Country guide

Peru

Destinations

Máncora Pacasmayo Paracas Represa Gallito Ciego

Visa & entry

eu passport	Visa-free, 90 days within any 180-day period (per Wikipedia Visa policy of Peru summary, 2026). gov.uk confirms UK gets a normal 90-day permission on entry.
us passport	Visa-free, 90 days, extendable to a maximum of 180 days within a 365-day period.
uk passport	Visa-free for tourism/short visits. gov.uk: 'You will normally get permission to stay for up to 90 days in a 180 day period,' with immigration able to grant up to 183 days within 365 days in some cases. Overstaying brings fines and possible detention.
entry or eco taxes	Lima Jorge Chávez Airport: a TUUA (airport use fee) applies to passengers transiting/departing, not included in the ticket price, payable online in advance or at the airport (gov.uk, exact 2026 amount not stated on the fetched page).
notes	Passport must be valid 6+ months beyond arrival. Land border entries require a physical passport stamp - entry is impossible without one.

Money

currency	Peruvian Sol (PEN).
atm networks fees limits	gov.uk safety advice: 'It is safer to use ATMs inside banks, supermarkets or large commercial buildings during business hours' - avoid isolated ATMs or withdrawing at night; counterfeit currency and fraudulent street money-changers have been reported in tourist areas (e.g. Cusco).
local instant payment	Yape (BCP) and Plin are Peru's dominant mobile instant-payment apps; both are historically tied to a Peruvian bank account and DNI/local ID, so most foreign tourists cannot use them without a local account - not independently re-confirmed for 2026 (some reports of foreign-card support emerging), flagged as open question.
scams	Fake/unofficial taxis, especially at Jorge Chávez International Airport - gov.uk recommends licensed telephone or app-based taxis, or hotel-arranged transport. Counterfeit banknotes and fraudulent street currency exchange in tourist zones. Unregulated sand-buggy operators around Ica/Huacachina dunes (relevant if combining a kite trip with desert excursions) - gov.uk notes frequent accidents there.
cash tips	Outside Lima, cash is important; smaller coastal kite towns (Máncora, Pacasmayo) likely have thinner ATM/card infrastructure than Lima - not independently confirmed this session.

SIM & internet

notes	Not independently verified this session due to search-tool access limits; see open_questions. General market knowledge (unverified this session): Claro, Movistar, Entel and Bitel are the four national operators.

Insurance

recommended	gov.uk stresses comprehensive travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, since 'medical treatment is not easily available and can be more difficult to access outside of Lima.'
evacuation note	Budget for evacuation from northern coastal kite towns (Máncora, Pacasmayo) back to Lima given gov.uk's note that care is harder to access outside the capital.

Health

vaccines	CDC (2026): Hepatitis A for all unvaccinated travelers 1+; Hepatitis B for unvaccinated under 60; Yellow fever recommended for jungle/Amazon regions below 2,300m (Amazonas, Cusco, Loreto, Madre de Dios etc.) but NOT for Lima or highland tourist sites above 2,300m; Typhoid if visiting rural areas or staying 1+ month; malaria prophylaxis needed for certain regions (see below).
mosquito disease seasons	CDC: malaria transmission occurs in all areas below 2,500m east of the Andes (e.g. Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado), with rare cases noted in Tumbes and Piura regions (north coast, near Máncora); no malaria risk in Lima, Cusco, or highland sites. Dengue and Zika are both present nationally per CDC, with Peru's gov.uk health page noting Peru was experiencing a major dengue outbreak following flooding (season/year of that outbreak not pinned down in fetched content).
tap water	Not bottled-safe by default - gov.uk flags that diarrhoeal illness from contaminated food/water is common in Peru; general practice is to drink bottled/filtered water outside major hotels.
emergency numbers	106 for ambulance nationally (gov.uk); in Lima specifically, private emergency medical lines: +51 1 416 6767 (Alerta Med), +51 1 467 4861 (Clave Medica).
hospital standard	gov.uk: medical treatment is 'not easily available and can be more difficult to access outside of Lima' - relevant for remote-ish coastal spots like Pacasmayo and Máncora versus Lima-adjacent Paracas.
pharmacy notes	Many medications are available over the counter in Peru, but some require a local prescription; verify legal status of any personal medication against Peruvian rules before travel.

Driving

road safety	gov.uk: 'Driving standards in Peru are poor. Drivers often ignore stop signs and traffic lights, and fatal crashes are frequent.' Overnight bus crashes are a recurring risk on mountain routes (less relevant to flat coastal kite-trip driving, but noted).

Regulation

protected areas	Paracas is a National Reserve (Reserva Nacional de Paracas) managed by SERNANP - kiteboarding near/inside the reserve is widely reported by kite travellers to be restricted to specific zones outside the core protected bay (e.g. launching from El Chaco town rather than the reserve itself), but this session could not confirm the exact zoning rule from a primary source (sernanp.gob.pe was not reachable). Flagged as open question - verify with SERNANP or local kite schools before planning a Paracas session.

protected areas

Paracas is a National Reserve (Reserva Nacional de Paracas) managed by SERNANP - kiteboarding near/inside the reserve is widely reported by kite travellers to be restricted to specific zones outside the core protected bay (e.g. launching from El Chaco town rather than the reserve itself), but this session could not confirm the exact zoning rule from a primary source (sernanp.gob.pe was not reachable). Flagged as open question - verify with SERNANP or local kite schools before planning a Paracas session.

Calendar & costs

currency	PEN

Where sources disagree

gov.uk states normal tourist permission is 'up to 90 days in a 180 day period' but also mentions immigration officials may grant up to 183 days within 365 days in some cases - the exact rule/who qualifies for the longer allowance is unclear from the source text; Wikipedia's Visa policy of Peru table separately states US/UK get 90 days extendable to 180 days within 365 days. Treat 90 days as the safe baseline and verify extensions locally.

Open questions

Exact TUUA/Lima airport fee amount in USD/PEN for 2026.
Whether Peru has (or has launched) a digital nomad visa - not confirmed this session; historically Peru had no dedicated digital nomad visa as of recent years but this should be re-checked.
Whether Yape/Plin have opened up to foreign tourist cards/numbers as of 2026.
Precise kitesurfing zoning rules inside/around Paracas National Reserve.
SIM/eSIM operator coverage quality specifically at Máncora, Pacasmayo and Paracas.
Kite-specific airline baggage policy and fees for LATAM and other carriers serving Piura/Trujillo/Pisco airports.
Cost-of-living figures (beer, meal, coffee, rent) could not be retrieved this session (Numbeo access was rate-limited).

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · en.wikipedia.org · wwwnc.cdc.gov