Welcome Again! Thank you for your registration - we look forward to saying hello to you in person at our school. You will receive confirmation of your registration by e-mail within the next 48 hours. It is one of our desires to provide you with competent and reliable support in your travel preparations. Please study the following information carefully (you might have seen some of it on our page “Hints and How To Get There”) and try to adhere to it. In doing so, you will save yourself possible complications and inconveniences. We recommend that you print out this document, either in its entirety or at least the most important sections: • When departing from your home airport • Arriving at Lima International Airport (LIM) (first paragraph) • Missing Luggage • ... what you should know upon arrival in Arequipa Please have these printouts always at hand during your entire journey (i.e. between your departing airport and your arrival in Arequipa) and consult them if necessary. Planning your travel to / in Peru Reservations and prepayments We would recommend not making (too many) reservations (and prepayments), e.g. for your Colca Canyon Tour, your visit to Puno/Lake Titicaca and to the Cuzco region (incl. Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley). You can make the corresponding reservations for accommodations, transport, tours, trekking etc. on the spot, i.e. when you are here in Arequipa, and later in Puno, Cuzco, etc. – Why is this more recommendable? 1. Most likely you will find, once here in Peru, less expensive options, and we can also provide pertinent advice. 2. Our experience says that travellers of all age groups and origins, once in Peru, tend to change their plans or would like to do so, i.e. changing the route/itinerary, or staying more time in one place and less in another. But having booked and prepaid services (accommodations, tours, flights, bus transports, car rentals) from home, it would be a difficult undertaking to cancel or change something and get a refund for something already paid. One of the exceptions in this respect is the EDEAQ: no pre-payment is required, and you can change, in principle, your arrival and/or departure dates, also at short notice. – Important: Should you plan to attend an event that normally attracts thousands of visitors (for example the Inti Raymi celebration in Cuzco/ Sacsayhuamán, every year between 21 and 24 June), or to visit Machu Picchu with or without Inca Trail (in particular during high season (i.e. July to October and December/January), then we recommend to make reservations (accommodations, tours, flights, bus tickets, car rentals, etc.) well in advance. The same applies to the “Semana Santa” (Easter Week), in particular Holy/ Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday. From Lima to Arequipa by plane There are four airlines operating scheduled flights between Lima andArequipa: Peruvian Airlines, TACA, Star Peru and LAN. – Passengers from Europe arriving not later than approx. two and a half hours prior to the departures of the last flights to Arequipa (which leave between 19:00 h and 20:00 h). e.g. with Air France (arr 15:55 h), IBERIA (arr 18:05 h) or KLM (arr 18:10 h), can thus continue their journey to Arequipa on the same day. From Lima to Arequipa by bus We recommend the bus company Cruz del Sur [www.cruzdelsur.com.pe]. There is one day-time connection (departing Lima at 06:30 h, travel time between 15 and 17 hours). There are six afternoon/ evening departures from 14:30 h to 21:00 h (travel time between 15 and 16 hours), arriving in Arequipa on the following day. – Fares: between USD 22.00 and USD 53.00, to be paid in Soles. – If you interrupt your bus journey in Parácas/Ica or Nazca, the staff of your hotel/hostel can advise you how to continue your journey to Arequipa. Colca Canyon Tour and then to Puno Do not book your Colca Tour in advance: do it when you are here in Arequipa. On the last day of your Colca Canyon Tour, you do not have to return to Arequipa (of course you can, if you wish so) - you can travel directly to Puno. There is a daily bus connection from Chivay to Puno (dep 13:30 h/arr 19:30 h) [www.4m-express.com]. The Puno arrival time allows you to still make pertinent arrangements for the coming day (Lake Titicaca excursion), since the agencies/tour operators are open until about 21:00 h/21:30 h. From Puno to Cuzco (or vice versa) A good alternative to the (fairly expensive) train [www.perurail.com/en] and to overcrowded public buses is the “Inka Express” [www.inkaexpress.com.pe]. How to get to Peru (Lima) and Arequipa? Quite a number of European, Latin-American and North American airlines offer regular flights to Peru’s capital city of Lima (Jorge Chávez International Airport [LIM]). In principle, you will always get a flight to and from Lima at short notice - the question is at what price? Please be aware that intercontinental flights to and from Lima tend to be extremely well or often fully booked between July and October as well as in December/January. In the event that your travel plans fall into months other than those mentioned above, it is nevertheless highly advisable to make flight reservations as early as possible. In particular, during the peak seasons (as mentioned above July to October and December/January), low cost airlines operate between European hubs (in particular Madrid and Paris) and Lima. Your travel agent and pertinent Internet brokers will be able to provide an overview on these options. From Europe. For students from Europe, the best options are Air France [www.airfrance.com] (arr. 15:55 h), IBERIA [www.iberia.com] (arr 05:30 h and 18:05 h), KLM [www.klm.com] (arr 18:10 h) or LAN [www. lan.com] (arr 06:10 h). Another option is Lufthansa [www.lufthansa.com] from Frankfurt through Bogotá (Colombia) with good LAN or TACA connections, or through São Paulo (Brazil). Your travel agent and the pertinent Internet sites will be able to provide information on other options (American, Continental, Delta, Swiss, etc.), in particular those via the United States (Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark, New York, etc.). From the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. You can count on a series of direct flights or good connections through Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, Newark, Toronto, Bogotá (Colombia), Caracas (Venezuela), Mexico City, Quito (Ecuador), Panamá or San José de Costa Rica, operated by carriers such as American, Air Canada, Avianca, Continental, COPA, Delta, LAN, TACA, etc. From Japan and the Far East. The best option are the services provided by Aerolíneas Argentinas, American, Continental, Delta, AeroMexico or LAN (possibly in connection with Japanese or other carriers based in the region) through Los Angeles, Houston, Sidney, Auckland or Mexico City. From Australia and New Zealand. The best option is LAN from Sydney and Auckland to Santiago de Chile, with good connecting flights to Lima. From South Africa. The best/only option is South African Airways from Johannesburg through São Paulo (Brazil) or Buenos Aires (Argentina), with good connecting flights to Lima. Flights Lima (LIM) - Arequipa (AQP). There are four airlines operating scheduled flights between Lima and Arequipa (flying time one hour and twenty minutes), LAN [www.lan.com], Peruvian Airlines [www.peruvianairlines.pe], TACA [www. taca.com], and Star Peru [www.starperu.com]. LAN is the largest and most reliable Peruvian airline (but also the most expensive one) and offers up to nine flights per day between Lima and Arequipa. In addition, it also operates internationally to and from the United States as well as to and from neighbouring Latin-American countries and Europe. – Passengers from Europe arriving approx. two and a half hours prior to the departures of the last flights to Arequipa (which leave between 19:00 h and 20:00 h). e.g. with Air France (arr 15:55 h), IBERIA (arr 17:35 h) or KLM (arr 18:10 h), can thus continue their journey to Arequipa on the same day. – Please note that for departing passengers on domestic flights, the Lima airport tax is approximately USD 6.00. Flights Arequipa (AQP) - Lima (LIM). There are four airlines operating scheduled flights between Arequipa and Lima (flying time one hour and ten minutes), LAN [www.lan.com]. Peruvian Airlines [www. peruvianairlines.pe], TACA [www.taca.com], and Star Peru [www.starperu.com]. LAN is the largest and most reliable Peruvian airline (but also the most expensive one) and offers up to nine flights per day between Lima and Arequipa. In addition, it also operates internationally to and from the United States as well as to and from neighbouring Latin-American countries and Europe.. – Please note that for departing passengers on domestic flights, the Lima airport tax is approximately USD 6.00. For departing passengers on international flights, the Lima airport tax is approximately USD 30.00 (to be paid in cash, USD or Soles). Change of timetables (domestic flights).Be aware that departure and arrival times of domestic flights in Peru can change at short or without notice, especially in the end of March and October, when most European countries change from winter to summer time and vice versa. Your (airline) ticket(s) Note the address, telephone, and fax numbers as well as e-mail addresses of the travel agency where you bought your ticket, and if possible the name of your travel agent. When you purchase your ticket, be it through a travel agent or online, make sure that you will receive full information concerning reservation changes and applicable penalties, in case you would like to extend or shorten your stay, i.e.