Tipping in Peru: The Essential, Proven Guide to Rewarding Great Service

As you plan your journey to Peru, with its rich history, vibrant culture, and breathtaking landscapes, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with local customs, including tipping etiquette. This guide will help you navigate these interactions with confidence and respect, ensuring a smooth journey. Our team at Fertur is always happy to advise you on current customs for tipping in Peru.

When to tip, who to tip and how much to tip in Peru

In Peru, tipping in certain situations is not only customary but also a meaningful way to show appreciation for the hard work and dedication of service providers. This practice enriches your travel experience, fostering a deeper connection with its people. Tipping is always discretionary, and practices can vary by region and level of service.

💸 Peruvian Denominations :: Coins & Bills

Being prepared for tipping in Peru means thinking about how much cash you need and where to find ATMs. When traveling, it’s wise to avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Having a hundred soles in change and small bills should suffice.

The Peruvian currency is the sol (PEN). Denominations include 10, 20, and 50 céntimos and 1, 2, and 5 soles coins, alongside banknotes of 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 soles. Note: Small coins are essential for restrooms, taxis, and photo tips, as many vendors struggle to break 100 or 200 soles notes.

🍲 🍸 Restaurants and Bars

When dining at restaurants and bars in Peru, it’s important to note that gratuity is usually not included in your bill. While some upscale establishments might add a 10% service charge, this practice is not widespread, making tipping a personal gesture of appreciation.

In most cases, a 10% tip is customary for sit-down restaurants in Peru, especially in areas frequented by tourists. However, you’re encouraged to adjust the tip based on the quality of service, ensuring it reflects your dining experience. ensuring it reflects your dining experience. This is quite a standard practice in many of Cusco’s finer restaurants, so try to keep this in mind when you are here.

Increasingly, establishments offer the option to add the tip to your credit card payment, but it’s wise to have cash on hand for tipping, as this is still the more common practice in Peru. This flexibility ensures you can always show your appreciation in the most convenient way.

While you can often add tips to credit card payments, having cash is preferred to ensure the server receives it directly. For example, for a 120-soles dinner in Miraflores, a tip of 12-15 soles is appropriate.

In smaller, local eateries, tipping is not expected, but leaving a few soles is a kind gesture. For bars, 5-10 soles is common, or 10% if you ordered food.

🚕 Taxis & Public Transportation

In general, tipping is not expected for public transportation in Peru, including buses, micros, and combis, as the fares are fixed and part of Peru’s public transport system.

Popular ride-hailing services like Uber, Cabify and InDrive are preferable options for safe and reliable transport in Peru’s larger cities, such as Lima, Arequipa, and Cusco. Local ride-hailing services include Taxi Satélital in Lima and Taxitel in Arequipa.

However, when using local taxis or mototaxis in Peru, it’s essential to negotiate the fare before getting in. While tipping taxi drivers in Peru is not expected, rounding up the fare or giving a small amount, such as 2-3 soles, as a token of appreciation for exceptional service is always welcomed.

Remember, ensuring your safety when taking a taxi in Peru involves only accepting rides from vehicles with visible, affixed TAXI placards and clearly marked vehicle numbers. Writing down the vehicle number for reference can provide an additional layer of security, a good practice for both passengers and taxi drivers in Peru.

🚻 Public Restrooms: Acknowledging Small Services

Many restrooms have attendants. If there’s a fee (usually 0.50 to 1.00 sole), it’s often used for maintenance and providing toilet paper. Keep small change handy for this.

📷 Photographing people

As a general rule, people in Peru do not expect recompense for having their photos taken. It’s always best to ask permission. Most of the time, you will be met with a smile and nod, and even a ‘gracias’ from your subject once you’ve snapped the picture.

The notorious exception for this advice is in Cusco, where asking permission is also a very good idea. In this city, it is common practice to show respect by seeking permission before taking someone’s photograph.

Additionally, it is often expected to tip a few dollars or 5 or 10 soles for the privilege of capturing someone’s image in Cusco. This cultural norm is particularly prevalent in Cusco, where locals appreciate the gesture of compensation for their time and cooperation.

Therefore, when visiting Cusco, it is advisable to be mindful of this custom and be prepared to offer a small gratuity as a token of appreciation. It’s especially important to remember this when heading on a longer tour around Peru, given you may get used to taking photographs freely before coming to Cusco.

🧳 Help with your Luggage at the Airport

Official porters expect a tip of $5 to $10 (approx. 20-40 soles) per trolley. Tipping in soles is often preferred as it’s easier for them to use immediately.

Beware of unofficial airport porters in Peru who often exhibit overly aggressive behavior, grabbing your luggage without permission and then stubbornly demanding payment. This situation can usually be avoided with a few firm words right from the start, ensuring a smoother experience at Peruvian airports.:

“No, gracias, no quiero ayuda. As­, nomas. No.”
(Phonetic: NO, GRAH-SEE-AHS. NO KEY-AIR-O EYE-U-DUH. AH-SEE, NO-MAHS. NO.)

🥾 Guided Tour Guides and Trekking Staff

For the Inca Trail and multi-day treks, tipping is an important part of the local economy. Please tip in soles, not dollars, as exchange rates for small bills can be poor for staff.

Suggested amounts: For a standard group trek, a total pool of 75-100 soles per traveler typically covers the entire support team (porters and cooks). For the lead guide, a separate tip of 50-100 soles per person is considered generous for exceptional service.

Tipping Made Easy with Fertur

When you book a guided tour to Machu Picchu or a custom Peru itinerary with Fertur, our guides help you handle tipping discreetly. We ensure you know exactly what is appropriate for every situation so you can focus on the experience. Contact us today to start planning your worry-free Peru adventure.