1 - How long is the flight to this country?
Peru is a fairly easy jump from the United States, with direct flights ranging from around 6 to 9 hrs depending on your city of departure. Below are a couple of examples.
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Lima, Peru (LIM): 8 ½ hrs
Houston, TX (IAH) to Lima, Peru (LIM): 6 ½ hrs
Atlanta, GA (ATL) to Lima, Peru (LIM): 6 ½ hrs
2 - Do we need to get visas for this program?
Students from the United States and traveling with an American passport will not need to get a visa for this program. Students from other countries should check with their consulate. Please know that it is the student’s responsibility to obtain any appropriate documentation before entering Peru and Chile.
3 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?
Rustic Pathways highly recommends that you visit your family doctor or a travel doctor, before traveling. They can assist your with deciding which immunizations you should have to travel to Peru and Chile. Also, please visit the CDC or WHO websites for up to date advice and restrictions. Below, you will find the provinces that students will be traveling in to help you with this process.
Important Note: While students are not required to receive the yellow fever vaccine to enter Peru from the U.S, it may be required to enter other countries after traveling in Peru. For instance, as of this writing it is not possible to fly directly from Peru to Costa Rica without proper documentation of the Yellow Fever vaccine.
4 – What provinces or regions does this program pass through?
Students traveling on the MUST SEEE: Peru and Chile Gap year program will begin by traveling in Peru. After arriving in Lima, students will travel to Cuzco located in the province of Cuzco. Cuzco is located in the Andes Mountains at about 10,000 ft. From here students will completely change regions and head out to the Amazon Jungle town of Puerto Maldonado in Madre de Dios. From there students will return to the mountains and visit the Lake Titicaca region located in the province of Puno. Students will overnight at lakefront towns aswell as on islands in the middle of Lake Titicaca. From there the group will travel to the province of Arequipa where they will visit the towns of Chivay and Arequipa. The group will then return to Lima before catching a flight to Santiago de Chile, Chile.
In Chile the group will visit the capital of Chile, Santiago de Chile. From there the group will travel north to along the coast to the San Pedro de Atacama region where the rest of the trip will located. The trip will end with students returning back to Santiago de Chile before taking their flights back to the United States.
5 - What kind of food will we be eating?
Students will be eating mostly Peruvian and Chilean food on their program, but will have a few chances to eat more international fare such as Italian, Chinese etc. Peru is actually well known for their cuisine, which varies from region to region. In fact, due to its Incan and pre-Incan heritage, followed by Spanish settlement and then African Sino-Cantonese and Japanese immigration, Peru boasts one of the most diverse cuisines in the Americas.
Many of the meals will be centered around traditional Andean food, with a lot of potatoes and grains such as quinoa. In addition beans, meat such a chicken and salad are found in most meals. For those that choose, there will be the chance to eat Cuy, or Guinea Pig, which remains a staple of rural Andean diets to this day. In the Amazon, sweet potatoes, fish, chicken as well as rice and beans are very common. There is even the chance to fish for piranha and then cook it for lunch. If you would like to know more about Peruvian diet Wikipedia actually has a nice summery at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peruvian_cuisine.
6) Where are our meals eaten?
We will have a professional cooks provide 3 meals a day while at the Amazon Jungle Lodge. Outside of that, the group will eat a various restaurants serving an array of local and international cuisines.
7 - Will travelers be drinking bottled water?
Yes, students will drink bottled or purified water while traveling in Peru and Chile. It is not recommended that travelers drink the tap water during any part of their trip.
8- Can Rustic Pathways cater to specific diets on this program?
Rustic Pathways can cater to most dietary needs on this program and the chefs we work with are very accustomed to doing so. There will be ample access to fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, and grains for those who are vegetarian. Vegan diets can be accommodated, but with a little more foresight and planning as this is not a diet commonly encountered in Peru or Chile. Please know that while we are happy to accommodate alternative diets, many of the special diets common in the United States are not common in other parts of the world and travelers must be patient and understanding in having these needs be met. Please contact Gabriel Porter-Henry at gabe@rusticpathways.com with any questions regarding special diets or allergies.
9 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?
Accommodation on this program ranges from guesthouses to basic hotels. In the jungle students will stay at a remote jungle lodge. In the Lake Titicaca region students will do home stay, sleeping in their respective families house. The rest of the trip will have the students sleeping at 2 or 3 star hotels.
10 - How often can I do laundry?
Students will have the chance to do laundry about once a week while on their program. Please make sure to have enough clothes to last least a week. It generally costs around $1 – $2 per Kilo.
11- What is the climate like in Peru and Chile?
Peru has 3 very distinct climate regions; the desert coastal region, Andean Mountain regions and the Amazon Basin. Students will visit all three of these regions on their program, but most the time will be spent in the Andean Mountains and Amazon River Basin. These two climates contrast fairly drastically. During October the mountain region will be transforming from the dry winter months to the rainy summer months, but days will still be generally dry and partly cloudy during this time will occasional rains. The day time temperatures generally are between 45 and 60 degrees while nights can reach below freezing. Please make sure to refer to the packing list when preparing for this program.
