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First and foremost, here is the video we’ve created about this topic.
And if you’d like a summary of what we discuss in the video, check out the article below
Well, let’s start with some numbers. The United States has an urban population of 81.6%, and Peru is nearly there with 78.6% of it’s population living in an urban area. There are also a ton of cities in Peru. For our friends and family, we like to compare Lima to Chicago, IL because it’s nearly the same size geographically and population-wise. Lima has a population of 12.1 million people, which is 37% of the total population of Peru! Other metropolitan areas include our city, Arequipa, at 990,000 and the northern city of Trujillo at about 935,000.
Now, poverty is an issue, but it’s also a globalized issue in a lot of cases. Peru does have a higher homelessness population, 5.6%, than the United Sates, which is at 0.17%. Extreme poverty, which is measured by folks living on less than $3.50 per day, is also an issue. The United States has less than 0.1% of its population living in extreme poverty while Peru has 9.7% of it’s population living in extreme poverty. However, there is a marked trend of Peru’s economy continuing to grow, which has been decreasing that extreme poverty percentage.
Peru, on the grand scheme of things, is a relatively safe place. If you compare violent crime (measured in homicide rates per 100,000 people), the United States is about 4.88 while Peru is higher at 7.16. But let’s break it down because the US and Peru are both big places. The state of Louisiana in the United States has a violent crime rate of 11.8, and the state of Missouri has a rate of 8.8, both larger than the whole of Peru. Let’s break it down even further. As we said, we compare Lima to Chicago, so Chicago has a violent crime rate of 23.8 while Lima has a rate of 5.
As in most places and cases, it depends on where you are. You should always be cautious and use your wits while out and about, but we’d say that about nearly anywhere.
This is partially true. Peru is a super diverse country, so it’s important to know where you’ll be traveling. If you’re going to any areas in the jungle, this is a concern; however, much of the country, including many major cities are in high-altitude zones where malaria-carrying mosquitoes can’t go. That being said, always listen to your doctor! If they recommend malaria medicine, they’re professionals – listen to their advice!
We weren’t able to find good numbers on English speakers in Peru; however, through our experiences, we have definitely come across English speakers throughout Peru. It’s easier to find English speakers in the cities, and the tourism industry in Peru is huge. People often to go school for tourism and learn English for this reason.
Most hotels and hostels have decent wifi now. If you’re staying via AirBnB or if you have friends here, they may have home internet, too, but if you’re in a jam, there are also plenty of public areas, like cafes, restaurants, and even hot spots in the mall, where you can get some wifi.
As a vegetarian, I get asked about this a lot. Vegetarianism is growing in Peru, along with much of the rest of Latin America. We found numbers saying that Peru likely has between 5-7% of its population that is vegetarian. Anecdotally, there are many new vegetarian restaurants in cities in Peru that have opened since 2009. Here in Arequipa, we have an amazing vegan sushi joint, a number of awesome vegetarian menu spots, and many restaurants are now offering vegetarian (and gluten free!) options.
Yes, Peru does have a large jungle, but, as we mentioned previously, it’s one of the most geographically diverse countries in the Americas. There is literally something for everyone in Peru. We have desert, chaparral, high plains, cities, costal cliffs, tropical beaches, mountains, high altitude valleys, and more. It’s an amazing place to check out so many different climates and eco-systems.
Machu Picchu is a cool place, and if you’re coming to Peru, you should definitely check it out! But there’s so much more! Some of our favorites are Lake Titicaca and the Colca Canyon. There’s also a ton of hiking at the Rainbow Mountain, the Cordillera Blanca, and Volcano Misit. There’s another Incan site that is less frequented than Machu Picchu (and bigger) called Choquequirao, and Paracas has one of the larges sealion colonies! A little off the Gringo Trail, you could check out Trujillo, Piura, or Mancora. If night life is you’re thing, Lima, Arequipa, and Cusco have you covered. The Amazon Jungle has a lot to see – Manu National Park, Puerto Maldonado, and Iquitos, to name a few.
Listen, Peru has some of the best gastronomy in the world (check out Traveling & Living in Peru’s gastronomy section), and Mexican and Peruvian food are rather distinct and different. Peru’s culinary influences (from history and culture) are predominantly based around various preparations of potatoes while Mexican food is predominantly based around corn. Both are super tasty, but Peru’s food is something else entirely
We hope that this helped clear up some misconceptions you or your family may have had, and, again, if you want more depth, check out our video!
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Cover art: Lili and Clinton Fandrich
