Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 718

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of them; snowboarding experience is
helpful but not necessary. Also in
Huacachina, you can experience the
stomach-churning adrenaline rush of
dune-buggy rides. While in Nazca they
are used as the most efficient means of
reaching distant desert sites, in Huacachina
they are used for the thrill alone.

slow). Many hotels, hostels and cafés now
have free wi-fi as well. The general rate is
S1 per hour, though in touristy places you
may end up paying as much as S5.

CRIME AND SAFETY
Perhaps the most common irritants are
the persistent touts found at bus stations
and other tourist spots, offering anything
from discount accommodation to tours;
be very wary of accepting their services,
and don't give them money up front. Also
don't take unlicensed taxis if possible.
You're most likely to come into contact
with police at the border posts. While
they have a reputation for being corrupt,
they will mostly leave tourists alone,
though some travellers may experience
petty harassment aimed at procuring a
bribe. If they search your luggage, be
scrupulously polite and be aware that
possession of any drugs is considered an
extremely serious offence in Peru - usually
leading to at least a ten-year jail sentence.
Violent crime , such as muggings, is
relatively rare. Robberies occasionally
occur on overnight buses and there
have been isolated attacks on hikers in
the area around Huaraz, so it's best not to
hike alone. It's not advisable to travel at
night between Abancay and Ayacucho,
around the Apurímac Valley near
Ayacucho or in the Río Huallaga area
in the north, between Tingo María and
Juanjui, as those areas are notorious for
drug trafficking. If you're unlucky enough
to have anything stolen, your first port of
call should be the tourist police ( policía de
turismo ), from whom you should get
a written report. Bear in mind that the
police in popular tourist spots, such as
Cusco, have become much stricter about
investigating reported thefts, after a spate
of false claims by dishonest tourists.
This means that genuine victims may be
grilled more severely than expected, and
the police may even come and search
your hotel room for the “stolen” items.

COMMUNICATIONS
Postal services are slow and very expensive
but quite acceptable for normal letters
and postcards.
All public phones are operated by coins
or phone cards ( tarjetas telefónicas ), which
are available in 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 and
50 sol denominations. You can buy cards
at little tiendas (corner shops) or at
farmacias (pharmacies) or on the street
from cigarette stalls in the centres of most
towns and cities. Both 147 and Hola
Peru cards are good for local, national
and international landline calls. A
number of shops, restaurants and corner
shops in Peru have a phone available for
public use, which you can use for calls
within Peru only. If you need to contact
the international operator, dial T 103.
Collect calls are known either simply as
collect or al cobro revertido .
If you have an unlocked mobile phone,
it's cheap and easy to get a Peruvian SIM
card (S15); alternatively, you can buy
a cheap mobile for the duration of your
stay (S80). The networks with the most
extensive coverage of the country are
Movistar and Claro; the latter allows you
to send free text messages via their website.
Peru has good internet connections, with
internet cafés abundant in big cities and
found even in the most unlikely of small
towns (though the connection may be

PERU ON THE NET
W andeantravelweb.com/peru Links to
a whole range of travel-related features
and listings.
W perulinks.com English-language
pages on art, entertainment and travel.
W virtualperu.net Peruvian geography,
history and people, plus satellite photos,
maps and other information.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS
All services T 105