How to Travel to Peru from Canada: the Practical Checklist

Nonstop flights from Toronto and Montreal, connections from Vancouver

Two Canadian airlines fly nonstop to Lima. Since December 2023, Air Transat has flown Toronto to Lima twice a week and Montreal to Lima once a week on an Airbus A321LR, a route it announced as year-round. In summer 2026 it adds a third weekly Toronto flight between June 21 and September 6: TS152 leaves Toronto at 23:00 and lands in Lima at 06:00, and the return TS153 leaves Lima at 08:00 and reaches Toronto at 16:55. Check the current timetable for your travel dates before you book.

Air Canada flies to Lima as a winter seasonal route. In the 2025 to 2026 season it ran twice a week from Toronto (Tuesday and Friday, 22:10 departure, 06:10 arrival) and twice a week from Montreal (AC 88, Wednesday and Saturday, 18:00 departure, 02:15 arrival). For winter 2026 to 2027 Air Canada has announced three weekly flights from each city, starting October 24 from Toronto and October 25 from Montreal. The end date of that season has not been published, so confirm your return date before you commit to a tour.

Flight time is roughly 8 hours from Toronto and 8 h 15 from Montreal. Most nonstops arrive in Lima overnight or at dawn, which is why a private transfer and an early hotel check-in matter more than on a daytime arrival.

There is no nonstop flight from Vancouver. The usual routings connect in Houston (United) or Atlanta (Delta), and the fastest itineraries take about 13 h 20 in total. From Calgary, Edmonton or Winnipeg, compare a connection through Toronto on a nonstop day with a connection through a US hub; both work, and the right choice usually depends on the arrival time in Lima.

When to go, seen from a Canadian calendar

Peru has two travel seasons that point in opposite directions. The Andes, including Cusco, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca, are dry from April to October and rainy from November to March. The coast, from Lima to Paracas and Nazca, is warm and sunny in its summer and cool and foggy in its winter. In Lima, the summer runs from December to April and the grey garúa drizzle from June to September.

In practice, Canadians who travel from January to March get the coast at its best and the mountains green and wet, which is the subject of our guide to escaping the Canadian winter in Peru. Those who travel from May to September get clear skies in the Andes and cooler, cloudier days on the coast. Both work well for a private itinerary; they simply call for a different balance between coast and mountains.

Passport, visa and arrival in Lima

According to the Government of Canada travel advice for Peru, Canadian tourists do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days within a 365 day period. Overstaying is an offence and leads to daily fines, so keep your return date within that limit.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you arrive. Immigration officers may ask for a return or onward ticket, proof of accommodation and proof of sufficient funds, so keep your flight confirmation and your trip documents on your phone and on paper.

Arrival by air is fully digital: your passport is not stamped. The Andean Migration Card (Tarjeta Andina de Migración, TAM) is issued electronically at Jorge Chávez airport, and you can download it from the Peruvian immigration website after you land. Keep a copy with your travel documents.

• No visa for tourism up to 90 days in any 365 day period
• Passport valid six months beyond your arrival date
• Return or onward ticket, hotel bookings and proof of funds on hand
• Virtual TAM downloadable from migraciones.gob.pe after arrival

Health, altitude and travel insurance

The Government of Canada rates Peru as a country where you should exercise a high degree of caution, with regional advisories for the VRAEM valley, the Alto Huallaga and the northern border areas with Colombia and Ecuador. None of those areas is on the classic southern route of Lima, Paracas, Nazca, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Puno and Arequipa.

Altitude is the main health issue for most visitors. The risk starts above 2,500 m, which includes Cusco, Puno, Lake Titicaca and the Colca Canyon. Our guide to altitude sickness in Cusco explains how to acclimatise; the short version is to plan your route so that you gain height gradually and to keep the first afternoon in the highlands free.

