Travel Tips

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When you arrive to Peru and pass through immigration, ask the agent to allow you a 150-day tourist visa (rather than the typical 90 day visa), or calculate how many days you will be in Peru and ask for that length of time (up to 150 days max.).  If the agents ask what you will be doing during your stay, it is easiest to say that you will be doing ecological tourism and will be traveling in the jungle for all of this time. 
 
Flights from Lima to Cusco are in the morning and early afternoon only, so typically, international travelers will have to stay one night in Lima and take a connecting flight to Cusco the next day.  Often it is most convenient to stay at the
Lima airport. Although the Lima airport is relatively safe, there have been incidents of bags being stolen from people who were not vigilant or who fell asleep next to their luggage. There is a safe storage facility on the first floor where you can pay to have your bags stored securely (next to the door for domestic arrivals and baggage claim). Another safe place to sit overnight is in the 24-hour Starbucks on the second floor.  There you can eat snacks, drink coffee, and use their free wireless internet (other internet sources in the airport are quite expensive).

If you choose to stay in Lima outside of the airport, just be vigilant and aware of your belongings at all times and only take registered taxis. The region outside of the Lima airport (Callao) is not particularly safe -- if you don't mind spending the extra money (50-60 Soles), you might take the 25- minute taxi ride to Miraflores to stay the night in a hotel there (typically you can find decent hotels from $25-40 USD). The tourist area of Larco Mar is nice to visit -- there you can see the coastline from high up and eat ceviche and other seafood. With a little more effort, you can walk down to the beach and spot Inca Terns and Black Oystercatchers from the pier.    

When you arrive to the Cusco airport, you will need to take a taxi to the hostel. Our research group always stays at the Hostal Qorichaska, 458 Calle Nueva Alta, about a 15- or 20-minute ride from the airport, depending on traffic. In the Cusco baggage claim area, there are several (very fast) luggage handlers who, if given an opportune moment, will grab your bags to put on a trolley and roll them out the door for you -- they are harmless, but they will forcefully ask you to tip them for their assistance (whether you requested it or not). Once you leave the airport, the first taxi drivers you see will offer transport for 25 or 30 soles to your hotel. You should not pay more than 10 soles for a taxi to the hostel. Usually if you walk outside of the small gated area just outside the airport, where passengers are being dropped off, you can find a much cheaper taxi.

When walking around Cusco, you should use Latin American travel sense.  Violent robberies are not common in Cusco, but do occur in sketchy parts of town or at night. Pick-pocketing and petty crime is fairly common, especially on crowded sidewalks and public markets.  Most any of these petty crimes can be avoided by being aware of your surroundings and by not advertising your money or camera.

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