<strong><em>CONTACT FROM HOME – LANGUAGE – TIME</em></strong>

<strong>Email –</strong> By far the best way to receive news from friends and family is by email. You can pick up emails from anywhere in the world just by ‘logging on’ at any Internet café or anywhere that has access to the worldwide web. Some of the best companies to register with are Hotmail or Yahoo. It is a free service and takes just a couple of minutes to register.

<strong>Language</strong> – Spanish is the official language in all South American countries (except Brazil, where they speak Portuguese). It is very useful to learn a few phrases and you will be pleasantly surprised at the reaction you will receive, and the satisfaction you will get, in being able to communicate with local people.

<strong>Time</strong> – Peru are about 5 hours behind the UK. Time is something that many South American people seem to have plenty of. Things that should take 5 minutes can take an hour. Try not to speed things up as this just leads to greater frustration. The one word you will hear a lot of is ‘Manana’ – or tomorrow.

<strong><em>PERSONAL HEALTH – VACCINATIONS – MEDICAL KITS</em></strong>

<strong> </strong><strong>Health and Hygiene on the trip – </strong>Your tour leader will talk to you about this at the beginning of the trip. To join the expedition you should be in good general health.  <em>You must notify the tour leader if you have any pre-existing medical condition or are on any regular medication.</em>

<strong>Vaccinations – </strong>You will have to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever and will need an International Vaccination Certificate to prove it.  It is also advisable to be vaccinated against Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis A and Meningitis. Consult your doctor about the necessity of having Hepatitis B and Rabies shots. If you plan to visit the Amazon Basin then you will need a course of Malaria tablets, please contact your doctor or a medical centre for advice on which Malaria treatments may suit you best.

Try to allow 6 weeks to get all your vaccinations done.  Your doctor will advise the best order in which your shots should be given. If you are not registered with a GP there are a number of medical centres, which can help you.  However, some can be quite expensive so it is worth hunting around.

<strong>Altitude sickness – </strong>This is caused by thin air and can affect anyone arriving at high altitude. The symptoms are headaches, dizziness, shortage of breath and possibly nausea. To avoid this or alleviate the symptoms, rest for a few hours and avoid drinking alcohol, smoking and large meals. Take it easy for at least 24 hours and drink plenty of water. As we are travelling mostly by land (as opposed to flying into a high altitude location) we should acclimatise gradually, and so avoid ‘soroche’, mountain sickness.

<strong> </strong><strong>Personal Medicines – </strong>We advise you bring along your own small medical kit to include; antiseptic ointment; antihistamine cream; nurofen or equivalent pain-killer; eye drops/bath; anti diarrhoea treatment; sun block; after sun/moisturiser; rehydration sachets; plasters; suitable antibiotics as recommended by your doctor for infected cuts and to treat severe dysentery.

<strong><em>SECURITY</em></strong>

A money belt that can be concealed is better than a bum bag or wallet that hangs from the neck.  We advise you do not take items of value that are not essential to your journey. Most hotels we use have safety deposit boxes, which we suggest you use as well. The company does not take responsibility for client’s personal items

<strong><em>CURRENCY REQUIREMENTS & PERSONAL SPENDING MONEY</em></strong>

It is best to bring your money as <strong>one-third in US Dollars cash</strong> and <strong>two-thirds in US Dollars Travellers Cheques </strong>(American Express T/Cs are best). Credit Cards, especially Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club and American Express are accepted. <strong>BUT DO NOT RELY ON THEM.</strong>  They are not widely accepted for purchases outside Lima but can be used for cash advances either from ATMs or over the counter.  Some smaller towns do not have cash machines or banks (eg Huacachina, Copacabana) but most other places you shouldn’t have a problem withdrawing cash (except on Sundays).  You can withdraw cash in US dollars or Peruvian soles. However<strong> don’t rely on</strong> <strong>credit cards</strong> for cash advances, you still need to bring at least half your money as US dollars cash and travellers cheques.

<strong> </strong><strong>When buying US Dollars before you travel, ask for clean notes with no rips, as marked and torn notes are often not accepted in Peru.  It can be difficult using $100 bills in  Peru & Bolivia so if possible, bring $50 bills.</strong>

We suggest that people allow at least $200 per week, this is to include spending money, side trips, most meals, drinks, emails, souvenirs, visas and arrival/departure taxes. This is an estimated figure as personal spending habits, and budgets, vary hugely from person to person. <strong>Allow extra for your local payment.  You will also need to allow approx US$8 (15 day) / US$4 (21 day) for internal flight airport taxes.</strong>

<strong>Spending Money – </strong>For personal spending money budget on about US $200 per week. If you plan on buying a lot of rafts and souvenirs along the way you will need a bit more.

<strong>Tipping – </strong>Tipping is usually expected. It is often more than a reward for services well done but, as wages are extremely low, it is an accepted means of supplementing an income. Keep small change on you so as not to incur a large demand when it is seen you can afford more. Tipping your trip staff is optional but customary. Take along between around $50 and $100 in local currency or USD for this purpose. We suggest that you tip according to how well you were served. Remember that in Developing Countries, what might seem like very little money to you can often be more than someone makes in a week. <strong>Tipping on the Inca Trail</strong> – There is on average, 2 staff for every trekker on the Inca Trail and they work very hard carrying loads, cooking meals and leading the way.  Essentially, how much you pay is up to you but your tour leader will give you advice on this.  As a guideline, tips to include porters, cooks and guides comes to approximately US$30 – US$45 per trekker for the 3 days, depending on how many trekkers there are in your group.

