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Cradle of ancient empires

Cradle to the vast Incan Empire, the largest in pre-Colombian America, Peru's power and gold attracted the Spanish conquistadors who used it to fund their own vast empire in the Americas. As a result, colonial gems like magnificent Cusco were built on Incan foundations, making for a fascinating hybrid culture. Peru is peppered with Incan sites, but none so famous as the "lost city" of Machu Picchu, whose breathtaking image seems to grace every brochure and travel book. Peru has been blessed with natural gifts as well: a huge chunk of Amazon rainforest falls within its bounds, and visitors can hike through jungle, trek in the Andes, and surf the northern beaches all in the same week. Cap it off with Lake Titicaca, one of the highest lakes in the world, and you've only just begun to scratch the surface.

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Since 2005, Planeterra has been working with the Ccaccaccollo community to develop a women’s weaving cooperative. G Adventures groups are able to visit this community as part of the Sacred Valley Tour. Here they meet the women and learn about all the stages of the weaving process: hand-spinning the wool, dying the wool using natural dyes, and participating in a weaving demonstration. Travellers are also given the opportunity to purchase high quality textiles directly from the women who made them. Today, more than 55 women are part of the association, constantly learning new methods of production to make items that our travellers find useful for their trips, while also maintaining the traditional weaving methods to produce textiles made from llama and alpaca wool.

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Parwa is a restaurant owned by the Huchuy Qosqo Association, a community-based tourism enterprise developed by Planeterra and G Adventures with co-financing from the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank Group. All income earned by the restaurant is used for investment in social projects for the community. The ingredients used in the restaurant are bought directly from the local farmers, providing a local market for direct sales. Parwa Restaurant opened in March 2014 and has an average of 1,500 travellers per month, mostly from G Adventures. Employees have monthly salaries, health insurance, pension funds, and other labor benefits. Over 25 micro entrepreneurs received technical assistance and funds to establish new businesses to supply the Parwa restaurant or sell their goods to our travellers who visit the Huchuy Qosco community.

The best ways to pay for services in Peru

It’s common to pay with card, but cash is more widely accepted and probably your best bet. You can take out money at ATMs — they’re easily accessible, open on weekends, and allow you take out local currency (Peruvian Soles) and USD. We recommend using local currency so if you’re looking to exchange cash, it’s better to do it in the big cities rather than towns or tourist attractions because they generally have better rates.

We also recommend using credit cards in restaurants, department stores, and supermarkets. If paying with a card, VISA is more generally used but Mastercard is accepted too.

Tips on tips

Some reasonable suggestions on how to tip the staff

Packing for Peru

Most people automatically assume that the weather is hot in South America, but because of the higher altitude in the Andes, the temperature can feel quite cold, especially at night.

We recommend using a backpack for your convenience, or a medium-sized suitcase if you prefer. A daypack is also essential for carrying everyday items. Space is limited on transportation, so there is a limit of one main piece of luggage per person. You will be responsible for carrying your own luggage.

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Electricity and power supplies in Peru

The entire country of Peru runs on 220-volt currents and uses two types of electrical outlets — one that accepts two-pronged plugs with flat, parallel blades (Type A), and another that accepts plugs with two round prongs (Type C). However, many Peruvian electrical outlets are designed to accept both types. If your appliance has a different plug attachment, you can buy a universal plug adapter that’s inexpensive and easy to carry around with you. Before you plug in any appliance that you’ve brought from home, make sure it can handle it. A great way to kill a 110-volt appliance is to fry it at 220 volts.