Peru was slightly more expensive than Ecuador in terms of food, but has very good cuisine with products of a good standard. We were very fortunate, as we were able to stay with family here - a relief in terms of budget having already paid for the expensive Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (which needs to be booked around six months in advance). We also were treated to a lot of good food, and given excellent recommendations when eating out.

Transport here is also a lot more formal when compared to Colombia, meaning it isn't necessary to "haggle" when buying tickets!
 

Visas

We didn’t need a Visa to enter Peru, and the immigration process was fairly simple but required a long wait in Ecuador. It's worth noting that the exit stamp for Ecuador can now be obtained in the same, small building in Huaqillas (Ecuador) where the entrance stamp to Peru is given. The immigration office is NOT on the border, as it would be in most countries. This means you could easily wander into Peru without doing anything (which would mean a hefty fine later) so it's important to go to the office first. Most buses crossing between the two countries will tell you how to manage the process.

 

Those who need a Visa for Peru can be found on this PDF:

 

Accommodation

We stayed with family during the first part of our trip, and were then on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which included our tent! In Cusco we were staying in a four bed hostel with friends from Spain. We found that every small item, e.g.: towels, boiled water for tea etc. is charged for in budget accommodation in Peru, so you need to be prepared for this. We also found that breakfast included in the budget hostels we stayed in was of a poor standard.

 

The prices below are in EUR per night, total price for two people sharing.  

€16 in Trujillo for a double room in a hotel (no breakfast included). This was a wonderful, clean hotel with a very good ensuite bathroom that felt like luxury for us.
€10 in Lima for a small double room with an ensuite bathroom in a run down hostel.
€17  in Cusco for a double room w/ shared bathroom (with breakfast included). We payed slightly less when we shared a quadruple room in the same hostel.
€12 in Huacachina for 2 beds in a mixed dorm.

€23 in Aguas Calientes for a double room with a private bathroom (one of the cheaper options in this extremely touristic town where the Inca Trail ends).

 

Food and Drink

The food in local restaurants in Peru was generally of a good standard, with hit and miss quality in Cusco due to our very tight budget. There is a wide variety to choose from, with the seafood soup in Trujillo being among the best I have ever eaten. Ceviche is obviosuly a must, and spicy dishes using ají are a welcome change after the comparitvely bland cuisine of Colombia. The coastal areas have good fish, as well as the usual suspects of chicken, steak etc. When eating in normal, local restaurants in the street, a set menu which consists of soup and a main can cost around 12 PEN or €3 in less touristy areas. However, the price can triple as soon as you go somewhere that looks slightly more upmarket and isn't always better in terms of taste.

 

Excursions

As I mentioned, we had booked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu six months earlier, something we knew we would be doing when we left for our travels.

The cost of the trek was a significant percentage of our budget, but if it's something you think you'd like to do, it's definitely worth it.

The exact price per person with the agency we chose to go through (this is the only way to do the trek) is detailed below in USD, which is the currency the tour needs to be paid in:

 

Trek price per person: 595 USD

Services of a half porter (who carries 6kg of your belongings, as well as your sleeping bag and tent). 60 USD

Sleeping bag rental 20 USD

Total: 675 USD

 

The cost of the trek obviously covers everything you need for the trek, including food, accommodation etc. However, water, snacks, hotels for before and after the trek need to be taken into account. Tips are also given to the porters at the end of the trek and should be budgeted for according to what you feel comfortable giving. The agency we went with was called: Peru Treks, a reputable tour agency that apparently pays the porters a fair wage.

 

The entrance to Huayna Picchu, if you're interested in going to the top after the trail, can be bought here. The website tends to take a few minutes to load.
 

Transport

As in most Latin American countries, there is a very good bus network in Peru with most cities being connected to one another by a direct route.

Buses in Peru generally felt safe, although we were extremelty cautious after having been warned about theft by locals. NEVER leave your bag in the overhead compartment, and always sleep with your valuables on your person or as close to you as possible. If there is a gap between the bottom of the seat and the person behind you, keep your day pack on your lap. It may seem extreme, but I did this after hearing horror stories about people waking up to find the rucksacks filled with stones! Lima and Trujillo are cities with very bad reputations where many opportunists simply wait for tourists to get distracted.

A lot of buses can be bought online, in advance, with the option to pick up tickets at the station. We used this option when working out how to get from Ecuador to Peru. 

Here are the routes we did with costs in Euros per person.  

Mancora to Talara €2
Talara to Trujillo €5
Trujillo to Lima €10
Lima to Ica (and on to Huacachina by taxi) €12.50
Huacachina to Ica (by taxi) and on to Nazca €11.50 

Nazca to Cusco (via night bus) €36.50 We reccommend travelling with Oltursa on night buses, as we found it to be much more comfortable than Cruz del Sur.
Cusco to La Paz, Bolivia €27 We used the Trans Salvador night bus for this very long night journey and were very comfortable, despite the bus being a lot older than others we had been on in Peru. Tickets to Bolivia were bought online, in advance via this tickets website.

 

Money makes the world go round

The national currency is the Peruvian Sol (PEN). The exchange rate when we visited Peru was 3.67 PEN for 1 euro. Dollars can be taken out in most cash machines, which is handy if you're visiting Argentina on your trip. They are also necessary when paying for the Inca Trail, so keep this in mind. We had to visit the cashpoint a few times to obtain the dollars we required for the trek, as the daily limit one can take out from an ATM is fairly low. It's very important to plan this if you only have a few days in Cusco before the trek begins. Additionally, our debit cards, as well as our friends' cards, were blocked by our banks back home due to "suspicious activity", so it may be necessary to speak to your bank about taking money out beforehand - Peru obviosuly seems to be a problematic country in terms of card security meaning European banks / cards take extra precautions.
 

So how much?!
Visas: €0 (See link at top of page to see if a Visa is necessary for your country).
Accommodation: €15 a night on average(for two people sharing) see more detailed breakdown and accommodation section above.
Food and drink: €35 a day (for two people) eating out in mainly touristy areas with friends. 
Transport: €210 per person in total during 12 days going from north to south- see specific routes above.