So your custom trip to Peru is about to begin! You’re packed and ready to board the plane, and in a few hours you’ll land in what may well seem like a whole new world! We’re here for you with a list of some of the differences you’ll encounter, to help you avoid culture shock. Although part of the fun of traveling is experience new cultures, we figure it may help you feel less like an alien and more on top of things, if you know a bit about what to expect on your Peru vacation.

1- Closer personal space

As a culture, there’s a shorter distance in personal space. Peruvians stand closer, touch more frequently, and in general don’t mind accidentally nudging each other, or you, in passing. In contrast, there’s greater distance and separateness, and more regard for “individual space” among people from western countries. You may feel uncomfortable at first. I became accustomed to the greater intimacy and missed it when I left.

2- Health, Sanitation, and Safety

There are different rules in place in Peru for health and sanitation. For example, due to sensitive plumbing in many buildings, it is normal to be requested to discard toilet paper in a trashcan next to the toilet, rather than flush it. This may seem off-putting to some folks, but one does become accustomed.

Drink and brush teeth with only boiled and bottled water during your visit Most hotels and tourist restaurants are already savvy. Eat at food stands at your own risk. To avoid nasty organisms, be extra careful about ice and raw fruits and veggies.

Electricity is 220 volt, so remember to check your items so as not to destroy them when plugging into a wall socket in Peru. Transformers can be purchased to avoid ruining your electronics with a powerful surge.

3- Shopping and Transportation

In Peru, there are mom-and-pop shops on every street. This makes shopping for small items relatively convenient. Eggs are sold by the egg, tea bags by the bag, etc. Shops of one type often appear in one location. So, all of the juice ladies are in one section of Mercado San Pedro in Cusco, all of the electricians in one place, etc. Competitors, often loudly touting their goods, create a cacophony trying to attract your business.

Getting around in Peru is relatively easy. Taxis are inexpensive, and buses even cheaper; however, it is wise to get the phone number of a reputable taxi company and use them exclusively. If you plan to hail a taxi on the street, it is recommended to only use officially registered taxis. How to recognize one? Unfortunately, taxi regulations are not universal in Peru and are established by each municipality.  That said, most taxis in Peru are either yellow or white.  Moreover, registered taxis should have a taxi sign fixed on the roof of the car and license plate number painted (or a sticker) on the side of the car.  When you exit a cab ALWAYS REMEMBER to check the seats for your items.

If you choose to have the experience of riding a bus or combi, which costs less than a US dollar, be prepared for the bus caller! This is the person who assists the driver by letting everyone know the route: it’s amazing how many syllables can be fit into a thirty-second spiel. Western safety standards are nowhere in site. Ride at your own risk!

4- Authenticity and Animals!

One of the most charming parts of your Peru trip will be the sight of folks wearing colorful traditional dress, leading alpacas and llamas through the streets. In Cusco, Inca walls, staircases, and cobblestones are a part of the infrastructure that’s traversed on a daily basis. The contrast of the new with the ancient is intriguing and fascinating. (Also, guinea pigs are food.)

5- The chaos is part of the fun.

The lines are not as straight, nor the structures as symmetrical, generally speaking. You might notice that traffic rules are loosely obeyed and yet accidents aren’t as common as you would think. A friendly din, and a loud and boisterous chaos are characteristic of many places on Peru: a quality of vitality and excitement goes along with this seeming disorder. Although it may seem overwhelming at times, there’s an excitement to being part of the noisy and vibrant life in Peru.

On your custom trip to Peru, you’ll certainly see and hear much about the magnificence of the Inca legacy.

In the approximate one hundred years before the Spanish arrived, the Incas united multiple tribes into one empire. Their territory covered a vast expanse of land over Ecuador, Peru, northern Chile, the Argentinian highlands, Bolivia, and the southern region of Colombia, an area of over 3,400 miles! They gained and retained dominion over a vastly diverse population for over a century, and their spectacular rise was followed by an equally spectacular fall once the Spanish conquistadors arrived and laid claim to their kingdom and resources. Forty thousand Inca leaders dominated this enormous area with a population of over ten million people and over thirty different languages were spoken in addition to the Inca language, Runasimi, or Quechua.

But what of the people the Inca conquered? Peru was home to many tribes, each with its own language, traditions, religious beliefs, and styles of art. On your tailor-made Peru vacation, you’ll have the chance to look back even further than the Inca Empire, and explore ruins and artifacts that have been attributed to equally intriguing, yet even more ancient Andean cultures.

One such people were the Wari, who left behind the ruins of Pikillaqta, located on the outskirts of Cusco in Quispicanchi Province. The term Pikillaqta is interpreted as “Place of the Fleas.” The Wari people that built it thrived from 550 to 1100 CE and inhabited a large area that included territory in the south central Andes highlands and large areas of Peru’s coastline. Their capital was located just north of Ayacucho, some 425 miles west of Cusco, and evidence of their influence has been found at other sites near Lima, including the oracle center of Pachacamac, and as far up the northern coast as Chiclayo.

It is thought that the Wari mainly used the Pikillaqta site for rituals and religious ceremonies. The site has only been studied intensively in recent decades and has taught us much about the people who built it. They were cultivators of maize and beans, with maize playing a large role in both their daily and ceremonial life. Evidence of the consumption of chicha, a fermented maize beer, demonstrates the long history of this drink throughout the centuries: it is still very much a part of life in Peru’s rural communities.