Peru President Alan Garcia will entertain Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia in Lima
before the royal couple travels to the northern city of Trujillo to visit pre-Colombian ruins, the Associated Press reported.
Andina state news agency is reporting that the royal couple will arrive Sunday and spend Monday visiting Peru’s president, congress and the mayor of Lima in the capital.
On Tuesday, the king and queen fly to coastal Trujillo, where they will visit the Huaca de la Luna y Sol temples built by the Mochica culture more than 1,500 years ago.
Andina reported Wednesday that the Huaca de la Luna archaeological project earned a prize in 2005 that Queen Sofia grants for exemplary conservation or restoration cultural heritage works.
The king and queen will leave Peru Wednesday.
Peru is a world’s premier travel and tourism destination, and traveling to the country is absolutely safe. If you’re planning a business or holiday trip to Peru, then it’s advisable to take some basic travel tips on Peru to make your trip completely hassle free. Travour offers you some useful travel tips on Peru for your convenience.
Major International Airports: Jorge Chavez International Airport, Lima
Language: Spanish
Some Useful Travel Tips for Peru
- You should have a valid passport and return ticket. Residents from most of world countries, except Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bulgaria, Russia, Pakistan, India, and China, receive a visa upon arrival for up to 90 days.
- You should have Xerox copies of your passport, visa and other important travel documents, keeping them separate from the originals.
- Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.
- Vaccines are necessary only if travelers are visiting areas where there is an epidemic such as Yellow Fever and Hepatitis A & B.
- Though Spanish is the main spoken language in Italy, English is understood in major cities in a limited way. Learning the basic Spanish phrases may come in handy.
- All international credit cards such as Diners, American Express, MasterCard and Visa are accepted in hotels, shops and other commercial establishments including the tour operators. Travelers Cheques are accepted at major establishments. Exchange your money only from authorized moneychangers or banks in Peru.
- Tap water in Peru is of poor quality, so avoid unboiled tap water. Also don’t eat food prepared in the streets, or unpasteurized milk products.
- Most restaurants add a 10 percent service charge in the bills as tipping, but some do not.
- Bargaining is very common in Peru. While shopping, say a price about 20-30% lower than asked price.
- International direct dialing phones and Internet cyber cafes can be found in major cities and tourist destinations of Peru, so communication with family and friends back home is not a problem.
- In case of trouble, contact the nearest police station or Peru Embassy.
Peru has a rich cultural heritage dating back to thousands of years, which is also one of the richest in the entire South American continent. The culture of Peru is a fine blend of local Inca and Spanish cultures, presenting an interesting experience for visitors. The population of Peru constitutes of approx. 45% indigenous, about 37% mestizo (mix of indigenous and Spanish), 15% Europeans, and the rest Asian, African or other descent.
During pre-Columbian times (the era before European influence), Peru was an important center of art and architecture in the Americas. The world-famous Inca cultures, inclduing Moche, Nazca and Chimu, produced great artistic works in forms of art and architecture, sculpture, pottery, jewelry and textiles. The recent archaeological discoveries suggest that music has been played in Peru for over 10,000 years. The findings of ancient musical instruments such as quenas, zampoñas, and pututos (trumpets made from sea conch) are testimony to this fact. In addtion, the fascianitng towns of Machu Picchu and the Cuzco offer excellent examples of Inca architectural heritage.
When the Spanish arrived in the region in the early 16th century, they influenced the culture of Peru in a significant way. They gave a new language, religion, architecture, and even new customs and traditions to Peru. The 16th century historical chronicle of Garcilaso de la Vega, son of a Spanish conqueror and an Inca princess, deals with the greatness of the Inca culture and empire. Over the past centuries, there has been a long process of inter-cultural mixing in Peru, creating a unique culture known as “mestizo,” that’s a part-American Indian and a part-European heritage.
Today, Roman Catholicism is the main religion in Peru, while the Native Americans follow a unique religion, which is a fine blend of Catholicism and local traditional beliefs. Spanish is the main language in Peru, while English is also spoken and understood in major cities of the country. Peru is also renowned for its rich varieties of seafood. Festivals are other important part of Peruvian culture. The people of Peru are known for their liveliness and love to celebrate very happy occasion in their life. Peru celebrates some 3,000 festivals a year, and you’ll find a festival in Peru on almost everyday of the year, in one or other part of the country.
Travour offers you online information on climate in Peru. For more information on Peru climate, please click on relevant links on this page, or write to us.
Flights are by far the most convenient way to reach Peru. Peru is a major tourist and business destination in South America, attracting millions of visitors every year from worldwide destinations. Peru has three major international airports at Lima, Iquitos and Cusco. The Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima is the most important among them with frequent flights from major cities of USA, Canada, UK, and several other countries in Europe and South America.
There are direct flights to Lima from Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City in the United States; Toronto in Canada; and Madrid in Spain. There are no direct flights from London and all flights from London go via Madrid only. Iquitos and Cusco normally handles flights from the South American cities of Leticia (Coloumbia) and La Paz (Bolivia) respectively.
Major airlines operating regular direct or connecting flights to Peru include the American Airlines, Air Canada, Air Madrid, Alitalia, British Airways, Delta Airlines, Continental Airlines, Iberia, KLM, Lacsa and United Airlines
Approximate Flight Duration to Lima
Buenos Aires - 4 Hours
Los Angeles - 5 Hours
Miami - 6 Hours
New York - 9 Hours
Madrid - 12 Hours
Frankfurt - 14 Hours
London - 15 Hours
Rome - 14 Hours
Paris - 16 Hours
Tokyo - 20 Hours