Yellow fever vaccination is not required to enter Peru. The US CDC recommends it only for jungle areas below 2,300 m, such as Tambopata and Puerto Maldonado in Madre de Dios, and not for Lima, the city of Cusco, the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu or the coast. Malaria follows a similar map: it exists below 2,500 m east of the Andes, including Puerto Maldonado, and not in Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Titicaca or the southern coast. If your itinerary includes the Amazon, see a travel clinic or a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre well before departure.

Buy travel insurance that covers medical evacuation, as the Government of Canada recommends. Check that it covers the altitudes you will reach and any activity you plan, such as sandboarding or a trek. For the Nazca Lines, the same travel advice notes that Pisco International Airport is the safest option for sightseeing flights and asks travellers to use a certified operator; our guide on where to fly over the Nazca Lines compares Pisco and Nazca.

Time difference with Lima

Lima is on UTC minus 5 all year and never changes its clocks. The difference with Canada therefore depends on the season and on where you live.

Jet lag is minimal from Eastern Canada, which is one of the practical advantages of Peru over Europe or Asia. The real fatigue comes from the overnight flight and the early arrival, not from the clock.

• Toronto and Montreal, during daylight saving time (March to early November): Lima is 1 hour behind
• Toronto and Montreal, during standard time (early November to mid March): same time as Lima
• Vancouver: British Columbia now stays on permanent Pacific time (UTC minus 7), so Lima is 2 hours ahead all year

Money: soles, US dollars, cards and Canadian dollars

Peru's currency is the sol (PEN). US dollars are widely accepted in tourist businesses, but cards are accepted much less outside the large cities. Carry some soles in small bills for markets, tips, taxis and entrance fees paid on the spot.

Some fees are charged in soles, on the spot. The best known is at Nazca airfield: the airport fee of S/ 30 and the Boleto Turístico of S/ 47, S/ 77 per person in total, are paid before boarding when you fly from Nazca. The Nazca Lines tour from Lima via Pisco already includes these charges.

Mystery Peru prices its tours and packages in US dollars and charges in US dollars. The website can display amounts in Canadian dollars, but that is only a reference: your bank applies its own exchange rate. As a guide, at about 1.41 CAD per USD, the Peru Adventure package from USD 1,790 comes to roughly 2,532 CAD, and the 35 minute Nazca Lines flight at USD 100 per person comes to roughly 141 CAD.

From Lima to the rest of Peru, and how booking works

Lima is the gateway, not the destination. From there the classic route runs south by road to Paracas, Huacachina and Nazca, then climbs to Cusco and Machu Picchu, either by night bus or by flying back from Lima. Our guide on how to get from Nazca to Cusco compares those options in detail, and the pillar guide on planning a private Peru tour from Canada explains how to shape the whole trip.

For a multi-day trip, you send a request with your dates and the number of travellers through the package form or by WhatsApp at +51 941 695 002, and the team replies on the same channel with a quote. Once the itinerary is agreed, you receive a secure payment link and pay by card through Izipay or by bank wire. Single tours, such as the Nazca Lines flight or a Lima city tour, can be booked and paid directly online from the tour page.

What to pack for Peru from Canada

A typical southern Peru itinerary crosses three climates in a week: a warm or foggy coast, a desert with strong sun, and highlands where nights are cold all year. Pack in layers rather than in bulk, because domestic transfers are easier with a medium suitcase and a daypack.

Canadians tend to underestimate two things: the sun at altitude, which burns quickly even when the air is cool, and the cold of Andean nights, especially from May to August. A light down jacket and a good hat solve both.

• Passport valid six months, printed flight and hotel confirmations, insurance policy number
• Layers: T-shirts, a fleece, a light down jacket and a waterproof shell
• Comfortable walking shoes with grip for stone steps and uneven trails
• Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat with a brim
• Soles in small bills, plus a credit card and a debit card from different networks
• Any prescription medication in its original packaging, and advice from your doctor about altitude
• A power adapter: check your devices against Peruvian sockets before you leave

Frequently asked questions