Peru FAQs

Most major airlines which operate on international airports in the United States offer direct or connecting flights to Lima-Peru. Although your international flight tickets are not included in the mission trip packages that we offer, Colca Mission Trips will do its absolute best to assist you in your process of making the arrangements for your flight reservations to Peru. We suggest that the most convenient times for your landing in Lima airport are flights which arrive the same day of your departure late at night (close to midnight) or during the first morning hours of the following day. This way, your layover waiting time inside the airport to catch your next flight is short. Once you have arrived at Lima airport (airport code: LIM) and after being cleared from customs and immigration, please stay in the airport and do not leave it for any reason. Adjust your watches to the local time and check for the confirmation of your next scheduled take off time so as not to miss your flight. If you are within two hours from your departure, then head immediately to the appropriate counter to go through your check-in process in your way to your next  destination, either Arequipa (airport code: AQP) or Tarapoto (airport code: TPP). Upon your arrival, there will be a transportation personnel waiting for you with a sign to take you to your hotel.

Deposit payments are part of the total price posted for every mission. The price you paid for your trip includes; at least three adjusting activity days at several locations which have been previously coordinated with local religious communities, municipalities, government offices, as well as with non-governmental organizations. Transportation to and from the airport in the city of your destination and to the adjusting sites are also fully included. Additionally, the remaining items that are part of your purchased package are your national round trip airfare within Peru (excluding the fees for additional luggage or extra weight), hotel accommodations (starting at double occupancy rooms) and tours and excursions within your city of destination (excluding the entrance fees to ‘special’ amenities within these activities). The entrance fee for the New Year’s Eve celebration party (part of the Peru’s Project Mission Trip) is also included in your payment. Lastly, all of your basic meals are included with the exception of one, the meal where you are free to dine on your own. Only for the two-day Machu Picchu tour (part of some of our trips) this tour only includes breakfast in the hotel, the rest of the tour meals are entirely at your expense. Drinks that come with your meals and water bottles that we will occasionally hand you during your stay are part of the package, any other drinks or snacks besides these basic provisions are entirely at your expense.

The luggage policy inside Peru varies with every airline so be prepared. Although we can not guarantee it, CMT will do its best to put you on a flight which usually should allow for one free checked luggage (cargo) of 50 lb (23 kg), and one free hand luggage (cabin) of 13 lb (6 kg). Be aware as well, that any excess weight or extra pieces of luggage you are bringing with you will be charged separately and you will be responsible for footing that bill. The cost is around $50 dollars for each additional piece or excess weight within a max of 55 lb.

Things that are NOT part of your purchased package are: Your international airfare plus any arising flight taxes as well as any additional luggage or extra weight fees on either your national or international flights. Your package does not include the entrance fees to ‘special’ amenities visited during our tours and excursions (However, have in mind they are very affordable and amount roughly about $25 total). Snacks and beverages that are not part of your basic meal plan are not included. The “dine on your own” dinner is the single meal that you will have to cover out of your own pocket. Only for the trips with the Machu Picchu tour you will as well afford all the meals while in the tour besides of breakfast which is included. The cost of a dinner at a casual restaurant in most cities inside Peru is about 15 – 20 US dollars. Additional expenses like extra luggage storage, laundry services, supplemental safety boxes, and fees for taxi cabs are not included but keep in mind that their prices are very convenient and pocket-friendly. Finally, any gratuities for drivers, translators, security and service personnel at adjusting sites, tour guides or at restaurants and other places we will visit are not included, therefore we will collect $20 from each of you at your arrival to your city of destination so CMT can take care of all tipping matters. An estimate of $150 should be more than enough to cover all your miscellaneous fees.

The major expenses for your trip are covered. You should bring the previously suggested amount for uncovered fees and some pocket money for water, snacks, souvenirs and gifts you may want to purchase. Any additional money that you decide to bring is your responsibility. For obvious reasons, we do not suggest that you carry around large sums of money. There is usually a safe available inside every hotel room. Although the rooms available are shared, you could rent a separate safe in the hotel for a convenient fee so as to be able to store your valuables conveniently.

The local currency is the Peruvian Sol (S/). The exchange rate of the Peruvian Sol to the Dollar currently stands at around s/3.32 to $1. The United States currency is NOT accepted in majority of the establishments of any city inside Peru. It is advised that you hold local currency instead. We suggest you to exchange most of your foreign currency upon arrival at Lima airport. There are several money exchange booths available through the airport; you definitely cannot miss them. In most cities in Peru, formal restaurants and established shops and businesses accept major debit/credit cards. However, small stores and food places do not so be aware of this and do not rely solely on cards. You should always have some handy cash for your spare purchases.

Your hotel accommodations are designed starting at double occupancy (2 bed/2 guests per room) and up, meaning you will be sharing a room with other participant(s) of our trip. In case you prefer to have a single room for yourself, depending on hotel availability, you could arrange this at your arrival but have in mind that the cost of reserving an additional room will entirely be at your expense. The major services offered by the hotels we work with are: free Wi-Fi access, hot water, one free safe box inside every room (usually available), laundry services (at a very reasonable fee), room service, dining and bar areas available throughout the day which offer their services at affordable prices. The hotels we pick are usually located near the downtown area so they offer close and convenient access to banks, malls, reliable cab services and many types of stores.

