Before you travel
Health preparation for Peru
Peru's altitude — Cusco sits around 3,400m — makes altitude sickness a genuine consideration for most visitors, alongside routine travel vaccines.
Amazon basin extensions bring malaria into the conversation for a wider itinerary.
Final vaccine and medicine recommendations always depend on your medical history, previous vaccinations, current travel health guidance, trip duration and planned activities. This page is general information, not a personal clinical recommendation — book a consultation so our pharmacist can assess your individual trip.
Personalised recommendations
Vaccines commonly discussed
No single list applies to everyone. Recommendations depend on your route, trip length, activities, health and previous vaccinations.
Mosquito-borne illness
Malaria risk and bite prevention
Present in Amazon basin regions; low risk in Lima, Cusco and typical highland tourist routes.
Risk can differ within a country and can change over time. A consultation assesses your exact itinerary and whether antimalarial medicine should be considered.
Read the malaria prevention guideBeyond vaccination
Practical advice for your trip
- Altitude sickness prevention around Cusco and the Inca Trail
- Malaria prevention for Amazon extensions
- Food and water hygiene
- Sun protection at altitude
Food, water and traveller's diarrhoea
Follow careful food and water hygiene where standards are uncertain. Vaccination does not replace these everyday precautions.
Climate planning
May to September (dry season) is popular for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu.
Entry requirements
UK passport holders can generally visit visa-free for short tourist stays; check current rules.
Entry and certificate rules can change. Check the latest official foreign travel advice before departure. Yellow Fever vaccination is not currently administered at this clinic; where a requirement is relevant, the pharmacist can discuss your itinerary and explain that an authorised Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre may be needed.
Common questions
Peru travel health FAQs
Allowing time to acclimatise in Cusco before trekking, staying hydrated and ascending gradually all help. Your pharmacist can talk through symptoms to watch for and options that may help with acclimatisation.
If you feel seriously unwell
- If you are seriously unwell abroad, seek local emergency medical care immediately.
- If you are seriously unwell after returning to the UK, call 999 or go to A&E — always mention any recent travel.
- For urgent but non-emergency advice in the UK, call NHS 111 or contact your GP.