Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [454]
Puno (051-36-5088; Plaza de Armas, cnr Lima & Destua; 8:30am-7:30pm)
Trujillo (044-29-4561; mezzanine level, Municipalidad de Trujillo, Plaza Mayor, Jirón Pizarro 412; 8am-7pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Sun)
There is a 24-hour iPerú hotline (01-574-8000), which can provide general information and nonemergency assistance. Municipal tourist offices are listed under the relevant cities earlier in this book.
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TRAVELERS WITH DISABILITIES
Peru offers few conveniences for travelers with disabilities. Features such as signs in Braille or phones for the hearing-impaired are virtually nonexistent, while wheelchair ramps and lifts are few and far between, and the pavement is often badly potholed and cracked. Most hotels do not have wheelchair-accessible rooms, at least not rooms specially designated as such. Bathrooms are often barely large enough for an able-bodied person to walk into, so few are accessible to wheelchairs. Toilets in rural areas may be of the squat variety.
Nevertheless, there are Peruvians with disabilities who get around, mainly through the help of others. It is not particularly unusual to see mobility-impaired people being carried bodily to a seat on a bus, for example. If you need assistance, be polite and good-natured. Speaking Spanish will help immeasurably. If possible, bring along an able-bodied traveling companion.
Organizations that provide information for travelers with disabilities:
Access-Able Travel Source (www.access-able.com) Partial listings of accessible transportation and tours, accommodations, attractions and restaurants.
Apumayo Expediciones (Map; /fax 084-24-6018; www.apumayo.com; Interior 3, Calle Garcilaso 265, Cuzco) An adventure-tour company that takes disabled travelers to Machu Picchu and other historic sites in the Sacred Valley.
Conadis (Map; 01-332-0808; www.conadisperu.gob.pe; Av Arequipa 375, Santa Beatriz) Governmental agency for Spanish-language information and advocacy for people with disabilities.
Emerging Horizons (www.emerginghorizons.com) Travel magazine for the mobility impaired, with handy advice columns and news articles.
Mobility International USA (MIUSA; /TTY 541-343-1284; www.miusa.org; Ste 343, 132 E Broadway, Eugene, OR 97401, USA) International development and exchange programs for people with disabilities.
Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH; 212-447-7284; www.sath.org; Ste 610, 347 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA) A good resource for general travel information.
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VISAS
With a few exceptions (notably some Asian, African and communist countries), visas are not required for travelers entering Peru. Tourists are permitted a 30- to 90-day stay, which is stamped into their passports and onto a tourist card, called a Tarjeta Andina de Migración (Andean Immigration Card), that you must return upon leaving the country. The actual length of stay is determined by the immigration officer at the point of entry. Be careful not to lose your tourist card, or you will have to queue up an oficina de migraciónes (immigration office), also simply known as migraciónes, for a replacement card. It’s a good idea to carry your passport and tourist card on your person at all times, especially when traveling in remote areas (it’s required by law on the Inca Trail). For security, make a photocopy of both documents and keep them in a separate place from the originals.
Thirty-day extensions cost about US$50 and can be obtained at immigration offices in major cities, with Lima (Click here) being the most painless place to do this (see the Lima section for how to download necessary paperwork ahead of time). There are also immigration offices in Arequipa, Cuzco, Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado, Puno and Trujillo, as well as near the Chilean and Ecuadorian borders. Although extensions