The water
Bottled water; in the Amazon and Cusco the altitude and climate make hydration a priority. Tap water: Not drinkable.
Peru
The Potato Park (Parque de la Papa) near Cusco, where Quechua communities safeguard over 1,300 native potato varieties
RegionSouth AmericaCurrencyPENPowerType A/B/C, 220V (Brazil 127/220V)Tap waterNot drinkable
Strong
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
Peru is a centre of crop origin and an agricultural powerhouse, home to thousands of native potato varieties plus maize, quinoa, beans and aji, and a leading exporter of avocado, blueberry, asparagus and grape. Staple self…Read more
Peru is a centre of crop origin and an agricultural powerhouse, home to thousands of native potato varieties plus maize, quinoa, beans and aji, and a leading exporter of avocado, blueberry, asparagus and grape. Staple self sufficiency in native crops is high and markets brim with domestic produce, though wheat and feed grains are imported.
Local staples
Native potatoes, maize varieties, quinoa, beans, aji peppers, rice, tropical fruit; ceviche on the coast
Markets
Daily markets such as Cusco's San Pedro; the Sunday markets at Pisac and Chinchero are famous
In season
Andean potato and maize harvest around May to July; coffee April to September; Amazon fruit varies
Wildlife
Peru is one of the planet's most biodiverse countries, ranking near the top for bird and butterfly species, with Manu among the richest protected areas on Earth. Iconic and often endemic species include the vicuna, Andean condor,…Read more
Peru is one of the planet's most biodiverse countries, ranking near the top for bird and butterfly species, with Manu among the richest protected areas on Earth. Iconic and often endemic species include the vicuna, Andean condor, spectacled bear, giant otter, pink river dolphin and many range restricted Andean birds. The World Bank and IUCN list about 51 threatened mammal and 93 threatened bird species (2022).
Found nowhere else
Vicuna, Andean condor, spectacled bear, giant otter and many endemic Andean birds
Natural phenomena
Andes: dry May–Sep, wet Nov–Mar; Amazon is hot and humid all year, wettest Nov–May.
When to go
Andean and Amazon dry season for trekking and clear views
Getting around
Long distance buses (Cruz del Sur and others), domestic flights, colectivos, trains to Machu Picchu and boats on Lake Titicaca
Good to know
Cards in cities, cash in the highlands and Amazon; soles.
Safety
Solo female travel: Take care. LGBTQ+: Mixed.
Only hereThe Potato Park (Parque de la Papa) near Cusco, where Quechua communities safeguard over 1,300 native potato varieties
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
80/100
Strong
The Eco Index: Peru
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here The Potato Park (Parque de la Papa) near Cusco, where Quechua communities safeguard over 1,300 native potato varieties
- Forest cover
- 56.2%
- Land protected
- 22.27%
- Sea protected
- 0.48%
- Organic farmland
- 1.5%
- Found nowhere else
- Vicuna, Andean condor, spectacled bear, giant otter and many endemic Andean birds
- Renewable power
- 63%
- CO2 per person
- 2.05 tonnes (2024) t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 24.8
- Cleanest air
- Remote Amazon interior and high Andes away from Lima
- Water from
- Bottled water; in the Amazon and Cusco the altitude and climate make hydration a priority.
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Safe drinking water
- 51.3%
- Cleanest water
- High Andean lakes such as Laguna 69 and Amazon headwaters
- Springs
- Thermal baths at Aguas Calientes below Machu Picchu, Banos del Inca in Cajamarca and La Calera near the Colca Canyon
- In season
- Andean potato and maize harvest around May to July; coffee April to September; Amazon fruit varies
- Plastic ban
- Yes, single use plastics regulated and phased out under Law 30884 of 2018
- Watch out for
- Illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios (La Pampa), which drives Amazon deforestation and mercury pollution; Amazon oil spills
- Solo female travel
- Take care
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- Mixed
- Best months
- May to September
- Getting around
- Long distance buses (Cruz del Sur and others), domestic flights, colectivos, trains to Machu Picchu and boats on Lake Titicaca
- Power
- Type A/B/C, 220V (Brazil 127/220V)
- Currency
- PEN
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 2/5 | Nationally Peru is water rich through the Amazon basin, Andean glaciers and Lake Titicaca, but the resource is badly matched to the people: most Peruvians live on the arid Pacific coast, an… Full assessmentLima is one of the world's largest desert cities, dependent on rivers fed by shrinking glaciers. WHO/UNICEF JMP and World Bank data put safely managed drinking water at about 51.3 percent of the population in 2020. Coastal water stress and glacial retreat are real pressures, and tap water is not reliably safe for visitors. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 5/5 | Peru is a centre of crop origin and an agricultural powerhouse, home to thousands of native potato varieties plus maize, quinoa, beans and aji, and a leading exporter of avocado, blueberry,… Full assessmentasparagus and grape. Staple self sufficiency in native crops is high and markets brim with domestic produce, though wheat and feed grains are imported. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 5/5 | Few countries make unprocessed plant eating easier: markets overflow with native potatoes, maize varieties, quinoa, beans, squash, aji and tropical fruit, and Andean cuisine is built on them. Full assessmentMeat, fish and cuy feature, but the plant base is exceptional and cheap. Peru's biodiversity of edible plants is world leading. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 3/5 | FiBL records about 1.5 percent of agricultural land as certified organic in 2020, roughly 343,000 hectares, and Peru is a top global exporter of organic coffee, cacao and banana grown by sm… Full assessmentllholder cooperatives. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 4/5 | Terrestrial protected areas cover about 22.3 percent of the land (World Bank, 2021), managed by SERNANP and including Manu, Tambopata, Huascaran and Paracas, and Peru created the vast Nazca… Full assessmentRidge (Dorsal de Nasca) marine reserve in 2021. The system is strong on paper, but illegal gold mining, logging and coca cultivation erode parts of the Amazon. Marine protection registered a low 0.5 percent in the 2021 dataset, before the new reserve is fully reflected. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 5/5 | Peru is one of the planet's most biodiverse countries, ranking near the top for bird and butterfly species, with Manu among the richest protected areas on Earth. Full assessmentIconic and often endemic species include the vicuna, Andean condor, spectacled bear, giant otter, pink river dolphin and many range restricted Andean birds. The World Bank and IUCN list about 51 threatened mammal and 93 threatened bird species (2022). |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 5/5 | Peru sustains a world renowned natural fibre tradition: alpaca and the ultra fine vicuna, the finest animal fibre in the world, plus pima and native coloured cotton, all woven on backstrap … Full assessmentooms in communities such as Chinchero and on Taquile island, whose textile art is UNESCO listed. These are living, daily crafts and a serious export. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 3/5 | Peru's Law 30884 of 2018 progressively bans single use plastics and prohibited plastic bags and straws immediately in natural and cultural protected areas, a genuine national policy. Full assessmentAgainst that, ambient PM2.5 averaged about 24.8 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2017), high and driven by Lima traffic, and illegal Amazon gold mining releases mercury. Policy is real but air and mining pollution weigh it down. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 2/5 | Formal municipal recycling rates are low, in the order of a few percent, though Peru legally recognises informal recicladores who recover a meaningful share of materials. Full assessmentSegregation and collection remain limited outside pilot districts. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 4/5 | Roughly 60% of Peru's electricity comes from renewables, overwhelmingly hydropower which supplies close to half of generation, with natural gas making up most of the rest. Full assessmentFossil carbon dioxide emissions are low at about 2.05 tonnes per person in 2024. Peru has committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and released an updated National Climate Change Strategy to 2050 in late 2024, although the Climate Action Tracker notes that political instability has slowed delivery. A target of 20% wind and solar in the power mix by 2030 aims to broaden the renewable base beyond hydro. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 5/5 | Peru has deep living indigenous cultures: Quechua and Aymara communities across the Andes and numerous Amazonian peoples such as the Shipibo and Ashaninka, with everyday language, dress, fa… Full assessmentming and weaving traditions intact. Community based tourism thrives on Lake Titicaca's Taquile and Amantani islands and in Sacred Valley weaving villages, keeping income local, even as Machu Picchu draws mass, more extractive tourism. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 5/5 | Peru sustains one of the richest living heritages in the Americas, rooted in Quechua and Aymara Andean culture alongside Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian traditions. Full assessmentMusic and dance such as the huayno, the national marinera and the Afro-Peruvian festejo are widely performed, and the danza de las tijeras, the scissors dance, is inscribed by UNESCO. Andean spirituality endures through reverence for Pachamama and the mountain apus, expressed in pilgrimages such as Qoyllur Riti and the Inti Raymi sun festival. Amazonian peoples including the Shipibo and Ashaninka maintain their own languages, cosmology and craft. |
Before you go
Cards in cities, cash in the highlands and Amazon; soles.
Where these figures come from
- FAO and World Bank, Forest area (percent of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2022. source
- World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (percent of total land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2021. source
- World Bank, Marine protected areas (percent of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2021. source
- Low Carbon Power (data from Ember, IEA and World Bank), Peru electricity mix, 2025. source
- WHO/UNICEF JMP and World Bank, Safely managed drinking water (percent of population) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2020. source
- World Bank, PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic metre) EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2017. source
- FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture 2022 (2020 data), organic farmland share. source
- World Bank and IUCN Red List, threatened mammal and bird species (EN.MAM.THRD.NO, EN.BIR.THRD.NO), 2022. source
- Congress of Peru, Law No. 30884 regulating single use plastics, 2018.
- UNESCO, Taquile and its textile art, and Manu and Huascaran national parks. source
- Our World in Data, CO2 emissions per capita, 2024 source
- IEA, Peru electricity source
- Climate Action Tracker, Peru, 2024 source
- Wikipedia, Scissors dance (danza de las tijeras) source
- Wikipedia, Megadiverse countries source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Peru sustains one of the richest living heritages in the Americas, rooted in Quechua and Aymara Andean culture alongside Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian traditions. Music and dance such as the huayno, the national marinera and the Afro-Peruvian festejo are widely performed, and the danza de las tijeras, the scissors dance, is inscribed by UNESCO. Andean spirituality endures through reverence for Pachamama and the mountain apus, expressed in pilgrimages such as Qoyllur Riti and the Inti Raymi sun festival. Amazonian peoples including the Shipibo and Ashaninka maintain their own languages, cosmology and craft.
- Huayno music
- marinera national dance
- danza de las tijeras (scissors dance)
- Afro-Peruvian festejo
- Inti Raymi and Qoyllur Riti pilgrimage
- Pachamama and apus Andean cosmovision
- Quechua and Aymara practice
- Shipibo and Ashaninka Amazonian traditions.
Sleep well, tread lightly
See all stays → Where to Stay 3
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