not in a hurry. For example, it takes at least 21 hours to travel from Cusco to Lima. The airplane takes only one and a half hours, but there are severe delays due to bad weather. Still on the bus, the body has time to better adapt to the altitude. I would not advise those who get carsick to take the bus: the road lies through the mountains and is very winding.
Buses run between Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, Puno and other major cities. Some flights go to Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina.
There are several bus companies in Peru: Cruz del Sur, Movil Tours, Civa, Línea, Flores. The most popular is Cruz del Sur. Their drivers do not violate traffic rules. The buses have comfortable seats, and each passenger has his own monitor with a large collection of movies. Before departure, the company’s employees film the passengers’ faces so that they can be identified in case of hijacking or hostage-taking.
On the 21-hour bus ride from Cusco to Lima, I was fed twice. The food was like airplane food: you could choose chicken, fish or vegetarian meals. There was wifi in the cabin, but it was not always possible to connect. In two out of three trips it “ran out”, and when it did work, the speed was only enough for messengers.
Tickets can be purchased at the station and on the carrier’s website.
We took the Linea bus to the town of Huaraz at the foot of the Cordilleras The trip took 8.5 hours, so we took the cheapest tickets for $25 each way. The bus was half-empty – I slept on two seats at once. We were fed once on the way. The wifi worked, and the common screen showed movies in Spanish with sound for the whole cabin.
Ticket Cusco – Lima, “Cruz del Sur”. It shows the route, place and time of departure. The trip took 21 hours. The original passport was required at boarding
Tour buses. Seeing the sights south of the capital can be convenient on Peru Hop tour buses. They can be used to leave on a short day tour or to drive around the country. The buses make stops in all the tourist towns. You can get off at any city and continue your trip the next day.
In 2023, a one-day excursion costs from $79. A ticket with a visit to several cities will cost from 169 $. The price includes free unusual excursions, pisco tasting, climbing a tower in the Nazca Desert.
After the first ticket purchase, they give a 10 to 50% discount on Peru hotels and next bookings. Details can be seen on the company’s website. The minus of Peru Hop is that they have less comfortable buses than Cruz del Sur or Linea.
I took the Peru Hop on Hop off bus to Lake Titicaca. The tour cost $69 but was poorly organized. On the same bus there was a person traveling from Cusco to Bolivia, a family with a two day tour to Lake Titicaca and me with a one day tour there as well.
Our escort told us about further plans twice, but it was still unclear where to go and what to do. Everything is different for everyone: some stay in the bus, some go to one place for breakfast, others to another. Everyone is going to different hotels, meeting at different times and places. We got confused and had to ask the attendant for directions, so we wasted a lot of time for nothing.
Shuttles and buses are the main form of public transportation in cities. Some routes have buses and others have marshrutkas.
Tickets are sold by a conductor. The fare depends on the destination. The prices are on the tickets and on the wall of the bus. Every day we went to school by bus for 4 PEN round trip.
Drivers do not follow traffic rules: they exceed the speed limit and compete with each other. Twice we saw drivers stop the buses in the middle of the road, get out on the road and argue with each other. On buses, I advise you to be careful with your belongings: they can be stolen.
Not all buses have license plates. The destination is written on the windshield. It is better to check the route with the conductor or listen to what he shouts at bus stops.
Automobile. I did not rent a car. It can be booked at the offices and websites of international rental companies Hertz, Thrifty, Europcar.
I’m not sure it’s safe to take a car in Peru: Peruvians don’t respect traffic rules. Cusco has narrow streets, Lima has constant traffic jams, and mountain roads are often washed out and unmarked.
Licensed cabs in Peru can be found by the number on the door and the checkers on the roof. There are no meters, so you have to negotiate the price yourself, but you can bargain. The driver asked us 30 PEN for a 16 km ride, but we reduced the price to 22 PEN.
I advise you to carry change so that 22 PEN doesn’t turn into 25 PEN due to lack of change. They only accept cash. In my opinion, it is safer to travel by Uber: the price and route are known in advance.
