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PERU TRAVEL PLANNER
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Traveller's Cheques
For safety's sake the bulk of your money should be carried as
traveller's cheques - preferably of two different types, as rumoured forgeries
make individual brands difficult to exchange, from time to time. American
Express is probably the best bet since it has its own offices in Lima and Cusco,
is widely recognized by casas de cambio, hotels, travel agents and is
exchangeable in Peru's most efficient bank, the Banco de Credito. American
Express also offers an efficient poste restante service. Master Card traveller's
cheques (such as those issued by Thomas Cook and HSBC) are exchangeable for
nuevo soles in the Banco Wiese and Banco Latino.
US dollars (preferably cash) are by far the best currency to carry in Peru -
anything else will almost certainly prove hard to get rid of outside Lima, and
the dollar exchange rate is the one most keenly followed. Pounds sterling cash,
or even as traveller's cheques, really aren't worth carrying; you often get a
very poor exchange rate. Damaged dollar notes will not generally be accepted
anywhere, but the same isn't true of nuevo soles.
Credit cards are accepted in the more expensive restaurants and hotels of large
cities throughout Peru, such as Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo and Cusco, and
increasingly even in smaller places (especially Visa) such as Puerto Maldonado,
Huaraz and Iquitos, as well as for car rental. The better known ones (including
Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club and Citicorp) can also be used with larger travel
companies, but not to pay for bus or train journeys, or at cheaper hotels or
restaurants. American Express cards are not that widely accepted. Local currency
can be withdrawn from ATMs at a number of banks, including Interbanc (Visa),
Banco Latino (Mastercard and Cirrus), Banco de Wiese (Amex, Citicorp, Diners
Club International and Mastercard) and Banco de Credito (Visa), and Unicard
(Plus). Be careful using the ATMs, though, they have become a target for
muggings. These banks will also advance cash on these cards for a small fee -
the amount varies considerably, so check beforehand.
Getting change from your nuevo soles is almost always a problem. Large
denominations should be avoided; you'll find them more difficult to change
anywhere in South America. It's particularly hard to change the larger notes in
jungle towns, and even in Cusco and Lima shopkeepers and waiters are often
reluctant to accept them; if they do, they'll end up running around trying to
find small change, which is a time consuming drag for both parties. It's best to
break up large notes at every opportunity - in major shops, bars and post
offices. If you hang on to the smaller nuevo soles notes you'll have few
difficulties in even the remotest villages.
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Published articles and reviews about us
2010
Testimonials
Norman Pedersen
Date:
Sun,18 Jul 2010
Machu Picchu and my entire visit to Peru were
wonderful. A dream come true.
I could not have been happier with everyone I met through your
arrangements.
The tours were very informative and showed me more than I knew
existed in this beautiful place.
All of the accommodations were very comfortable.
The luncheon buffet at the Alhambra was top rate. And the Ferré
Hotel in Lima was also a very good choice.Your personal assistance
throughout was exceptional!
Thank you for everything!
Melinda Hughes
Date:
Tues, 13 Jul 2010
I was one of
the “Joel Williams” party of four who was recently on a Peru Gateway
Travel tour of northern and southern Peru. I had to write so you
would know how satisfied we were with the hotel accommodations, the
tour guides, the restaurants they choose for our lunches and just
everything about the trip.
The hotels we stayed in were well located, clean and convenient in
every way. We have absolutely no complaints!
Our tour covered Peru from the north to the south. It had four
internal flights, so there were many connections, pick ups and
deliveries involved. Peru Gateway Travel made sure we were always
delivered on time to the airports and promptly met and picked up
when we landed. We never had a moments worry.
Since we had many different day tours, we had several different
guides. All were professional and spoke our language well. All were
very knowledgeable and eager to impart that knowledge to us. They
chose great places for our lunches and the cuisine was
unforgettable. We have traveled to many countries but found the food
in Peru to be absolutely wonderful.
I also wanted to mention the drivers who picked us up at all times
of the day and night, drove us to our next destination and the
delivered us safely to our hotels. We never had a driver who was
less than prompt, courteous and most importantly, a skilled and
careful driver.
The sites we saw were the places we chose to see. And they did not
disappoint us. From the desert to the Andes to the Jungle, we
enjoyed it all.
Please feel free to use this email on your website or as a
testimonial. All four of our group would recommend Peru Gateway
Travel to anyone planning a trip to Peru. We were well taken care
of, enjoyed delicious food, saw awesome sights and had a wonderful
time.
Sincerely.
Ajay Chopra
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
We are back in
Lima. Our trip to Machu Picchu was wonderful, thank you and your
team and the ground staff in Cuzco for all their help and care. A
special thanks to Angella for her help.
We hope to do business with you in the near future.
Best Regards
Saikat.
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
I just wanted to let you know that we had an amazing
and wonderful trip to your country.
I must state that the people of Peru impressed me very much - they
are so nice!
While I have already filled-up the feedback form, this is just a
personal note to say Thank you.
Do visit India sometime - we have a lot in common.
Regards,
Irina Pascu
Date:
Fri, 25 Jun 2010
I am now back
home but still not believed that the holiday is over. I just
write you to tell you that I had a wonderful time in Peru and to
thanks for
your support. The circuit was very well designed and I had the
opportunity
to visit all the important sites I envisaged and also the Sacred
Valley and
the Altiplano.
I was really impressed by the organization and your people, always
in time
for pick up and interested to offer the necessary information.
Finally I showed to my friends that Peru is not so far and a visit
there
could be a wonderful experience. For me was a dream come true.
Many thanks to you and to your team.
Melissa Polier
Date:
Tues, 22 Jun 2010
My 2 adult children and I recently returned from our
hike to Machu Picchu and I wanted to thank you for all your
assistance. Our trip was great. We very much enjoyed visiting your
beautiful country. I especially want to praise our guide, cook and
porters. They did a terrific job. The food was marvelous and after a
long hike it was definitely something to look forward to. The
porters were very kind and when I needed some assistance at the end
of the 3rd day one of the porters helped me a lot. Our guide was
great. He was very knowledgeable and fun to hike with and he seemed
to really love his job. Again, thanks so much for everything
Read More testimonials »
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Peru Viajes
