Adventures in Peru!

Peru's official languages are Spanish and, in certain areas,  Quechua  and other Indigenous languages. Spanish is spoken natively by 82.6% of the population, Quechua by 13.9%, and Aymara by 1.7%, while other languages are spoken by the remaining 1.8%.

Peru is located on the central western coast of South America facing the Pacific Ocean. It borders Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the southeast, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The  Andes  mountains run parallel to the Pacific Ocean. Peru has three main geographic regions. The  costa  (coast), to the west, is a narrow, largely arid region except for in the valleys. The  sierra  (highlands) is the region of the Andes; it includes the highest mountain peak of the country. The third region is the  selva  (jungle), a wide expanse of flat terrain covered by the  Amazon rainforest  that extends east. More than half of Peru's area is located within this region. The Amazon basin is the source of the Amazon River, which at 6872 km, is the longest river in the world. Peru contains 4% of the planet's freshwater.

 Machu Pichu The Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire A Day in the Life - Peru Llamas Travel Kids- Peru

Spanish is the main language of Peru, along with Quechua and Aymara. The local people you meet will most likely speak very little English. Before your trip it’s a good idea to learn some Spanish phrases and carry a travel-size dictionary.  Raising your voice while repeating your question to a Spanish speaking person won’t help the situation.  Patience, hand gestures, and writing down the names of places can usually do the trick and most people are happy to try to help you out.

In general, Peru is a traditional country and as a traveler it’s best to  dress the part . What you consider a cute little outfit might be rude to Peruvian culture and insulting to some people in Peru, especially in churches.  When in doubt, cover more skin to avoid drawing attention.

 Greetings   in Peru are quite important! For women, between friends, whether male or female, it is normal to give a kiss on the cheek (air kiss). If they are close friends or family this is usually accompanied by a hug. Between men, the greeting is normally a handshake with a pat on the back or a one-armed hug. This is usually paired with an  hola  and  buenos días  (good morning) if it’s before noon, or  buenas tardes  (good afternoon/evening) if it’s between noon and 7pm. It is also common to ask  cómo estás?  for how are you? (or  cómo está  if formal) or a  qué tal?  for how’s it going? To talk to people older than you, it is a sign of respect to address them as  señor  or  señora  before their first name.