Food
Traditional dishes. Spit-roasted guinea pig and alpaca meat dishes are the national pride of Peruvians. At a restaurant in Cusco, alpaca meat with spicy sauces cost 38 PEN in 2018, steak, medallions and kebabs cost 36 PEN. I couldn’t try them: these animals are too cute.
In the jungle and on the coast, they cook with fish and seafood. Perhaps the most popular dish is ceviche. This is raw fish marinated in lime juice and onions. Sometimes ceviche is made from octopus and served with yams, corn and chifle, which are vegetable banana chips. I am allergic to seafood, but my acquaintances loved the dish.
Our potatoes are native to South America. In Peru, they are often served as a main dish rather than a side dish. For example, cauza is a potato casserole with different fillings.
Peruvians do not eat salads: food that is not thermally processed spoils quickly. Therefore, most dishes are pan-fried or oven-fried, boiled, stewed, or at least marinated in citrus juice and vinegar. Overall, I found Peruvian cuisine to be delicious, but too spicy and heavy. When it’s hot outside, you don’t want to eat rice and potatoes at the same time.
Drinks. You can’t drink tap water – it’s easy to get poisoned. I drank boiled water or bought bottled water. It cost 2-3 PEN. It is also better to ask for drinks at the bar without ice: it is often made of tap water.
Fresh juices from ordinary and exotic fruits are considered sour by Latin Americans, so they bring sugar to them. Some add milk.
Every café and restaurant serves tea made from coca, or mate de coca, the leaves of the coca bush. In Peru, even small children are given this tea: it does not make them drunk. Coca tea also comes in regular tea bags, but the flavor is not as bright. The leaf looks like a bay leaf, but it tastes like ordinary herbal tea.
The most popular alcoholic cocktail in Peru is the Pisco Sauer. It is made of pisco, a local brandy with a strength of 38-48%, and whipped egg white. This cocktail is offered in clubs as a wellcome drink.
Restaurants. Before going to a restaurant, I advise you to read reviews about it. Food can be cooked in violation of sanitary norms: I found a hair in my plate three times.
In haute cuisine restaurants, tips are written in a separate line on the receipt. In other establishments, it’s at the client’s discretion. In ordinary cafes, I used to leave 2-3 PEN.
I liked the small Organika restaurant in Cusco best of all: it has friendly staff, reasonable prices and delicious food. All the ingredients are organic: they are grown in the Urubamba valley. I arrived at 18:30, but within half an hour all the tables were taken.
Street food may look appealing, but if the vendor is not sanitary, it is easy to get poisoned.
Safe places can often be figured out by taking a line from the locals. If it is long, there is less chance of getting poisoned. Vegetarian dishes are more reliable than fish or meat dishes.
These carts of churros – choux pastry tubes – are easy to find in Peru. They do not require special storage, so they are difficult to poison
Stores and markets
There are many chain supermarkets in Lima, such as Tottus, Metro, Vivanda, and Wong. These are large self-service stores that sell groceries and commercial goods. They are open every day from 07:00-08:00 to 22:00-23:00. There are smaller grocery stores in Cusco and Huaraz. Cards are accepted everywhere.
It is better to buy fruits and vegetables in the morning at the market: they are fresher there than in stores. In addition, sellers are happy to advise on what to choose: some varieties are better for juicing, others for eating.
There are markets in every neighborhood of the city. Usually the main markets have more choice and lower prices. In Cusco it is the San Pedro market, in Lima it central market is the Everywhere you can bargain. The more you take, the lower the price will be. I have managed to get 1-7 PEN off.
In Peru, besides the familiar fruits, there are also cherimoya, tuna, and lucuma. Cherimoya resembles pineapple, banana and strawberry at the same time – very unusual and delicious. Lukuma is a juicy fruit that tastes like yams with maple syrup. Appearance and consistency is similar to avocado. It is added to smoothies, yogurt, baked goods. Tuna is the fruit of a cactus. In my opinion, they are tasteless.
There are more than 55 types of corn in Peru. You can buy the colorful cobs in markets and supermarkets. It is eaten as a side dish or as an appetizer. Corn is also used to make soups, porridge, tortillas, pies, and beer. For example, Peruvians make masamorra morada pudding from purple corn, pineapple, plums, apples and apricots.
