Getting to Peru

Most people arrive in Peru by plane, but you can also get here by boat or bus. You’ll likely fly into Lima and then take a shuttle to a hotel or else stay at the airport and catch a domestic flight to Cusco or another city. However you choose to arrive, just remeber that your adventure can't really begin until you've met Peruvian entry requirements.

By Air

Travelers typically fly into Lima and then take other forms of transportation—shuttles or domestic flights, for example—to other cities. If you’re coming from the U.S. or Canada, your flight will last anywhere from 6 to 10 hours. Peru is in the same time zone as the East Coast of the United States and Canada. That means that you won’t feel jet lagged when you get here.

There are direct flights from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Newark, and Atlanta. Toronto usually has direct flights to Lima as well.

Travelers coming from Europe often make stops in the U.S. or the Caribbean, although there are direct flights from Amsterdam and Madrid. People traveling from New Zealand, Australia, Africa, and Asia will make at least one layover en route to Peru. Many South American cities have direct flights to Lima.

The Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco serves airports in La Paz and Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The Benigno Ballón Farfán International Airport in Arequipa has flights from Arica, Chile.

The most expensive times to fly to Peru are during the high season (June to August) and at Christmas. Flights are usually the least expensive from October to December and from January to April.

Nearly all flights from North America and Europe will arrive in Lima at the Jorge Chávez International Airport. Many planes arrive during the night, and some travelers may wait in the airport until morning for connecting flights to other cities. Jorge Chávez is a fairly modern airport with a variety of services, including ATMs, currency exchange, banks, post office, restaurants, and duty-free shops.

By Land

You can enter Peru by land via bus or car from the surrounding countries of Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Major buses that ply these routes tend to be quite comfortable and equipped with bathrooms, food, movies, and more. Peru has 10 border crossings with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, and Bolivia. The crossings are open year-round and are fairly straightforward as long as you have your passport and tourist card handy.

By Sea

Some cruises visit Peru, including ones that leave from San Francisco. Shipping lines also offer departures from Europe or the U.S. to Lima’s port of Callao. All kinds of boats head up the Amazon River near the border between Peru, Colombia, and Brazil.