TOURISTIC INFORMATION OF PERU:

	General information Government: unitary,representative, non-centered. Political Divissiòn: it is constituted by 24 departments and the Constitutional Province of Callao. Independence day: July 28. National flower: Kantu. National Bird: Gallito de las Rocas (Little rooster from the rocks). Higher Mountain: Huascarán (6,768 msnm). It has an área of : 1´285,215 squared kilometers.

Population: According to the recording of 2005, 27.219.264 inhabitants settled in the national territory in 2005; whice makes a media population density of 21,2 inhabitants per squared kilometer, with a range of Growing of 1,4% anual. The 52,1% of the peruvian population lives in the coast; the andean sierra hosts the 36,9 % and in the amazonic plain, the 11%. And a huge variety of weathers, landscapes and ecosystems.


Money and change: The oficial coin of Peru is Nuevo Sol.
The divise of more acceptance is the American Dollar, joining the Euro, Travellers checks are hard to change with some exceptions of cities.

For more information of the orienting change of the dollar into soles visit ENLACES UTILES.


The official language: is Spanish, spoken by the 80%, Quechua 16 %, other languages, 3 % it corresponds mostly to the 38 different languages that exist in the Amazonìawith more than 200 varieties and the

Aymara spoken in the boarder of Puno) foreign languages 0,2 %.


Religion: Is also a heritage of the Conquest (invasion; that is why it is a country mostly catholic (more than 75% of the population). With Catholicism, Since Century XVI live together expressions of a native religion based on the cult to the Sun, Pachamama (Mother Earth)and the elements of nature in general. The religious activity in Perú is important, considering that for much people one of the “centers of energy” of the world is located precisely in the city of Cusco.

Peru is a country located in the central part and the occidental one of South America. It limits with Ecuador and Colombia to the North, with the Brasilian States of Amazonas and Acre in the East, with Bolivia at the South East and with Chile at the South and with Oceano Pacìfico (Peaceful ocean) to the West, it is the third country with most diversity in the planet.

Thanks to its strategic location, Peru is a priviledged destiny for tourism and one of the markets for investment more attractive. With ancient cultures and rich colonial tradition, Peru is a magic spot which includes one of the most rich biodiversities in the planet and is a blend of different cultures that together forge to promise a better future.

Peru has an extraordinary climate variety and ecosystem that put the country as one of the five top nations in terms of biodiversity, where one can find 84 from the 104 zones of life existing in the planet.

The country is home of more than 400 mammal species, 300 species of reptiles

1700 species of birds (the second in number of species in the world), Perú has the higher number of species of butterflies in the world (3500 species) and more than 50000 species of plants registered.

For a country like Peru in which the history is still dancing and singing in plazas and towns

celebrating the festivity of life. Three thousand celebrations each year and 1500 different musical genders are the state of life of the spirit of the nation where the magic, diversity and creativity are the daily ingredients of the common Peruvian inhabitant.


At the same time, Peru has and excellent biodiversity which is reason enough that encourage the lovers of nature to explore the most lonely places of Peru.

Visitors can stay weeks making tours through the fascinating deserts of the Peruvian Coast,

The sierra or the tropical jungle, which offers a huge diversity of animals and plants.

Lovers of nature will also find the Andes as an ideal place to make trekkings, campings and mountain climbing.

The Peruvian Sierra is surrounded with more than 15,000 lakes, thaws peaks with more than 6,000 meters of Height, the most deep canyons of the world, pintoresque valleys. The whole Range of the Andes offers uncomparable opportunities for the practice of rafting, circuits for mountain bike and uncredible winds for the Fonds of delta wings (ala delta and parapente).

The beaches of Paracas (South of Lima) along the north of the coast (Huanchaco, Máncora, Punta Sal, etc.) are the ideal places for sports like surfing, windsurfing, sand boarding, fishing and scuba diving.

There is also good fishing in the Amazonic jungle and the (birdwatchers) will also be benefited with the wide index of strange birds.

Lovers of nature will find Peru an option for destiny: more than 50 protected areas along the coast, Andean mountains, swamps, amazonic forest and tropical sierras, including Paracas, Manú, Tambopata-Candamo, Bahuaja- Sonene, Pacaya-Samiria, Pampa Galeras and Huascarán. These ecosystems are single and are the paradise of dozens of species in risk of extinction.

Peru will also take the visitors to a world of art and ancient knowledge, the major heritage of prehispanic civilization like Quechua, Aymara whose world sight were based on its observation of the sky and nature.

During centuries, Peru also incorporated cultural contribution to Europe, Africa, Asia.

A diverse nation of many cultures, Peru is a without end of plentiful creativity. In addition to its historic archeological and architectonic heritage, the folkloric art is another attraction of Peru for the tourist. Its folklore is evident in more than 1,500 musical genders, combining instruments from outdoors with equivalent andean natives like the flute, quena and zampoña, which acompany its music for more than 3,000 festivals like la Candelaria, Inti Raymi, Carnavales, Corpus Christi and Semana Santa.(Holy week).

At the same time, Peru has one of the most exquisite and varied cuisines over the world, the local cheffs have had success in adapting a diverse variety of native ingredients showing the world the influences of these.

The Peruvian cuisine is an invitation to discover the flavors and exquisite smellings which are authentic as its ancienty.

Cusco, the Capital of the Inca Empire (1300-1500 DC), the great precolumbian civilization in SouthAmerica.

Cusco and its gorgeous environment, buildings like the citadel of Machu Picchu, denominated as one of the modern wonders of the world.

Having a blend of cultures in prosperous cities that were founded during the colonial era, which nowadays, with its churches, convents, monasteries and aristocratic chateaus, are a sample of the architecture and the art of the last age.

The jungle with the Department of Madre de Dios with its Capital city Puerto Maldonado, which has been UNGIDO under the deserved national recognition by law Nª 26311 with the title of "Capital of the Biodiversity of Perú" and it is because its territory hostages

575 varieties of birds, 1,200 of butterflies, 135 species of ants and one of the most diversities of the planet, besides the Reserves Tambopata, of Manú and the Sanctuary of the Pampas of Heath.

There are some countries in the earth that can go along with Peru offering so much variety and armonic cultural adaptation of several languages, etnic differences and cultures in one of the more complex geographies in the planet, this characteristic gave Peru an achieve to the greatest more ancient civilizations in the world, and is what makes nowadays Peru a fascinating country for the visitors of all styles of life.

HEALTH: Soroche or illness of altitude.
Also known as acute illness of altitude, is basically a consequence of the lacking of oxygen. It seldom occurs in non-aclimatated persons that ascend over the 2,000 masl en less than a day, two days. The tourist that arrive to Cusco by plane in the most prone to suffer SOROCHE, although the consequences are different for every people. In fact there are people to whom highness does not affect.The synthoms are varied and generally is presented into the first 48 hours of ascending and includes from headache, nauseas and lacking of apetite, to a sensation of non-breathing, sleepless, palpitation,etc.

Prevention
The best way to avoid the bothering soroche, is making a gradual ascending. It is very important that those who arrive to high zones like Cusco make activities in a gradual manner.

It is recommendable to rest the first day, eat light and enjoy the delicious coca tea. As prevention, you may take acetazolamida (125-250 mg / 2-4 times a day by oral way) since 48 hours before the ascending until the 48 hours of having arrived to the zone of highness.

If you have time and can spend the first nights of your trip at Cusco in the Sacred Valley you would have less Probabilities to have altitude sickness.

Treatment: If although taking prevention soroche is present, take much liquid. Paracetamol is ideal against headache and coramina avoids nauseas.

Acetazolamida (250 mg / 2- 4 times a day oral way, dosis máximum: 1,000 mg/dí­a) is very efficient for beating the bothering of soroche and speed the acclimatization.
If you feel extremely uncomfortable for altitude is preferably to ask a physician and watch the counterindications. Do not wait be feeling very ill to ask for oxygen. You can find it in drugstores and at the hospitals.


UNCAPABLE TRAVELERS
Peru is not a Paradise for people with problems of movement. Although many things have been changing, the truth is that we cannot say it is an adapted country. At the time of choosing a hotel, it is convenient to get Informed well about it, with your travel agent.



ELECTRIC CURRENT
If you are going to take an electric set you do not need to buy an adaptor, the sockets are available for Round plugs as those in Spain, Argentina, etc.The input of current is of 220 volts in most hostages, except (strange thing)in luxurious hotels that function at 110 volts.


LOCAL TIME
It will have to take in consideration the time diference with the country of origin since in Peru the time is not changed along the year.


VISA.
People who arrive coming from European Economic Community and United States do not need the checking of Visas of entering to the country.


OFFICIAL HOLYDAYS IN PERU:
JANUARY 1: New Year.
MAY 1: Labor Day.
JUNE 24: Inti Raymi.
JUNE 29: St. Peter and St. Paul.
JULY 28: Independence Day. Fiestas Patrias.
AUGUST 30: Santa Rosa de Lima (nationwide)
OCTOBER 8: The Battle of Angamos.
NOVEMBER 1: All Saints.
DECEMBER 8: The Immaculate Conception.
DECEMBER 25: Christmas.