Mountain sickness
Cusco is at an altitude of 3399 meters, Lake Titicaca – 3812 meters, Lagoon 69 – 4604 meters. When climbing to such heights, mountain sickness can strike: the lack of oxygen increases heart rate, blood pressure, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness.
Adaptation to altitude depends on the body. Some people need pills, others feel fine without them. On average, it takes 2-3 days to get used to the altitude. In order to acclimatize faster, it is better to refrain from physical exertion and alcohol the day before.
I found out what mountain sickness is on an excursion to Lake Titicaca: I got a terrible headache and felt nauseous.
The guide gave me some oxygen to breathe: they always take cylinders with them to high-mountain tourist spots. It did not help, and I realized that I was not ready to continue the tour. I was dropped off on an island. The vendor at the tea kiosk allowed me to sleep for an hour at his cabin. Then another group picked me up.
When I got back to Puno, I checked into a hotel, drank tea, showered and slept until the bus left for Cusco. I had to cancel my tour to the rainbow mountains because of this. The whole next day in Cusco I was popping pills. But I saved a lot of money on food.
Attractions
I usually organize my own travels. But some sights in Peru are cheaper and easier to see on a tour. For example, a two-day tour to Machu Picchu cost me $281. Separate reservations for the entrance ticket, transportation, hostel and guide would have cost more than $350.
I booked tours on Viator, Lonely Planet, Viajes Cusco still from Italy. Agencies in Cusco offer tours 3-5$ cheaper.
Machu Picchu is the imperial residence of the Incas. It has been recognized as a new wonder of the world.
You should take your original passport with you: it is checked at the entrance. I also recommend taking some small money: you will need it for the toilet in front of Machu Picchu. There are no toilets inside the citadel.
Tour operators sell group and personalized tours to Machu Picchu. They usually take 1-3 days. If you plan to climb the Huayna Picchu mountain near the Inca city, I recommend booking tours at least one month in advance.
I bought a tour from Cusco for two days for $260 on the Viajes Cusco website. The price included transfers, accommodation in a hostel in Aguas Calientes, a tour of Machu Picchu and two towns in the sacred Urubamba Valley. The entrance fee to the valley cities of Pisac and Ollantaytambo cost another $21. In 2023, such a two-day tour costs $320.
Lunch in a café cost me $16.5. Prices in Aguas Calientes are slightly higher than in Cusco. To save money, you can take dried fruit, chocolate, crackers, sandwiches, and water with you.
The 9 km distance from Aguas Calientes to the Inca citadel can be walked or traveled by bus for $12 one way. Tickets are sold at the ticket office in front of the Angie’s Inn hostel. The bus takes 30-35 minutes from Avenido Hermanos Ayar.
Cusco is the former capital of the Inca Empire. The city is very colorful: alpacas walk along the streets, rainbow flags are hung, locals offer shoeshine and massage. There are also many buildings from the times of ancient civilization, such as the Inca palace.
In the main square, Plaza de Armas, promoters call for free walking tours of the city. They tell about the history of the Incas and show the main sights. The guides work for tips, the amount depends on the tourist. Tours are conducted by the company Incan Milky Way, the schedule is on their website. In addition to Cusco, they work in Lima and Arequipa.
Lima has many museums, temples and entertainment. A to the Amano Textile Museum ticket to the Mali Museum of Art costs 30 PEN and costs 35 PEN.
Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in the world. It is located in the mountains, which are not visible due to the large size of the lake. I bought a Peru Hop on Hop off tour for $69. The tour included an overnight transfer to the city of Puno, a guided day tour of the lake, and lunch. In 2023, such a tour would cost $79.
Laguna 69 is located in Huascarán National Park, at the northern end of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. It will appeal to those who love hiking, lakes and mountains.
To get to the lagoon, my roommate and I traveled from Lima to Huaraz, which is the closest town to the park. A bus ticket cost $25 in 2018. The lagoon is at an altitude of 4640 meters, so we arrived a day early to get used to the altitude. A night in a hostel cost 4$.
