Is Peru Safe For American Tourists? (Top Safety Tips For 2025)
Home to mysterious Inca Ruins, vivid Amazon landscapes and charming mountain towns, Peru remains one of the world’s most captivating destinations. However, is Peru safe for American tourists?
Safety is the most important part of your trip when traveling anywhere new, and it’s important to know the current situation before leaving home. In the case of Peru, this includes learning about how safe top destinations such as Lima and Cusco are, as well as precautions you’ll want to take before flying over.
In this article we’ll look at whether Peru is safe for American tourists, and our most important tips for staying safe when in Peru. Later on we’ll answer your most burning questions in our FAQ section.
Is Peru Safe For American Tourists?
Overall yes, Peru is a very safe country for American tourists to visit when heading on an organised luxury Peru tour. Destinations like Cusco and Machu Picchu are renowned for their warm and hospitable values, while areas in Lima such as San Isidro and Miraflores are also very safe to walk around in.
Of course there are certain destinations within the entire country which are best avoided, however these are far from the tourist highlights and shouldn’t be worried about. Again when planning your Peru tour with us here at The Luxury Peru Tour Company, you will be in safe hands - given our expert staff and guides know the entire country inside and out including the safest way for you to travel around Peru.
How To Stay Safe In Peru: Our Top Safety Tips
Take Proactive Health Measures Before And During Your Trip
Peru is an incredibly diverse country with many wonderful regions to explore. However each can have their own particular risks - although these are all easily avoidable with proper prior planning and know-how. For example, destinations in the high Andes Mountains can often cause altitude sickness, so it’s important to consult your doctor regarding which medications you can take (such as Diamox or local Coca Leaf Tea). Using a high level DEET or other based Mosquito Spray is important when heading to the Amazon Jungle, and especially within destinations like Iquitos or Puerto Maldonado. When planning your trip with us, we will go through everything you need to know and ensure you have everything you need before visiting Peru.
Explore Peru With A Private And Reputable Tour Company
Full of memorable adventures, beautiful otherworldly landscapes and incredible cuisine, Peru is a must-visit for any traveler. However there are of course risks when visiting, which can be more difficult to navigate if you don’t know the culture or language that well. Booking your tour with a private and reputable tour company perfectly solves this problem, where their guidance will ensure both a memorable and safe trip. This ensures the most safe and bespoke Peru vacations - where our expert team and guides ensure only the highest level of safety and quality of services.
Avoid Making Yourself A Prime Target For Theft
Unfortunately petty theft is still a risk in various areas of Peru, which tends to be opportunistic and targeted towards foreigners. However any risks can easily be mitigated by dressing down, and not wearing any expensive accessories or flashing your phones when out and about. This is most important when visiting busy local markets, or other places where lots of crowds can gather (as this makes it harder to always be aware of your surroundings). Another surefire tip to staying safe is to carry a second dummy wallet with expired cards, so this gets taken instead of your real wallet.
Choose The Most Reliable Transport Services To Get Around Peru
Although Peru is still developing in many regions, travel and transport service qualities are high given the constant waves of tourism heading here. Domestic airlines such as LATAM and Sky are regional aviation leaders, and have comfortable flights and services. They both operate multiple daily flights between main destinations such as Lima, Cusco, Iquitos, Arequipa and beyond. Some of the best luxury ground transportation includes the Hiram Bingham Train from Cusco to Machu Picchu, as well as the Belmond Andean Explorer Luxury Train that visits Cusco, Arequipa and Puno. These can easily be reserved when booking your luxury Peru trip with us.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding If Peru Is Safe For American Tourists
Below we’ll now answer some of the frequent questions we get about the question of whether Peru is safe for American tourists, as well as anything else important that you need to know before your trip.
Is Cusco Or Lima Safer?
Both popular Peruvian cities have their safe touristic zones, such as the Historic Center in Cusco as well as Miraflores and San Isidro in Lima. However, overall, Cusco is the safer of the two given it’s more accustomed to tourism, and also has a more relaxed culture. If you have any doubts about either, we can easily assist you with these when booking a luxury Peru tour with us.
Is It Safe For Americans To Go To Machu Picchu?
Yes - it’s 100% safe for Americans to visit Machu Picchu! This is because it is located in a well-protected natural area of Peru, and also as the Machu Picchu altitude is not that difficult to walk around in. Getting here is also very simple and secure too, where we can fly directly from Lima to Cusco with reliable airlines, and then reach Machu Picchu with comfortable transport such as with the luxury Belmond train.
Are Peruvians Friendly To Foreigners?
Generally Peruvians can be some of the friendliest people within the South American continent. This is especially true in the Andes regions around Cusco, where family values and security are of utmost importance. As well as with locals, you’ll also find staff within hotels, restaurants and tour operators to be extremely friendly and helpful - often speaking English and will try their best to help make your stay in Peru the most memorable.
Overview: Is Peru Safe For American Tourists?
And that’s all for this guide on if Peru is safe for American tourists, and how to plan properly before heading on your trip.
Overall Peru is a safe country to travel around, and especially so when sticking to the most tourist-friendly areas such as Cusco, Lima, Arequipa and Iquitos. Of course we’ll still need to be cautious as there are certain risks when traveling in Peru - however you’ll be completely fine as long as you properly follow the advice we have mentioned in this guide.
Are you still unsure about how to safely travel around Peru? Don’t be! Our expert team here at The Luxury Peru Travel Company have decades of experience planning and leading tours all around Peru. Get in contact with us now, where you’ll be in the best of hands during your trip.
