After two weeks of schlepping around Peru, we learned some things about how to enjoy your time in the land of Llamas that we thought were important to share.
What we NEVER did:
Drank the tap water. Just don’t do it.
What we would recommend:
Don’t drink the tap water. Not even locals drink it, so trust us, bottled water all the way. There are plenty of places to get water and if you plan to be in the same place for a few days, we recommend getting big bottles or gallons and re-filling a smaller bottle for day-to-day use. Don’t forget that with the altitude, you will need more water than normal!
What we did:
Brought travel toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
What we recommend:
ALWAYS have both of these things with you. There’s literally no guarantee of toilet paper, running water and soap all at the same time when visiting the restroom in Peru. Generally we experienced a lack of one, if not all of these things. Make sure you pack this! We can’t stress it enough!
What we did:
Started altitude medication a day before climbing over 8,000 feet.
What we recommend:
Starting altitude medication (diamox) the day before you know you’re climbing above 8,000 feet. There are MANY different articles out there regarding altitude medication and if it actually works. But what we will say is this. There were five of us traveling, with four from Florida (coming in hot at 0 FT above sea level) and NOT ONE of us was sick the entire two weeks we traveled and we were up as high as 18,000 feet. So do what you wish, but we would take it again.
What we did:
Tried the coca leaf products.
What we recommend:
Try the coca leaf products. There again, not sure what it does to really help the altitude, but hey it didn’t hurt and they are actually quite good. Just don’t try and bring them back home!
What we did:
Brought Excederin Tension Headache.
What we recommend:
Bring it. When you take altitude medication, you CANNOT take certain pain relievers such as regular Excederin, Ibuprofin, etc. because of what is already in the altitude medication. What you CAN take is Excederin Tension Headache. It is a lifesaver. Headaches were a common theme for us and luckily the worst we ever felt, but that stuff helps TONS. Of course after you finish the altitude medication you can go back to your normal pain relievers.
What we did:
Brought lotion/hand cream.
What we recommend:
Bring all of the lotion. The high altitude and low humidity turn your skin into sandpaper real fast. Just trust us, you’ll want all the moisture you can find.
What we did:
Posed for one million photos with the adorably decorated llamas.
What we recommend:
Absolutely do this, but be aware that unfortunately they can be pick pockets. Sadly this never even entered our minds until one of our guides mentioned it. Think about how perfect a distraction it is. An adorable baby llama that’s decorated!?! YES PLEASE! Don’t let this discourage you from taking the pictures, just be careful!
What we did NOT do:
Think about what floor our hotel rooms were on, or what type of room was booked.
What we recommend:
Ask for a room on the lowest floor possible. We aren’t joking when we say we had to take breaks getting to our rooms in a couple of places we stayed. That whole altitude thing is real. We even struggled changing positions in bed and not breathing heavy. Pathetic, but true. We also recommend asking for marital rooms if you are traveling with a significant other. We didn’t realize that if you don’t, there’s a slim chance you’ll end up with a bed you can cuddle in. Boo.
What we did:
Ate cuy (Guinea Pig).
What we recommend:
If you’re a meat eater- try cuy. We managed to find a place where they did not serve it with the head and feet still attached, but even still we probably would have tried it. And yes, you read that right. Head AND feet. Not our fave, but hey, when in Rome!
What we did:
Ate alpaca.
What we recommend:
Okay, let’s get real. Alpaca and llama for that matter, are seriously cute and we are obsessed. However, we are also a group of meat eaters and they eat alpaca a lot in Peru so we had to give it a try. To us the meat was an in-between of beef and lamb. So not gamey at all, but not as tough as a beef. So freaking good. Sorry little guys! We still love you, promise!
What we did:
Had transfers and guides set-up for every place we went.
What we recommend:
Do this. Trying to haggle your way into a taxi is stressful and a very common way to be taken advantage of. Use a tour company and have them arrange this for you.
What some of us did:
Brought a baseball hat and/or umbrella for during the day.
What we recommend:
Having one of these two items for the sun. News flash – the sun is WAY MORE intense when you’re so much higher up. Even in winter it’s intense and sunscreen is good of course, but a hat/umbrella provide much needed shade in that kind of brightness.
Overall, we found Peru to be an easy country to travel in. We used a tour company for everything since it was our first time in South America. To do it again, we might opt to utilize them for only certain portions, but there is peace of mind in not having to worry so much about the day-to-day logistics. If you have any questions specific to working with a tour company, please reach out!