We strongly remind you that bringing your own portable table is a mandatory requirement for your mission participation; there will be no such thing as pairing up or having two students alternating at a single table. If in your registration form you stated you are bringing your own portable table, we expect you to do so. If for any reason you cannot get ahold of a table before your trip, we rent tables at US$ 100 each for the whole mission (total for the 3 days of adjusting), we have a limited amount of these so try to reserve them early by writing $100 after clicking the donate button located at the bottom left of the page «Donate», found in our main menu. Along with your table, bring a couple of face paper rolls to keep adjustments smooth and clean. Although not strictly necessary, any other tools like activator gun, speed board, percussion gun, thoracic board, pelvic blocks, nervoscope, etc can become handy to have around so we encourage you to bring them.

There are no mandatory vaccines for entry into Peru. Should you wish to visit the Amazonian region of the country (the department of San Martin where the city of Tarapoto is located belongs to the Amazonian region), the Peruvian Ministry of Health as well as the US Department of State and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommend vaccinations against yellow fever. In the case of travelers who purchase any of the Tarapoto destination mission trips, CMT does not make vaccination against yellow fever a mandatory requirement but strongly recommends it, it is then a subject left to your discretion.

Yes. Peru is a country that’s frequently visited by a lot of people, with missionary doctors, students, volunteers and tourists coming from all over the world, particularly Americans. Cities like Arequipa, Cusco and Tarapoto are large in size and population, and important turist destinations in the country. Our experienced team will be working round the clock and prepare all the necessary arrangements for your humanitarian mission to go according to plan from the first step to the very last. We have personally visited all the locations many times during previous humanitarian activities, all in preparation for your specific mission trip. We have already made all the necessary coordinations with religious communities, municipalities and other recognized institutions which are involved with the adjusting activities that will develop, as well as with travel agents, tour and excursion operators, hotel and transportation representatives and we made sure that we will have all the logistics set in place before your arrival to Perú. Upon your landing in any of your cities of destination, you will be permanently accompanied either by a CMT representative or a local team volunteer to assist you with communication, transportation, and any other basic need. Although we will be taking you to some depressed areas of these cities, always keep in mind that you will constantly be accompanied and surrounded by security personnel or a local guide and people in Perú are very friendly and welcoming. As with any new and unfamiliar situation, try to be respectful and exercise patience when relating with locals.

They are safe tours. All tours mentioned in the itineraries are contracted with local companies that frequently operate with these attractions which are highly visited by people of different nationalities. These well-established tour operators have been working in the area for years now, together with local hotels, both have greatly improved their services as the flow of visitors continues to grow exponentially year after year. The amazing locations we will be visiting are near by the City and hotel we will be staying at and are well guarded by local police officers who keep security standards high, since tourism is the main source of income for the whole region. This part of your humanitarian mission will probably be the one that you will enjoy the most and, more than any other, it will put you in touch with the deep roots and heritage of Peru.

All of our mission trips include some kind of tour, have in mind that within most of them you will be required to walk on dirt paths/roads and even some trekking will be necessary, these types of activities although a bit demanding, are doable and fit for all levels of fitness of the members of our group. We strongly encourage you to participate at whatever level you feel comfortable and stay at constant communication with the guide or the mission representative. During our tours, if time allows for it, you will be able to access pools, lagoons, the ocean or spring baths so please, bring your swimsuit and all necessary supplies for this. Climate and temperature changes frequently happen abruptly within the locations we will visit, we suggest you to conduct a previous online search to find out the weather conditions for the place and time of the year when you will visit us so you can come better prepared and, for instance, bring appropriate trekking gear (shoes, clothes, rain suit, hats, sunglasses, etc.).

Our humanitarian mission trips are perfect for students with limited experience. While in the field, experienced chiropractic doctors and licensed practitioners will be supervising and guiding you in order to keep you on the right path. As a student, you will greatly benefit from these humanitarian trips. It will help you become more focused and centered in Chiropractic. After having their hands on a large number of patients, students return home changed, feeling their horizons have been broaden and with a more comprehensive understanding of the profession they now find themselves in.

We put all the effort in promptly giving you all the necessary information so you can think things through and decide on whether to be part of the experience and embark on this trip or not. As you can read from all the information that we have provided, it takes a whole load of effort to make all the arrangements for your trip and money has to be committed in advance with certain vendors. Once you have decided to purchase your humanitarian trip and you’ve submitted your payment, an important part of that money gets allocated immediately and personnel efforts immediately start to get activated. For all these reasons, the cancellation, unused services and refund policy at Colca Mission trips is that cancellations up to 30 days before the trip will be subject to a fee of 50% of the purchase price. If the cancellation happens within 30 days of the trip, the fee will be a 100% of the trip’s purchase price and you will unfortunately have to lose the whole amount you paid.