Quick Answer
The Llama Photo That Comes With a Price Tag
Walk into Cusco’s Plaza de Armas or San Blas and you’ll spot Andean women in traditional dress posing with a decorated llama or alpaca, unmistakably set up for tourist photos. Raise your phone without asking, and you’ve just made Peru’s most commonly reported tourist misstep: the tip they expect, sometimes higher than visitors guess, isn’t optional once you’ve taken the shot.
None of Peru’s etiquette rules are complicated once you know them. Most just aren’t written on a sign anywhere, so first-timers learn them the hard way, usually mid-photo or mid-haggle. Get these down before you land in Cusco and the rest of the trip runs the way locals actually expect it to.
Greetings and Punctuality: Reading the Room
Peru’s social customs are warm and fairly forgiving, but two habits trip up first-timers: how you greet someone and how strictly “on time” actually means on time.
| Situation | What’s normal | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting someone for the first time | A handshake | Standard across business and casual first meetings |
| Greeting a friend or acquaintance | Often a single cheek kiss | More common between two women, or a woman and a man; ask or follow their lead rather than assuming |
| Arriving to a casual social plan | Being 15-30+ minutes late is culturally normal | Known informally as “Peruvian time” |
| Arriving for a booked tour, train or bus | On time, no flex | Treat scheduled departures as strict, unlike casual plans |
The gap between the two matters. Show up “fashionably late” to a dinner and nobody blinks. Show up 20 minutes late for a Sacred Valley train and you’ve missed it.
Altitude Humility: What Cusco’s 3,399m Actually Demands
Cusco sits at 3,399m (11,152 ft), high enough that pushing a packed first day is the single most common physical mistake visitors make here, not a cultural one, but one that ruins more trips than any social misstep.
Market Bargaining: Where It’s Expected and Where It Isn’t
Bargaining in Peru is a specific skill for a specific setting, not a blanket approach to every purchase.
- Craft and souvenir markets expect it. A polite opening counter around 10-20% below the asking price is standard, delivered with a smile, not pressure.
- Fixed-price shops, supermarkets and restaurants don’t. Haggling over a menu price or a supermarket item reads as odd, not savvy.
- Markets run cash-first. Carry soles; a vendor haggling over a S/30 alpaca scarf isn’t set up to run your card.
- Walking away is a legitimate tactic, calmly, not as a stunt. It’s a normal part of the exchange, not a confrontation.
Paid Photos in Cusco: Agree the Tip Before You Shoot
This is the etiquette rule with the clearest real-world cost if you skip it.
| Situation | The rule | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Andean women posing with decorated llamas/alpacas (Plaza de Armas, San Blas) | Ask permission, agree the tip first | Payment is expected once you’ve photographed them, commonly around S/50 (about $13) per photo from some vendors, sometimes more than visitors anticipate |
| Photographing any local person generally | Ask first, always | A quick ask costs nothing and avoids an awkward confrontation after the fact |
| Photos at markets or street stalls | Ask the stallholder before shooting their setup | Some are happy to be photographed once you buy something, others aren’t; ask rather than assume |
Treat it the way you’d treat any paid service: agree the price, then take the photo, not the other way around.
Coca Leaf Tea: What It Is and Isn’t
Coca tea gets mentioned a lot in altitude advice, and it’s worth knowing exactly what it is before you land.
- It’s a mild infusion, mate de coca, made by steeping coca leaves in hot water, sold and served everywhere from hotel lobbies to Cusco cafes.
- It’s legal and completely normal to drink in Peru, offered to nearly every arriving visitor as a traditional aid for altitude symptoms.
- The traditional use is about oxygen uptake at altitude, not intoxication; it contains mild stimulant compounds, similar in kind to a caffeinated tea.
- Avoid it right before bed. Since it’s caffeinated, an evening cup can undercut the sleep your body needs to adjust.
A Few Quechua Words That Go a Long Way
Quechua is Peru’s most widely spoken indigenous language, especially through the Cusco and Sacred Valley region where much of this guide’s route runs.
- “Napaykullayki” works as a greeting.
- “Añay” means thank you.
- Spellings vary by source and dialect, so treat these as a warm gesture rather than an exact phrasebook entry. Locals notice the effort, not the accent.