In the Amazon, it remains hot and humid throughout the year. Students should be prepared for some rain and have lightweight quick drying clothes for their time here. Mosquitoes are prevalent here so please remember you’re bug repellent!
In Chile students should prepare for colder weather in the city of Santiago. However the majority of the trip will be spent in the dry dessert region of San Pedro de Atacama. While there the students should expect warm days with temperatures in the 70’s. However during the night temperatures will dip and students should be prepared for weather in low 40’s.
12- Are there any extremely physical or strenuous activities on this trip?
This program is not overly strenuous, but students should be in at least average physical condition. Activities include hiking, mountain biking and whitewater rafting.
13 - Is this a good program for students interested in practicing their Spanish?
Yes! Students will have many opportunities throughout their travel to practice their Spanish. Students will be living in traditional communities in the Lake Titicaca region and traveling the whole trip alongside local Peruvian and Chilean guides who are bilingual. Please know that a basic knowledge of Spanish is not required on this program, but students who take the time to at least learn some basic phases may find their time here more rewarding. A small Spanish- English dictionary is recommended.
14- How often will I have access to email and phones?
Phones and internet will be available occasionally throughout the trip. While in the main cities of Lima, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, Arequipa, Puerto Maldonado, and Santiago there should be service on almost a daily basis. There will not be internet or phone access, during the trekking, mountain biking and Jungle lodge sections of the trip.
15- What costs are not included on this trip?
Students are responsible for paying for half of their lunches and half of their dinners. This is to allow for flexibility in choosing meals and to provide free time to enjoy with new friends. Students can expect to pay between $2 and $12 per meal on average. Other costs not included in the trip are Internet access, travel insurance, medical insurance, medical expenses, International Airfare, laundry, small donations to organizations, temples, charities, souvenirs and excessive snacks (like Red Bull, candy bars and sodas).
There will also be occasional optional activities which students can participate in such as bungee jumping. The costs for these are generally between $60 and $100 per activity.
16- How much spending money do I need to bring?
Students should bring between $500 and $750 for their 4 week program. Spending habits can vary extensively from student to student, so please consider how much you normally spend when considering this. An average person may spend about $170 on food and snacks and $75 on souvenirs and miscellaneous items. There is also the option to bungee jump for around $65 for those students whom choose. Peru is not an overly expensive country, however it is certainly cheaper than Chile. Both countries are known for their handicrafts and most students enjoy bringing something home for friends and family.
17- What sort of electrical voltage adapters do I need to bring?
Peru has 220V outlets as opposed to the 110V outlets in the United States. The plug shape is the same, so be careful not to fry any of your electronics. These days, most common electronics like cameras, computers and mp3 chargers have built in adapters and can be plugged straight into the wall. For all other electronics, you will need to make sure to purchase a converter. Please make sure to check all electronics before plugging them in!
18) Is there a language barrier and is this a problem?
The national language in Peru is Spanish, or Castilian, though there are a number of traditional languages such as Quechua and Aymara the country as well. The national language in Chile is Spanish. If you don’t speak Spanish though, you should not be concerned. Your guides are bi-lingual and can help with translation. Also, in tourist areas such as Machu Picchu, many menus and other signs are in both English and Spanish. Of course, if you are able to get down a few phases before your arrival it will only help to interact with locals and make your experience that much better.
For any additional questions about the Peru section of this trip please contact Juan Mayorga at juan@rusticpathways.com or Gabriel Porter-Henry at gabe@rusticpathways.com. Any questions about the Chile section of the trip should be sent to Max Hoyng at max@rusticpathways.com. |
The journey begins in the ancient Incan capital city of Cusco. Acclimatize while exploring the cobblestone streets and marvelous architecture left behind by some of the most skilled stone masons in the world before moving on to the Sacred Valley and what has been described as the “city of the living Incas,” Ollantaytambo. Here locals still live in houses built during Incan times. Winding from high-alpine environments into the tropical cloud forest, a scenic train ride will culminate in the most famous sight of Peru, Machu Picchu. Rising early to watch the sunrise over Machu Picchu and hiking up the vertigo inducing peak of Wayna Picchu for a bird’s eye view of one of the new seven wonders of the world are sure to be the highlights of your month-long program. 
After exiting what has been described as the ‘Lung of the Earth,’ you will return to the dry highlands and the picturesque shores of Lake Titicaca. This is the highest navigable lake in the world, and the snowcapped peaks of Bolivia provide the backdrop to a handful of island communities whose way of life has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Kayaking from island to island, you’ll spend several unforgettable nights learning about their traditions as you stare across the vast open waters of Lake Titicaca. 
The Valley of the Moon is another of the extraordinary attractions that will be visited during this part of the trip. This remote and extremely dry landscape is known for its stone and sand formations, which have been created through the centuries by floods and wind. Trekking through these marvelous formations, you will explore this moon-like landscape and admire the sunlight as it changes the color of the rocks from green to blue to yellow. 
