Peru safety

I had a trip booked to Cusco and Lima for this week but cancelled it months ago. At the time there was civil unrest and tourists were being stranded. Things have settled down some but am not completely in the loop on the current state of tourist travel in Peru. We just decided that it was not worth the hassle factor and decided to travel elsewhere. Good luck!!

Is the warning for petty crime, kidnapping, gang violence, government unrest, etc? In general, anybody who travels to any S. American country at any time needs to be aware that there is always petty crime and a chance of civil unrest. Pay close attention to your surroundings and look for places you could seek help if needed (stores, hospitals, police stations, hotels, etc.). Also pay attention to your intuition. If you feel something isn’t right, don’t ignore the feeling.

At your hotel ask what areas need to be avoided and what you should be aware of. Not specific to Peru, but we’ve been told to avoid certain areas, don’t take X taxis, beware of pickpockets on the busses, don’t travel on foot to X area after dark, etc. Heed their advice. We had no problems in Cusco but stayed mainly in the area between our hotel and the main plaza. In Quito we hired a driver through the hotel when we wanted to go somewhere and avoided the historic center at night. In Buenos Aires we only visited La Boca during the day. In Chile we took to local bus from Santiago de Valparaiso and the locals there warned us about pickpockets.

With regard to State Department warnings, it has warnings out for most countries. I get a kick out of the ones I receive for Spain. Yes, there is a chance something could happen, but probably not likely. Look up any news for Puno to see what the press is saying. Only you know your comfort level.

Are these private guides, or a tour?

We would never go to a country like Peru unless on a tour.

We used PeruAgency.com for a wonderful tour of Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.

I've actually made nine safe and fantastic trips to Peru without guides (most recently 2019, but I'm planning another for next year), so even though my personal experience doesn't prove anything, don't take the preceding comment as final -- though as many people in Peru make good livings as travel guides, I would never discourage anyone from using their services. One suggestion -- you may want to consider posting your question on the Trip Advisor forum, where you'll probably get more responses, and updated ones. You can start by just scanning the current contents of its Peru forum. (The target audience for this Rick Steves forum consists of Europe-oriented tourists -- on Trip Advisor you'll have a better chance of hearing from real South America experts.)

I suppose it’s not a bad idea to consult the US state department for safety advice, but I wouldn’t stop there. My own theory (which I can’t prove) is that the State Department people are thinking in part about themselves. If something happens to an American tourist abroad, the State Department people probably worry that everyone will get on their case, demanding to know why the Department didn’t issue sterner warnings for that fearsome destination . So I suspect that the State Department issues the worst warnings they can possibly justify for every country, just to cover themselves. Really, they’ll scare you out of visiting Denmark if you give them a chance. I’m not joking — just read the “Safety and Security” page of their Denmark section, and learn about all the horrible terrorist groups and crime gangs lurking in that country.