Health & Safety

Health

In Cusco, the biggest health issues are related to the high altitude (known as soroche to the locals). If you suffer from soroche, you may experience headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, or vomiting. The best thing you can do for these symptoms is to rest and stay hydrated. It is also advisable to eat light meals at first. For example, soup is a great option. If this problem persists for more than 2 days, you may want to seek medical attention.

Another problem that many visitors experience when travelling to Peru is traveller´s diarrhoea. This can be disturbing to your travel plans, especially when you want to see MachuPicchu! To avoid this problem, make sure you choose clean restaurants and avoid street food. Always drink bottled or boiled water. Many problems arise when fruits or vegetables are cleaned with the tap water and served in a salad. Make sure to eat cooked vegetables or peel raw fruits and vegetables. For example, avocado is a great food to eat because you take off the peel. An apple can be okay too as long as you remove the peel. Be prepared and bring medications from home.

Finally, the UV rays in Cusco are extremely strong. Bring sunscreen with full spectrum protection, hats, and sunglasses. You can purchase sunscreen in Cusco, but it is expensive and often the quality is not as good as brands from other countries.

Safety

Cusco is a relatively safe city. Violent crime is not as prevalent here as other destinations. However, you should always use common sense and keep aware of your surroundings, especially at night.

Do not walk alone at night and it is best not to carry large amounts of cash or display wealth. Also, avoid areas that are known for being unsafe.

Not all taxis are licensed: many car owners just put a TAXI sign on their window and operate as a taxi. Many taxis are unsafe and you should be especially careful when choosing which taxi to get into. If you get a taxi arranged by your hotel, you will pay a hire fare for the ride but you will be absolutely safe and the car will be in good condition. If you do not speak Spanish, the hotel will help you with making sure you get to the proper destination and they will arrange the fare for you.

If you have to catch a taxi on the street, be sure you get in a cab with a registration number displayed on the car door. Make sure you establish the fare before entering in the cab. In Spanish say “Cuanto hasta (destination)” This means, how much to (destination). It is best to sit in the back right behind the driver and never allow another passenger that you do not know to get into the taxi with you.

Do not ride in one of the little TICOS, as they are very unsafe mechanically and they are especially unsafe in an accident.

Cusco has a great nightlife. You can have a lot of fun out at the bars and discotecas, but be careful with the number of drinks you consume because the alcohol will affect you more at high altitude. If you are a single traveller, make sure that you do not accept drinks from strangers and be careful with the “brecheros/brecheras”. Brecheros/brecheras are people who are hunting tourists and will seem charming at first but the motive is to rob you if they get you alone.

If you use common sense, you will not have any problems. However, if any problems arise, go to the National Tourism Police at Calle Saphi. The staff speak English and they are trained to help foreigners. Another option is the Tourist Protection Bureau in the Plaza de Armas