The next day at 05:00 a tour Peru Qorianka tour company bus of was waiting for us to go to the lagoon. The excursion cost 25$. The trip took two hours.
I sucked down my mountain sickness pills every 30-40 minutes, drank tea and water, but I still almost passed out. I would hardly dare to do it again.
Paracas is a peninsula in the Pacific Ocean. It is a four hour drive from Lima, on the way to the Nazca Desert. From Paracas, we took a boat to the national park in the Balestas Islands, home to a large colony of sea lions. Another tour included a visit to the Huacachina Oasis and a pisco tasting. In 2023, such an excursion on the Peru Hop costs $129 and takes one day.
Language
The official language of Peru is Spanish. In Cusco, Machu Picchu and other tourist destinations, staff speak English. But on less popular routes, such as the Balestas Islands, there can be difficulties. When we took a tour to the Cordilleras, the tour included the services of an English-speaking guide. On the bus he said: “I don’t speak English, so I will speak slowly in Spanish”. The tourists knew some numbers, and the rest was helped by active gesticulation.
Before going to Peru, I spoke a little Spanish: I could introduce myself, I knew numbers, conjugations of basic verbs like “to be” and a few Shakira songs. But I speak Italian, so I didn’t have much trouble communicating. The grammar and vocabulary of Italian and Spanish are somewhat similar. It was difficult at first, but then I understood about sixty percent.
Internet
I downloaded Google Maps and didn’t buy a SIM card. Internet in hostels and restaurants was enough for me. My acquaintance bought a simcard at Movistar for 5 soles and 3 GB of internet cost 30 PEN in 2018.
Souvenirs
In Cusco, the markets of Wanchac, San Blas and San Pedro sell clothes and souvenirs or freshly squeezed juice. There is also a shaman’s market near San Pedro market, but you won’t find it on maps. You need to ask local vendors, “Dónd’está el mercado de las bríjas?” They will give you directions.
In the Amazonian tribes, shamans still perform rituals and cure people with incantations. To do this, they need goods that are sold at the shaman market: chicken feet for potions, amulets, animal skulls and “dragon’s blood” – an extract from an Amazonian tree. The tonic juice from frogs – hugo de rana – cost 6 PEN in 2018. I didn’t bother to try it.
Peruvians haggle. The more you buy, the lower the price.
A popular souvenir in Peru is warm and soft clothes made of alpaca wool. They keep you warm in the cold, don’t let you sweat in the heat and last a long time. In Peru, wool is used to make hats, socks, sweaters and ponchos.
Instead of 100% alpaca, traders may sell acrylic. This is easy to check: just hold it in your hands and look at the colors. Alpaca ponchos are heavier and duller than acrylic. Its wool is pleasant to the touch and does not prickle.
What to bring
Clothing. The choice of clothing depends on the time of the trip and plans, but in any case a raincoat or waterproof jacket, comfortable and light clothing will be useful. Warm clothes will be needed for those who are going to the mountains. It is advised to dress in several layers, which can be removed if it gets hot.
Peru has American outlets, so you’ll need an adapter.
Shoes. I took sneakers, but trekking boots are better for long hikes.
First aid kit. Unusual Peruvian cuisine sometimes causes indigestion or poisoning – it is better to take medicine in advance. I also recommend to consult a doctor, how to bear the climb to altitude easier and what medications to take. Even an excursion to Machu Picchu can be harder on the body than it seems.
If you are going to the jungle, it is better to be vaccinated against yellow fever. But the vaccination certificate is not required when entering the country.
Memorize
- The best time to visit Peru is from June to October, when the jungle and mountains are in the dry season.
- In Peru, you can be robbed even during the day. You should not take original documents with you – it is better to make copies and keep the originals in the hotel safe. Money should be carried in a belt pouch under your clothes.
- It’s better to use licensed cabs or Uber: you can follow the route in the app.
- In Peru, it is cheaper to take organized tours than to get to the sights on your own.
- In Peru, in my opinion, it is cheaper to take organized tours than to get to the sights on your own.
- Mountain sickness can ruin a vacation. It is better to get used to the altitude gradually.
