If you're planning a trip to Peru, chances are this is the first question you typed into Google. It's the question I get most often from couples in the US and Europe before they book — and it deserves a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
I'm Francisco, founder of TravizPeru. I've been designing private journeys through this country for over 22 years, and I live in Lima. Here's what I'd tell you if we were talking over coffee.
The short answer
Yes. Peru is safe to visit in 2026, and the areas your trip will actually take you through — Lima's tourist districts, the Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Machu Picchu — are not the areas any advisory warns against.
The U.S. State Department currently places Peru at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution — the same category as France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. It's not a "reconsider travel" warning. The specific areas flagged for real concern are the VRAEM valley and parts of the Colombian border region, both remote zones far from any tourist route and nowhere near Cusco, the Sacred Valley, or Machu Picchu.
Over 4 million international visitors came to Peru in 2025. Machu Picchu alone welcomed more than 190,000 people in just the first two months of that year. This is a country that receives, and takes care of, a lot of travelers.
What actually affects tourists (and how we handle it)
The real risks in Peru aren't the ones that make headlines — they're small, avoidable, and mostly about being an unfamiliar face in a new city.
- Taxi and street scams. Unofficial taxis and unregistered "agencies" targeting tourists in busy areas are the most common issue. We solve this simply: every transfer, driver, and guide on a TravizPeru trip is vetted and arranged in advance. You never negotiate a fare or flag down a car on the street.
- Altitude, not crime. Cusco sits at 3,400 meters. For most travelers, altitude is a bigger factor in how you feel than anything to do with safety. We build acclimatization into your itinerary from day one.
- Crowds and fake ticket sellers. Machu Picchu tickets are limited and sold only through Peru's official government system. We secure yours months in advance, so you're never at risk of buying from a fraudulent site.
Being honest about the Machu Picchu train situation
You may have seen news of a train collision on the Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes line in late December 2025. It happened, it was serious, and rail service on that section has been affected while it's investigated and repaired.
I'd rather tell you this directly than have you find it on your own and wonder what else I'm not mentioning. This is exactly the kind of situation where traveling independently gets complicated — schedules and routes are shifting — and where having someone on the ground managing your logistics matters most. We're tracking the situation closely and adjusting routes and departure times for every client so your visit to Machu Picchu goes ahead smoothly, with no surprises on the day.
The bottom line
Peru is not a dangerous country to visit — it's an unfamiliar one, and unfamiliarity is what breeds worry. The way to remove that worry isn't to avoid the trip; it's to travel with someone who handles the details before you even land.
That's the difference between booking a trip and having a trip organized around you. No group buses, no guessing which taxi to trust, no wondering if your Machu Picchu ticket is real. Just a private, well-planned journey — and a Peruvian who answers the phone if anything changes.
Planning your trip to Peru? Let's design your dream journey.
Sources: U.S. Department of State travel advisory for Peru · U.S. Embassy Lima transportation alert (Dec 30, 2025) · Peru tourism arrival statistics, 2025.