Peru

Domestic flights are the fastest way to cover Peru's dramatic terrain -- LATAM and budget carriers connect Lima with Cusco, Arequipa, and Iquitos in about an hour or two each.

Long-distance buses connect most coastal and highland cities. The train to Machu Picchu (PeruRail, IncaRail) is the standard way to reach the site, since no road reaches Aguas Calientes directly.

Within Lima, traffic is heavy and rideshare apps are the easiest, safest way to get around.

Peru's major tourist circuits -- Lima's tourist districts, Cusco, and Machu Picchu -- are visited safely by millions of travelers each year, though the country has real regional variation and some specific risks worth planning around.

• Petty theft and bag-slashing are the most common issues in Lima and Cusco specifically -- keep bags zipped and worn in front on crowded buses and in markets, and be cautious with phones and cameras in crowded tourist areas.
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• Altitude sickness is a genuine, common issue for visitors arriving directly in Cusco (3,400m) or Lake Titicaca's Puno (3,800m) from sea level -- give the body a day or two to acclimatize before strenuous activity, stay hydrated, and take symptoms (headache, nausea, breathlessness) seriously rather than pushing through them.
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• "Express kidnappings" involving unlicensed taxis, where a driver forces a victim to withdraw cash from ATMs, is a documented if uncommon risk in Lima -- use registered taxi apps or hotel-arranged transport rather than hailing a cab on the street.
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• The VRAEM region (parts of Ayacucho, Cusco, and Junín) has a history of drug-trafficking-related activity and carries a government travel advisory -- this doesn't affect the standard Cusco/Machu Picchu tourist circuit, but check current advisories before venturing into rural areas of these regions specifically.
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• Natural hazards: Peru sits in a seismically active zone with real earthquake risk, and the Amazon's rainy season can bring flooding and travel disruption to river-dependent areas.
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• Emergency number: 105 for police, 116 for fire/medical.