Peru: carry ID at all times
Do
- Carry your passport or a valid ID document
Don’t
- Going out without ID
You must show it when police ask, or you may be taken to the nearest police station.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Peru travel advice
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Understanding local customs is where a journey begins. Find the topics that matter to you and feel at ease wherever you go.
Peru
3 rules found
Peru: photographing military targets is illegal
Do
- Put your camera away when you see a military area
Don’t
- Photographing any military facilities or personnel
Can mean 2 to 5 years in prison.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Peru travel advice
Peru: coca leaves and coca tea cannot be taken out of the country
Do
- Just drink coca tea while you are there
Don’t
- Taking coca leaves or coca tea out of Peru
- Carrying luggage for someone else
Coca products may not be taken out of Peru; drug convictions bring long prison sentences.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Peru travel advice
Site-specific notes 4
Taken from the "don'ts" on each site page here. Open a site for its full etiquette and background.
Machu Picchu
- Large backpacks, selfie sticks and food are banned inside the site
- don't carve anything or take stones
- drones are banned.
Nazca Lines
- Never walk into the lines area (a single step destroys a thousand-year-old site — a serious crime)
- small planes easily cause airsickness, so bring medication.
Peruvian ceviche
- Don't order ceviche in the evening (locals eat it at lunch)
- don't pour away the leftover leche de tigre — ask for a small glass to drink it
Sacsayhuamán
- Don't climb or sit on the wall's boulders
- don't take stones away
- don't casually photograph local people in traditional dress — ask first (a tip may be expected)