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Visa / Entry Requirements
Citizens of Canada, the U.S., the E.U., the U.K., Australia and Japan do not require a visa if traveling to Peru for tourism for under 90 days. You do require a valid passport and a return ticket. This list contains all the countries that do require visas.
Foreign Exchange Rates
The official currency is the Nuevo sol (s/). Don’t accept torn bills from anyone as you will not be able to use them again.
Bank Machines are an excellent way to obtain local funds. ATMs are widely available in the more populated parts of the country and even in some of the more remote areas. This allows you to travel with small amounts of cash without having to pay more for travelers checks or worry about having large amounts of money to exchange. Make sure before you go that your card is compatible with foreign machines and also that you will not be charged an astronomical withdrawal fee for a foreign ATM. Citibank and other multinational chains do not charge fees for international withdrawals, but smaller banks typically do.
Check the following sites for ATM locations:
Mastercard ATMs
Visa ATMs
Generally, VISA is the most accepted credit card-- that includes ATM machines. Many businesses that take credit cards do not accept Mastercard, only Visa and American Express. Make sure you have a backup. Also, after going to the ATM, spread your money around so that it isn't all in one place-- just in case!
Staying in Touch
We highly recommend buying a SIM card for your cell phone in Peru. This will enable you to make inexpensive local calls and receive international calls for free. You will need a GSM phone that is unlocked. Most carriers will lock your phone for the duration of your contract so that you cannot use another carrier. If you are unsure whether your phone has been unblocked, it is likely still blocked. One way to check is by putting a friend's SIM card in to see if it functions. If you do not have a GSM phone or are unable to unlock yours you can buy one at Telestial. They will tell you exactly what you need for the countries you are planning to visit.
It’s easy to find a SIM card for your cell phone in Lima or Cusco, just make sure that your phone is compatible for accepting foreign cards. The leading cellular provider in Peru is Claro. You will find Claro stores throughout Lima and Cusco, but will not find stores (or great reception) in the Sacred Valley. Just tell them you want to buy ‘un chip suelto’. You will then need to buy extra minutes. You will receive a card that contains a code – call the number on the card and enter the code, or ask the people at the Claro store to do it for you. Having a local number will allow you to receive free long distance calls and contact local numbers without too much hassle.
For those of you who aren't too excited about the idea of trying to communicate all of these requirements in Spanish, you can buy pre-paid SIM cards for Peru before you go from Telestial.
Skype  is another excellent way of keeping in touch while you are on the road. More and more Internet cafes in Peru are starting to download Skype's software to their computers so that all you have to do is log into your account and you can immediately get in touch with all of your contacts. Unfortunately, Internet service in the Sacred Valley is quite slow and using Skype can be frustrating here. There are not many public terminals that are equipped with Skype. Skype also allows you to make outgoing calls to landlines and cell phones (a service you pay for, but at much lower rates than the alternatives) as well as use its instant messaging feature. Skype lets you make free calls over the Internet. It's free to download  and you can add on voicemail for a small fee.
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