<strong> </strong><strong>Bargaining</strong> – All prices are negotiable, especially in markets.  Many travellers find it a hassle having to bargain for everything they wish to buy, but prices are usually inflated so if you are not happy, move on to another place.  You are under no obligation to buy so don’t be intimidated.

<strong>Things to Buy –</strong> Peru and Bolivia are famous for many items from wooden carvings, woven and knitted garments such as the traditional ‘Panama’ hat to woollen gloves, hats and colourful ponchos. There are also opportunities to purchase jewellery, leatherwear and alpaca and llama woollen jumpers.

<strong>Attitude </strong>

Our expeditions travel through remote and rarely visited parts of Peru and we believe our clients should be aware that the remoteness that makes these trips so very special could also cause certain problems. Thus, whilst we endeavor to minimize the chances of anything unexpected happening, it has to be noted that no itinerary can or should be rigidly adhered to. This is the very nature of Adventure Travel and we expect our clients to be prepared for delays and slight alterations in our programmed events. We have taken all these possibilities into account when planning this expedition and have allowed sufficient leeway to enable us to successfully run these exceptional trips. You should also be aware that adventure travel, in particular trekking, white-water rafting, mountain biking, jungle river travel and general traveling in remote areas such as Southern Peru, does carry with it certain inherent risks that you, the client, will have to assume. Jungle flights are also prone to cancellation in bad weather. You will have to take out adequate travel insurance to cover these risks and any costs incurred due to sickness, delayed flights and other factors out of our control. A pre-departure meeting will be held on arrival in Cusco. It is highly recommended you attend. All clients will be asked to sign a release and waiver form and must provide a photocopy of their passport, Peru entry stamp and details of their travel insurance. A positive attitude is essential in traveling in third world countries and we do our best to make things “happen” Don’t expect this country to be like home!
<h2>Environment:</h2>
<strong>Sun God Expeditions is helping an environmental initiative to stop the use of throw-away plastic bottles in Peru. Help us by not buying throw away plastic water and soda bottles. Use a canteen and fill up from glass returnable bottles. Help us keep the Andes and Amazon plastic bottle free. Boycott restaurants that use non-returnable plastic bottles<em>.</em></strong>

<strong><em>PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO CAMERAS</em></strong>

<strong>Photography – </strong>Mornings and late afternoons are often best for photos, as the midday sun can be very bright and lead to a washed out look. A polarizing filter or lens hood will help to prevent this. It is advisable to have a good all round carry case to protect your camera from dust and knocks. An easy to use instamatic will get you good shots. If you want something really memorable it may be worthwhile investing in a SLR camera.  An 80 to 210 zoom will get you some good people shots.

Take slightly more film than you think will be necessary for the entire trip.<strong><em>  </em></strong>100/200 speed film is good for most conditions, 400 speed is recommended for jungle areas. If you are bringing a digital camera on the trip then it is worth buying a large memory card (250Mb – 1Gb) as places where your cards can be burned onto disk are few and far between.

<strong><em> </em></strong><strong>It is forbidden in all the countries we visit to take photos of anything military.  Bridges, border posts and airports are also sensitive, so be careful or be prepared to have your film and possibly your camera confiscated by irate officials. Please act with discretion and respect when taking photos of people ( especially Muslim women ) – if in doubt it is always better to ask first before you snap a way ! It is also advisable to be sensitive when poverty, deprivation or disadvantaged living may be apparent. Taking these kind of photos may send out a misconstrued message to the locals and may cause an uncomfortable or hostile atmosphere for yourself and others.</strong>

<strong>Video Cameras – </strong>In most hotels you can charge from the mains, so bring a travel adaptor plug as you’ll come across virtually every type of socket ever invented plus a few others.  Most countries run on 220/240 V current.  You should also bring at least one spare battery with you, as you will not be able to purchase spares on route.

<strong><em>CLIMATE</em></strong>

You will experience a variety of temperatures. From freezing night time temperatures in the Andes to scorching 35C + mid day heat on the Peruvian Coast.  The rains in the Andes usually occur between November and April.  This means downpours once or twice a day with the rest of the day usually warm and sunny, although there will also be times where it may not rain at all for a week or so.  April to October is the dry season with clear views of the mountains.  It is hot during the day but extremely cold at night with temperatures often below zero. The Cusco area and surrounding mountains has well-defined seasons.  From June to August, while winter days are typically sunny and warm with temperatures of 18-22C, the temperature can drop to below freezing (27°F/-3°C) at night in our high camps, and rarely to colder.  Rain seldom falls during winter.  From January to March, the summer months offer daytime temperatures to 85°F/30°C, milder nights (typically to 45°F/8°C) and plenty of rain. Despite some rain, December is one of our favorite months for trekking, since the mountains are lush with sum­mer flowers and you enjoy plenty of sunshine.  Departures during Andean spring and fall offer weather patterns intermediate between these seasonal extremes.

Mean rainfall for the region is rather low at 2,200mm per year (only twice as much as New York City). Rainfall for the Andean slopes is heavier. Most of this falls in the rainy season (December to April). Daytime high temperatures average from 28’C – 32’C (81’F – 90’F) and night time low temperatures range from 20’C – 26’C (68’F – 79’F). However, in the dry season (May to October) one may experience a cold front from the South Atlantic which can result in low temperatures of 10’C (50’F). These cold fronts, known as friezes, are characteristic of the region. The Amazon basin rain forest is hot and humid all year around with little variation from midsummer (December) and midwinter (June) due to Peru being only 12 degrees south of the Equator.  We recommend you pack a sweater or light jacket “just in case” however during the “dry season” from May to October there is a lot less than in the “wet season” from late November to April.