Peru is one of the most culturally rich countries in the world. The contrasting landscapes, the colours, the flavours, the eclectic mix of people and the ancient history of the Incas that once filled the land are visible everywhere today. The ruins of Machu Picchu, the Andes mountains and the source of the Amazon River are all found in Peru. Many people come here to climb the mountains in the Cordillera Blanca and many people visit Peru's long Pacific coast or the Amazon jungle.

Cusco and Macchu Picchu are just two of the places where many buildings built by the Incas are still standing after hundreds of years. All of these places are highly attractive to tourists but the country has so much more to offer. Away from the tourist path is where you’ll find the true Peru; the warm, friendly people, the intriguing indigenous tribes and the dramatic and beautiful landscapes.

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EXCHANGE_RATE: 1 Euro = 4,3 Nuevo Sol
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No other country in the world has as many different climates as Peru. The two ocean currents, the mountain ranges and the tropical location are the factors that give Peru such diversity. The climate on the coast is subtropical and the region receives very little rainfall. The Andes Mountains have a cool climate with rainy summers and very dry winters. The eastern lowlands are warm and rainy with a short dry season from June to August.

All items of personal use such as clothing, toiletries, personal electrical equipment and books incur no duty tax. You can also take 400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco and 3 litres of alcohol tax-free.

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Peruvians celebrate a range of public holidays. Christmas, New Year and Easter are celebrated as usual but other holidays include Labour Day on the 1st May, Independence Day on the 28th July, Dia de Santa Rosa de Lima on the 30th August, All Saints Day on the 1st November and Inmaculada Concepcion on the 8th of December. All banks and most businesses are closed for these holidays.

Emergency numbers in Peru are 011 / 5114. In Lima ring 105. In all sizable towns and villages, it is no problem finding public telephones for national and international calls. Usually you’ll find them in bars or shops. Some of them accept coins, but watch out for stuck coins or odd-looking coin receivers as these might make you lose your money. Don't worry if your 1 Nuevo Sol coin doesn't go through at first, just keep trying and it will eventually work.

You can also buy phone cards with a 12-digit secret number on them. If you are using a phone card, first dial 147. You will be told how much credit you have on your card and will be asked (in Spanish, of course) for your secret number. After typing it in you are asked for the phone number you want to connect to. Once you have entered that you will be told how much talk time you have.

For international calls, it is often a good idea to go to an Internet café that offers web-based calls. You'll find them in most cities. Internet cafés, called cabinas públicas, are popping up everywhere so it shouldn't be difficult to find one. Even in smaller towns like Mancora or Chivay you can still find Internet cafés with 512kbps ADSL. The connection is quite reliable and they are cheap.

Malaria is a risk outside of the coastal and Andean region. If you are planning to explore other regions an appropriate course of anti-malarial pills should be started 1 week prior to arrival and continued for 1-3 weeks after your return. If you should catch malaria, you can find treatment centres in all jungle towns.

If you are planning on camping, don't forget to use a close-meshed mosquito net to help avoid being bitten. Diarrhoea is very common and it is highly likely that you will suffer at least one bout. Don’t worry too much about it, there are some things that you can do to help avoid the worst. Avoid tap water that hasn't been boiled. This can be difficult because if you eat a salad or drink some fruit juice, it will probably be prepared with tap water. Avoid ice in drinks. If you must drink tap water, use some purification like mikropur. Don't eat food prepared in the street. When going to cheap restaurants first have a smell and listen to what your nose says. In some areas, refrigerators are rare. Just go to the meat section of a typical market hall and take a smell, you will understand. If you're a vegetarian, food can be hard to find. Chicken is worth a try, since they are mostly fresh. Don't eat any milk products that aren’t pasteurized. If you do not have experience with higher altitudes (above 3,500m), don't underestimate it! Collapses of tourists who aren’t properly acclimatized are not uncommon, serious health damage or even death can occur! If you are coming from sea level, stay at a medium height of about 3000m for at least one week. Then altitudes of around 4500m should not be a risk. Coca tea is a helpful thing to drink whilst acclimatizing.

The Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima has frequent flights all over the world. There are non-stop flights to Lima from North America, Canada and Europe. The city of Iquitos in the Amazonas region has connections by boat to Leticia in Colombia and Tabatinga in Brazil. These trips take about 10 hours each.

Inside the cities there is usually no problem getting around on city buses or taxis. "Taxi" does not necessarily mean a car; the term also refers to bicycles, motor rickshaws, and motor bikes for hire. Taxis are divided between formal taxis, painted and marked as such, and informal ones that are just cars with a windshield sticker that says "Taxi". The last ones are better left to the locals, especially if you don't speak Spanish. Apart from the more upscale radio taxi (also the most expensive ones), the fare is not fixed or metered, it is negotiated with the driver before getting into the vehicle.

Inter-city travel is mostly by bus, and some cities have train connections. It is a good idea to buy your ticket one day in advance so that you can be relatively sure of finding a seat. If you come directly before the bus leaves, you risk finding that there are no more seats available. In most bus terminals you need to pay a separate departure tax of 1 or 1,5 soles. First-class express buses, complete with video, checked luggage and even meal service, travel between major cities. You may need to present a passport to purchase a ticket. Even when going by train, it's best to buy the ticket in advance. Buy 1st class or buffet class (still higher), or you risk getting completely covered by luggage. There are three rail lines in Peru: Cuzco - Machu Picchu, Cuzco - Juliaca – Puno, Arequipa – Juliaca. Beside the famous Inca trail to Machu Picchu, you can do a lot more hikes all along the Sierra, preferably in the dry season. The hiker's Mecca is Huaraz, where you can find a lot of agencies that offer guided tours and equipment. The thin vegetation in the higher Sierra makes off-trail hiking easy. Good maps are hard to find inside Peru. It is better to bring them from home.

It is also possible to tour the country by car. This gives you a chance to get off the beaten track and explore some of the areas that haven't been transformed by tourism. Beware that, aside from a few major roads, most roads are unpaved and your speed on them will be severely restricted. Be sure to bring plenty of petrol, as petrol stations in unpopulated areas are very rare and will often be closed.

When travelling on domestic flights throughout Peru there is a US$6 departure tax to be paid at each airport you fly out from. When leaving the country on an international flight you have to pay a departure tax. The amount changes, but expect it to be US$25-$30 or the equivalent in soles. This has to be paid in cash before entering the departure area.

The history of Peru spans several millennia. Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. It was conquered by the Spanish Empire in the 16th-century, who established a Viceroyalty with jurisdiction over most of its South American domains.

Independence was declared in 1821 but consolidated only after the Battle of Ayacucho, three years later. Peru suffered a terrible guerrilla war in the 1980s. The communist and terrorist group Shining Path tried to take over the country. But after the leader of the group was captured in 1992, Shining Path was no longer a threat. In the 1990s Peru was ruled by President Alberto Fujimori. During this time the economy improved and it became easier to start a company or operate a business.

After Fujimori, Alejandro Toledo was elected President and then Alan Garcia, who was President from 1985 to 1990, was elected again in 2006. In recent years, bold reform programs and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity and drug trafficking have resulted in solid economic growth.