Peru

Is Peru safe to visit?

For most visitors, yes. The usual route of Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca rarely goes wrong in a way that matters, and the US State Department keeps Peru at Level 2, exercise increased caution. The risks that do catch travellers are mostly mundane: phones snatched in Lima, altitude in Cusco, a night bus on a mountain road, or a protest that strands them in Aguas Calientes.

We score Peru 57, a little above Mexico and well above Colombia. The trend in crime is the main worry. INEI, the national statistics office, puts the 2025 homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary at 10.7 per 100,000 (preliminary), up from 8.6 in 2022. Its final report for 2024, published in June 2026, confirmed 3,426 homicides, a rate of 10.1. Much of the rise comes from extortion gangs and contract killings aimed at bus companies, shopkeepers and other local businesses, not at tourists.

Lima and the cities

Lima is where most robberies of visitors happen. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports gunpoint robberies of British tourists and residents, including in Miraflores and Barranco, the districts where most travellers stay. Motorbike thieves snatch phones from people standing at the roadside, and criminals target cars stopped at traffic lights.

The most serious risk is the fake taxi. Criminals posing as drivers wait at Jorge Chávez airport and the bus terminals, and some passengers end up in an "express kidnapping", driven around and forced to empty their accounts at ATMs. Use the official taxi desks right outside the baggage hall, an app, or a car booked by your hotel.

Cusco and Arequipa have pickpocketing and bag snatching, plus counterfeit notes; the FCDO notes street changers in Cusco passing old intis. Sexual assaults on visitors are rare but are reported mostly around Cusco and Arequipa, sometimes by unlicensed tour guides targeting women travelling alone.

Protests, Shining Path and the no-go areas

Peruvian politics is unstable and protests are frequent. They can turn violent, close highways and stop the trains to Machu Picchu, often without warning. Lima's historic centre is the usual protest site; Cusco, Puno, Arequipa and Ayacucho have also had large ones. Foreigners can be deported for joining a demonstration.

Two areas are off limits under both US and UK advice:

• The VRAEM, the valleys of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers, where remnants of the Shining Path and drug traffickers attack police and soldiers. The US also tells its staff to get permission before visiting the nearby cities of Abancay, Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Huancayo.
• The Colombian border in Loreto, along the Putumayo River, which is a cocaine-trafficking corridor. Iquitos and Amazon cruises on the main river are outside the zone, but the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns of "river pirates" and advises travelling only with established operators.

Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu are not in either area.

Roads, buses and adventure trips

WHO estimatedWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 13.6 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019. The national road safety observatory counted 2,890 deaths in 2025, a lower 8.5 per 100,000; national counts often miss deaths that happen later in hospital. Either way, the long-distance bus is where visitors face the most risk. Crashes on Andean roads are frequent, especially at night, and US government staff may not drive outside cities after dark. Fly the long legs, and pick premium bus companies for the rest.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary also flags unregulated adventure trips: sand buggies at Huacachina near Ica have killed passengers, Nazca Lines sightseeing flights have had fatal crashes, and rescues in the Cordillera Blanca are often on foot because helicopters cannot reach.

Altitude, disease and natural hazards

Altitude is the most common health problem. Cusco is at about 3,400 m and Puno at about 3,800 m. The Amazon and northern lowlands carry dengue (the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports a major outbreak), Oropouche virus, yellow fever and malaria. Good private clinics are in Lima; elsewhere care is basic, so get insurance that includes evacuation.

Peru is in an active earthquake zone. The rainy season, from November to May, brings landslides on the routes to Machu Picchu and the Salkantay trek. The FCDO expects an El Niño event to bring heavy rain and floods to the northern and central coast from late 2026 to April 2027.

How to stay safe in Peru

• Take taxis from official airport desks or apps; never hail one on the street.
• Keep your phone away from the kerb in Lima.
• Use ATMs inside banks or shopping centres during the day.
• Fly or take day buses with reputable companies; avoid overnight mountain routes.
• Build in a rest day at altitude and a spare day around Machu Picchu.
• Watch the news for strikes before travel days.
• Emergency numbers: police 105, ambulance 106.

How we scored it

Petty crime (45) and natural hazards (52) are the weakest factors, followed by violent crime (55), which reflects a homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary that has risen for four years. Conflict (62) and road safety (62) are moderate: the no-go areas are remote, but protests and dangerous night roads affect ordinary trips. We gave medium confidence because the 2025 homicide figure is preliminary and national road counts are well below the WHO estimateWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary.