Overview
| Population | 30.38 million | Area | 1.285 million km² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language(s) | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara | Timezones | Peru Time, UTC-05:00 |
| Currency | Sol (PEN) | Climate | Subtropical, Cold, Equatorial |
| Dialing code | +51 | Electricity | 220V, 60Hz, type A, C sockets |
Medics Away is proud to present the Peru elective. Situated at 3500 metres, Cusco has been described by many as ‘Breath Taking!’. Give yourself that time to acclimatise, and experience the affect all that fresh Andean air to can do to your senses. Small interconnecting streets open out on to grand plazas. Miniature taxis imported from china and people; exist side by side in what can only be described as controlled chaos. Historical sites of tremendous significance are ubiquitous and seemingly just a stones-throw away. You’ll want to pack some evening gear as well, because Cusco is open all hours.
Mountain Adventure
This is a location not to be browsed over. An experience that will change your perception of medicine and your understanding of the ancient Incan civilisation. The medicine and language experiences are diverse and very rewarding. Medics Away usually provides a simple itinerary in week one: Medicine in the morning; Spanish in the afternoon. Otherwise there’s limitless free time to explore, shop, socialise or relax. The Medics Away Reps are always ready for action; take advantage of all that experience and resource. Sign up for the most popular elective that Medics Away currently organises and guarantee yourself an unforgettable experience.
Please make an enquiry to receive a complete list of prices available for this elective.
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Itineraries
2 weeks accommodation (available in Shared / Single), Breakfast, Airport pickup & drop off, Representation & Hospital Rotation.
Written itinerary Visual itinerary2 weeks accommodation (available in Shared / Single), Breakfast, Airport pickup & drop off, Representation, Classic Inca Trail, 20 hours Spanish Classes & Hospital Rotation.
Written itinerary Visual itinerary4 weeks accommodation (available in Shared / Single), Breakfast, Airport pickup & drop off, Representation & Hospital Rotation.
Written itinerary Visual itinerary4 weeks accommodation (available in Shared / Single), Breakfast, Airport pickup & drop off, Representation, Classic Inca Trail, 20 hours Spanish Classes & Hospital Rotation.
Written itinerary Visual itinerary6 weeks accommodation (available in Shared / Single), Breakfast, Airport pickup & drop off, Representation & Hospital Rotation.
Written itinerary Visual itinerary6 weeks accommodation (available in Shared / Single), Breakfast, Airport pickup & drop off, Representation, Classic Inca Trail, 20 hours Spanish Classes & Hospital Rotation.
Written itinerary Visual itinerary8 weeks accommodation (available in Shared / Single), Breakfast, Airport pickup & drop off, Representation & Hospital Rotation.
Written itinerary Visual itinerary8 weeks accommodation (available in Shared / Single), Breakfast, Airport pickup & drop off, Representation, Classic Inca Trail, 20 hours Spanish Classes & Hospital Rotation.
Written itinerary Visual itineraryGetting There
International flights to Peru are available from numerous airline companies. If travelling from the UK, the cheapest airline is probably Iberia Airlines via Madrid from London Gatwick. Students can expect to pay between £600-700GBP return.
Flying to Cusco is always via Lima, the capital city of Peru. Flights are normally with Lan Peru or Taca airlines. A normal flight to Cusco from Lima is approximately $150USD each way. Often, international flights with an agent will include the transfer flight all the way through to Cusco and back again. Please be aware, if you book your return flight all the way through and back again can limit your flexibility to travel to other places in Peru without having to leave from Cusco itself on your last day (i.e. some students may want to travel to Mancora in the North of Peru and return back to Lima and take the international flight from there, not Cusco). Students should try to sit on the left side of the plane, the views of the mountains are much better. Students are not recommended to try and travel by land to Cusco from Lima. The journey is long, uninteresting (because its mostly over night) and the cost saving is not really worth it. Journey time from Lima to Cusco via plane is approximately 1 hour; via bus is 2 hours.
Once arriving into Cusco, students are met at the airport and taken to their accommodation. Transfer to the accommodation takes approximately 15 minutes.
Accommodation
Accommodation is provided in tourist standard hotel or guest house in the fun and central location of San Blaz. This hotel is close to Cusco Cathedral, Cusco Plaza de Armas, and Sacsayhuaman. You have the option of opting for single accommodation, but this will make the price increase considerably (especially over longer electives). Serviceable and pleasant, the perfect place to unwind after a busy day in Cusco.
Casa de Mama Cusco provides an airport shuttle and complimentary high-speed Internet access. Other amenities include multilingual staff, flat-panel televisions come with cable channels. Guestrooms also feature balconies, kitchens, and refrigerators. One customer said:
"We loved Mercedes, Carmen and team. They picked us up from the airport really really early, had Coca Tea ready for the altitude and shared valuable information about the area. The hotel is beautiful, clean and has a great view of Cusco. It is close to the city centre and Plaza de Armas. Thank you for a wonderful 3 nights.
I stayed at this funky little hotel for several days while we toured the area. We loved our house mom. She was so sweet and accommodating. Our reasonably-priced, clean room came with a fab view of Cusco’s hills, classic and complimentary breakfast, a simple kitchen, hot shower, cozy bed, lots of light, security, and a table for writing or eating.This little hotel is within walking distance of many good restaurants and every kind of shop one would want. It is situated up a set of stairs, but we acclimatized quite easily. The owner, Mercedes, arranged airport pick-up and stored our luggage for free while we used Mama Casa’s as home base for other excursions; when we returned, it was like coming back home as we were greeted with a warm smile and a cup of coca tea. Comfy, quirky, safe, and memorable. If you are looking for a typical white-walled hotel room, Casa Mama is not your place. If you want a Peruvian experience, stay here!"
Discovery Trip
The Peru elective includes the Classic Inca Trail and is Peru’s best known hike, combining a stunning mix of Inca ruins, mountain scenery, lush cloud-forest and rich subtropical jungle. Over 250 species of orchid have been counted in the Machu Picchu historic Sanctuary, as well as numerous birds such as hummingbirds, waterfowl and the majestic Andean Condor. The star of the Sanctuary is the spectacled bear – a shy, herbivorous animal that is extremely rare and close to extinction. Essentially, the Inca Trail is a mountainous jungle hike leading to the sacred Inca city of Machu Picchu. The 45km trek is usually covered in 4 days, arriving at Machu Picchu at daybreak on the final day before returning to Cusco by train in the afternoon.
Since the number of trek permits is limited to 500 per day (about 200 tourists and 300 trekking staff) it is important to book well in advance. The trek permits are issued on a first-come-first-served basis up until all the permits have been sold out. In the low season (December & January) there are some days when there are still permits available 4 or 5 days in advance, but in the high season (May to September) it is recommended that you book at least 4 months in advance to guarantee a place. We would actually recommend making a reservation 5 or 6 months ahead. Students are expected to provide Medics Away with an up to date Student ISIC card (normally costs approximately $20USD with STA travel); without the card the elective has a $50USD surcharge on the full elective.
Those students that book too late to obtain the Classic Inca Trail and still want the ‘Full’ elective are offered the Salcantay Trail as an alternative. A stunning five day trip takes you over the Andean Mountains and drops you into Machu Pichu on the last day.
Please be aware, the Full elective also includes 20 hours of Spanish Classes.
Please refer to the Activities section of the Peru website for more details of each of the trips. Additional trips are available, please use the Add to Itinerary button to submit further requests for trips. Medics Away will add them to your itinerary and adjust your invoice accordingly.
Hospital
The hospital in Cusco is notably modern, well provided for and relatively large with over 100 doctors. It is a publicly funded hospital and serves the general population of Cusco and surrounding area. A full range of specialities are available, much like you may expect in any developing country. It has fully functioning Medical, Surgical and Accident & Emergency departments with many sub specialities closely linked to these. All specialities, including pathology, are available to Medics Away students.
Doctors deal with a range of problems expected in an urban environment in the developing world, treating all sections of the local community including both Spanish and Quechuan Indians. Students are allocated the specialty of their choice. Requests for specialties are invariably successful as we have very strong relationship with the hospital.
Activities
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White Water Rafting
£35 / pp
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Wayna Picchu (or Huayna Pichu)
£50 / pp
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Spanish Classes
£140 / pp
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Salkantay Trail
£350 / pp
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Classic Inca Trail
£450 / pp
Documents
- Last Date in Home Country
- Photocopy of your Passport. (VERY URGENT)
- Copy of your Signed ISIC (International Student Identity Card) BOTH sides. (VERY URGENT)
- University Accreditation Letter attesting to student’s Good Standing (VERY URGENT)
- Curriculum Vitae (VERY URGENT)
- Date of Exam Results, if Pass is Mandatory (URGENT)
- University Electives Coordinators - names, phones and emails
- Immunisation Record
- Health Insurance Certificate
- Medical Indemnity Insurance Certificate
- Pay Classic Inca Trail Supplement (£100 Non-Refundable)
- Email Airline Flight Confirmation to Medics Away
- Emergency Contacts
- Pay Invoice Residue
Impressions of Peru
Been on this elective? Send us your testimonial.
