Nadia's Essential Tips for an Unforgettable Trip to Peru
My Top 3 Travel Tips for Getting Yourself Set Up:
Money
Bring a small amount of USD (Maybe $50) and change it at Lima Airport for Peruvian Soles. It is expensive to get a hold of Soles in Australia, and if you wait until Cusco, depending what time you land, you won’t be able to change your money until you get to the city.
Phone
For a local SIM, do not expect to get one at Cusco Airport. Either get one as you are transiting through Lima or just wait until you get to Cusco or Urubamba. There are plenty of them there (there’s a whole street in Cusco!) and they’re super cheap. It’s usually around 30-40PEN for a plan of up to 6GB which is around $16AUD at the most. I was in Peru for 5 weeks, got the 40PEN plan and topped up twice, at 10 Soles each, totalling $24 for a month and I had pretty good coverage through CLARO. I was even watching the occasional Netflix episode or 3 on some nights that I needed to unwind. If you are going straight to the hub and can’t wait for mobile connection, get your SIM on your way through Lima.
Language
If you can, learn a little bit of basic Spanish before you go, especially if you are transiting through Santiago, as some of the workers have very limited English. Don’t be scared off by this, they are still super helpful. Learn your numbers, learn some greetings and manners, and learn a little bit of airport and directional vocabulary, it will go a long way.
Top Activities Near Chinchero:
- For 25 soles, you can organise activities on the lake right next to the hub. They have kayaks, paddleboards and other water activities that are great for a summer visit!
- Visit Chinchero and hit up the local bakery. You will not regret it, for as little as 1.5 soles you can get something delicious.
- Hike to Poc Poc Falls. This is a great warm up for the Salkantay Trek but not a super easy one. You begin with walking down and climb back up, but it is beautiful, and the waterfall is lovely to cool down in.
Throughout the 2 weeks, we also travelled around Urubamba and surrounding areas to do some awesome organised extracurricular activities. My top 3 were:
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Pottery class
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Salsa lesson
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Afro dance lesson
I highly recommend the local churros and restaurants in Urubamba, too.
We were also lucky enough to attend the village anniversary, which ran from super early in the morning until late at night and even had us involved in some dancing!
My Top 3 Tips for the Hike:
Money
Take a small amount of cash for yourself, as there are little shops along the trek. And bring some extra cash for tips - trust me, you will WANT to tip several people within the trekking team as they work so hard. They become more important than you expect, and they are such beautiful people.
Clothes
Wear layers and bring a waterproof poncho – it's easier to take layers off through the day and you never know when it will rain. OH, and waterproof hiking boots are a must!
Personal First Aid Kit
Go to the pharmacy and get individual sachets (‘bolsitas!’) of magnesium. This will help with muscle recovery and reduces the weight of your bags!
