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.