Peru

Ahh, Peru. The country so nice I visited twice. I really don't have enough good things to say about Peru. All around, it is probably one of my favorite countries to visit. Not only is it a gorgeous country, but it has so much history. Maybe that's why the Incas hung around. And don't get me started on the food yet. Peru is known for eateries called "huariques." These little hole-in-the-wall places might have a chalkboard with one or two dishes, or maybe you just walk in, sit down, and they give you a plate of what they are cooking that day. It was one of my favorite things about the whole country.

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If you are a long-term traveler like me, you do need to be aware of how the visa works. I bring it up because no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't get a straight answer. Google was wrong, the US travel advisory website was wrong. Even Peru's own page wasn't very clear. See, I wanted to see five cities while I was there, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do it on one visa, so I wanted to make a second trip while I was in South America.

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You get 90 days when you arrive in Peru; that is clear. Some countries let you leave for a day and come back and give you another 90. Others have it in a computer, and sometimes it is at the discretion of the border agents, like they may give you fewer days or not let you in if they think you are abusing the system. Every search I did for Peru came up saying 183 days in a year but only 90 at a time, or some sources said you had to leave for 90 days.

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None of that bullshit is correct. I honestly don't think it is even up to the border agent. In most countries I go to, the border agents ask a question or two, maybe where I'm staying or why I'm here. The first time in Peru, she said literally nothing. She took my passport, typed a bunch of stuff, handed it back, and said, "Welcome." They don't even stamp it.

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I stayed in Peru the first time for 84 days; I don't know if those remaining days I had left saved me or not. Then I went to a few other places and came back to Peru 168 days after I left the first time. I thought, "If we get 180 days a year, 90 days in, 90 days out, and then 90 days back in again, I should be fine." I had an exit flight and a few non-refundable Airbnbs booked.

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When I got there the second time, she started doing her typing without saying a word. Then she stopped... Oh shit.

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She said I was already there 84 days and the max was 90 per year. But then she said, "I can give you 30 more days, but if you overstay that, it is a 5 soles per day fine" (it is actually 5.35 soles). She said it with almost a wink: "Don't do it, but that is actually exactly what we expect you to do." That fine is about $1.60 a day. I overstayed, and when I left Peru, they were super friendly about it. No lectures or questioning. I asked if it temporarily stopped me from coming back, and they said no. I honestly think the reason for being so strict on the days is they are fine with you overstaying and use the fines as a revenue source.

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Anyway... don't hold me to any of this shit. That was my experience, and maybe I'm way off base and it is at the discretion of the border agents and Peru hates people abusing the system.

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Let's get started with the tour of Peru!