Peru is a major destination for travellers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and beyond. Like any country, risk is uneven: cities need ordinary street sense; night buses and isolated roads need more care. We run private journeys with local teams, not backpacker circuits. Before you fly, read your own government’s travel advice (US State Department, UK FCDO, or equivalent) and tell us if you have constraints we should plan around.

Peru sits on the west coast of South America, facing the Pacific Ocean. The Andes mountains run the length of the country; east of them is the Amazon rainforest. Neighbours are Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. Most of our journeys begin in Lima and move into the southern highlands or Madre de Dios.

Spanish is official, and so is Quechua. In the south, around Puno and Lake Titicaca, Aymara is spoken too. English is common in hotels and on private journeys; it is not a substitute for a local guide in the high country or the jungle.

Among commercial routes, the Cordillera Huayhuash is often named the hardest, and Ausangate is high and cold. We do not run those circuits. On our map, the serious walking is the Salkantay valleys toward Machu Picchu — altitude, weather, and distance, without the ticketed crush of the classic Inca Trail. We match the route to your fitness; we do not sell a “hardest trek” as a badge.

For the highlands and Machu Picchu approaches, June to August is the classic dry window: clear days, cold nights, and peak demand. Lima is often grey with coastal mist in those months. The southern Amazon in Madre de Dios is travelable year-round, with higher rivers and more mosquitoes in the wetter months.

If you want the Andes with fewer people, look at April–May and September–October: still workable trails, softer light, and more room. The classic Inca Trail closes each February for maintenance; our Salkantay-side approach is not that permit. Tell us the month you can travel and we will say honestly whether it suits the coast, the highlands, or the jungle.

Many passports — including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, and Australia — currently enter Peru as tourists without a visa for a limited stay. Length of stay is set at the border, not by us. Confirm with a Peruvian consulate or your own foreign office before you fly; rules change, and a passport should be valid for at least six months.

The currency is the Peruvian sol (S/, ISO code PEN). US dollars are accepted in some hotels and shops in tourist areas; cards work in Lima and Cusco, less so in villages. We quote journeys in US dollars and settle locally. Carry some soles for markets and tips; use ATMs in cities, not isolated terminals.

Land, drink water, and give the first day to the altitude. Then: the stone of the old city, the Sacred Valley, and a quieter road toward Machu Picchu if that is your aim. We also ride the high country and sit Pachamama offerings with families — not a checklist of every ruin on the map. See our Cusco page.

Use Lima as a landing, not a layover you sleep through. Eat properly — this is one of the world’s serious food cities — walk Barranco and the clifftop, and see a collection if you have the hours. Then fly to Cusco when you are ready for the Andes. Details on our Lima page.