Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rental
Major rental companies have offices in Lima (
Click here
) and a few other large cities.
Renting a motorcycle is an option mainly in jungle towns, where you can go for short runs
around town on dirt bikes, but not much further.
Economy car rental starts at US$25 a day without the 19% sales tax, 'super' collision-
damage waiver, personal accident insurance and so on, which together can climb to more
than US$100 per day, not including excess mileage. Vehicles with 4WD are more expens-
ive.
Make sure you completely understand the rental agreement before you sign. A credit
card is required, and renters normally need to be over 25 years of age.
Road Rules & Hazards
Bear in mind that the condition of rental cars is often poor, roads are potholed (even the
paved Pan-American Hwy), gas is expensive, and drivers are aggressive, regarding speed
limits, road signs and traffic signals as mere guides, not the law. Moreover, road signs are
often small and unclear.
Driving is on the right-hand side of the road. Driving at night is not recommended be-
cause of poor conditions, speeding buses and slow-moving, poorly lit trucks.
Theft is all too common, so you should not leave your vehicle parked on the street.
When stopping overnight, park the car in a guarded lot (common in better hotels).
Gasoline or petrol stations (called
grifos
) are few and far between.
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is never entirely safe in any country in the world and is not recommended.
Travelers who decide to hitchhike should understand that they are taking a serious risk.
Hitchhikers will be safer if they travel in pairs and let someone know where they are plan-
ning to go. In Peru hitchhiking is not very practical, as there are few private cars, buses
are so cheap and trucks are often used as paid public transportation in remote areas.
Local Transportation
In most towns and cities, it's easy to walk everywhere or take a taxi. Using local buses,
micros
and
combis
can be tricky, but is very inexpensive.