Mistakes Tourists Make Most
| Mistake | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Pushing a full itinerary on day one in Cusco (3,399m) | Allow 2-3 days to acclimatize before a strenuous hike |
| Refusing coca tea when altitude symptoms hit | It’s legal, normal and widely offered as a traditional aid |
| Drinking coca tea right before bed | Have it earlier in the day; the leaves are caffeinated |
| Photographing an Andean woman with a llama without asking | Ask permission and agree the tip (commonly around S/50) before you shoot |
| Assuming a handshake covers every greeting | Follow the other person’s lead; a cheek kiss between friends is common |
| Being late for a booked tour, train or bus | Treat scheduled departures as strict, unlike casual social plans |
| Aggressive haggling in a craft market | Open around 10-20% below asking, with a smile |
| Bargaining in a fixed-price shop, supermarket or restaurant | Reserve haggling for craft and souvenir markets only |
| Assuming a market vendor takes cards | Carry soles; markets run cash-first |
| Under-tipping guides and porters | Around 10% at sit-down restaurants, small cash for guides/porters |
| Never trying a word of Quechua | “Napaykullayki” (hello) and “Añay” (thank you) are an easy, respectful touch |
| Assuming the Machu Picchu train always runs the postcard schedule | Check perurail.com/protest-machu-picchu or incarail.com for live status first |
Getting the Basics Right Before You Land
A working data connection makes half of this easier: confirming a fair fare, translating a market haggle, pulling up live train status before you commit to a tight connection. VoyageHacks checked every rule and price in this guide in August 2026, and carrier pricing and market norms shift, so treat the numbers as a current baseline rather than a permanent one.
See our Peru eSIM guide for current data plans, and check Cusco hotels in San Blas or Centro Histórico, the neighborhoods most visitors use as their acclimatization base.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the biggest etiquette mistake tourists make in Peru?
Photographing an Andean woman posing with a decorated llama or alpaca in Cusco’s Plaza de Armas or San Blas without asking first and agreeing a price. It’s the single most commonly reported tourist misstep: some vendors ask around S/50 (about $13) per photo, and it’s expected upfront, not after you’ve already taken the shot. Right behind it is pushing a full first day in Cusco (3,399m) instead of pacing the altitude.
Do I need to tip for photos with Andean women and llamas in Cusco?
Yes, if you photograph them. Andean women in traditional dress posing with decorated llamas or alpacas around Cusco’s Plaza de Armas and San Blas expect a tip for the photo, sometimes requested at a higher rate than visitors assume, with reports of around S/50 per photo from some vendors. Always ask permission first and agree the amount before you take the picture, not after.
Is bargaining expected in Peru’s markets?
Yes, but only in craft and souvenir markets, not in fixed-price shops, supermarkets or restaurants. A polite opening counter around 10-20% below the asking price is standard, done with a smile rather than aggressively. Markets are cash-first, so carry soles rather than assuming a card works there.
What is coca tea and is it safe to drink in Peru?
Coca tea (mate de coca) is a mild infusion made from coca leaves, widely offered by hotels and restaurants across Cusco and the Andes to help with altitude symptoms. It’s legal and completely normal to drink in Peru, and it contains mild stimulant compounds traditionally used to aid oxygen uptake at altitude. Avoid it right before bed, since the leaves carry caffeine.
Should I learn any Quechua before visiting Peru?
A couple of words are a nice, respectful touch, since Quechua is Peru’s most widely spoken indigenous language, especially through the Cusco and Sacred Valley region. “Napaykullayki” works as a greeting and “Añay” as thank you, though spellings vary by source and dialect, so treat them as a friendly gesture rather than a precise phrasebook entry.
Is the train to Machu Picchu running normally right now?
Check before you build an itinerary around it. A wildfire near km 107 of the Ollantaytambo-Machu Picchu line caused rockfall onto the tracks on August 4, 2026, and PeruRail suspended service before resuming on August 5 once the line was cleared. That kind of short disruption can recur, so confirm live status at perurail.com/protest-machu-picchu or incarail.com before booking a tight connection.
Travel Peru Like You’ve Already Been
Ask before you photograph, pace your first day at altitude, save the haggling for craft markets, and treat a scheduled train the way you’d treat a flight, not a suggestion. None of it is about fear of a misstep. Get these down and the rest of the trip runs the way locals already expect it to, coca tea in hand, at a pace your lungs can actually keep up with.
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