Travelling respectfully in Peru

Taking photos: three situations

The rule fits in one sentence, which the FDFA also points out: you ask before photographing a person, and a refusal is respected without insisting. It plays out differently depending on the place.

Posed photos. In Cusco, people in costume, often with a llama or a lamb, offer to pose for a small sum. This is work, not a spontaneous scene: agree on the amount beforehand, and pay what was agreed.

During a festival. A religious or community celebration exists first and foremost for those who take part in it. Do not block a passage or a procession to take a shot again, do not use a flash in a church, and ask before photographing a person close up. Being with a guide does not amount to general permission to film. See festivals and calendar.

Community visits: who organises, who receives the money?

A “homestay” visit may be organised by the community itself, by an agency that pays a family, or by an intermediary who keeps most of the money. All three exist; the difference cannot be seen in a brochure. Before booking, ask:

1. Who organises the visit, and how long has it existed?
2. Who receives the money, and what share goes to the family or the community?
3. Who decides on the programme: does the community choose what it shows, the times, the number of visitors?
4. What can be photographed, and what is expected of you (a shared meal, taking part in a task, a gift).

Two examples on Lake Titicaca. UNESCO inscribed the textile art of Taquile on the list of intangible cultural heritage in 2008; it notes that the island’s economy relies on textiles and tourism, and that demand has changed the materials and methods. The residents built a model of tourism controlled by the community (accommodation, meals, guides), after losing control of the day trips organised from the mainland. On Amantaní, there are no hotels: families host travellers for the night, generally through guides and agencies. It is customary to bring staple products (rice, oil, fruit) or school supplies rather than sweets.

An example in the Amazon. The Shipibo-Konibo, 34,152 people according to the 2017 census, live mainly along the Ucayali, and also in Lima, in the Cantagallo neighbourhood. Their geometric patterns, the kené, drawn by women, have been recognised as cultural heritage of the Nation since 2008. A piece bought from the person who embroidered or painted it does not tell the same story as a printed copy.

Peoples in isolation. Some Amazonian peoples, such as the Mashco-Piro near Manu National Park, avoid all contact. The Peruvian state prohibits approaching them, notably because an illness that is minor for a visitor can be fatal to them. No serious excursion offers to “meet” them; if anyone suggests it to you, refuse.

Wildlife: watching, without feeding or touching

SERFOR, Peru’s wildlife authority, points out that contact with a wild animal outside its habitat causes severe stress, injuries, sometimes death, and transmits diseases in both directions. A place that offers you the chance to hold the animals in your arms is not a sanctuary.

To report an animal that is captured, sold or put on display: the Alerta SERFOR platform (appweb.serfor.gob.pe/alertaserfor) or WhatsApp on 947 588 269.

Crafts: the material, the origin, the maker

Three questions are enough in front of an object: what is it made of, where does it come from, who made it? A seller who knows the answers generally sells pieces they know.

• Vicuña. This wild animal of the high plateaus almost disappeared in the 1960s. All of Peru’s populations are now listed in Appendix II of CITES; the wool comes from the chaccus, community round-ups in which the vicuñas are sheared and then released. A vicuña scarf is very expensive: a low price signals a different fibre. For Switzerland, the FSVO exempts only a short list of protected souvenirs from a permit, and vicuña is not on it: find out before you buy.
• Alpaca and llama are domestic animals; their wool is sold freely. Before buying, see alpaca or not: the composition before the price. Ask for the exact composition: an “alpaca” label can mean a blend with other fibres.
• Chulucanas ceramics, near Piura, have been protected by a designation of origin since 2006, the third in Peru: black tones obtained by smoking, negative decoration, shaping with a paddle. Most of the workshops are in La Encantada.
• Taquile textiles: on the island, the men knit the hats (chullos), and the women weave the wide belts (chumpis) whose patterns follow the farming calendar.

What not to buy. Feathers, skins, teeth, claws and shells of wild animals: SERFOR seizes them as trafficked goods, and the Criminal Code punishes this trafficking with three to five years in prison. Antique objects (ceramics, textiles, pieces “found in a field”): Law 28296 prohibits taking any item of cultural heritage out of the country, and their permanent export is prohibited without exception. A copy sold as such is not a problem; an “authentic piece” offered to a traveller always is.

Water, waste, fragility: what changes by region

The CDC recommends that travellers avoid tap water: a filter bottle saves you buying several bottles a day. See health.

Porters and guides: the quality of a trek starts there

On the Inca Trail and the big treks, porters carry the tents, the kitchen and the food. Since 2022, Law 31614 has set their conditions: up to 20 kg for a man and 15 kg for a woman, under the supervision of the labour inspectorate. It prohibits employing porters under 18 and makes the employer responsible for food, clothing, protective equipment, shelter for sleeping and insurance.

On the Inca Trail, the number of places also includes the teams: about 500 people, including porters, cooks and guides, of whom about 200 are hikers. That is about three team members for every two hikers.

Before booking, ask the agency:

• how many porters accompany the group, and how much the bag you give them weighs;
• where the porters sleep and eat, and with what equipment;
• whether they are employed and insured, as the law requires;
• how the tip is shared out, if you leave one.

An offer that is clearly cheaper than the others often saves on these points. See Machu Picchu and Huaraz.

Resources rather than slogans

“Responsible tourism” means nothing as long as you do not know who does what. A few sources for checking:

• SERNANP publishes, for each protected area, the visiting rules and the authorised operators;
• the database of Indigenous peoples of the Ministry of Culture (BDPI) presents each people, their language and their territory;
• UNESCO’s intangible heritage list describes the inscribed know-how, such as Taquile textiles;
• Alerta SERFOR receives reports of animal trafficking;
• the FSVO indicates which souvenirs of animal or plant origin can enter Switzerland.

The pages meeting people and markets describe possible visits and workshops.