Protests in Peru 2023: What Travelers Should Know Before Booking or Traveling

Understanding the Context: Why Protests Erupted in Early 2023

In December 2022, Peru entered its most severe political crisis in modern history after President Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress—an unconstitutional act that triggered immediate impeachment proceedings. On December 7, 2022, Castillo was removed from office and arrested; Vice President Dina Boluarte assumed the presidency. Within 48 hours, mass demonstrations erupted across the Andean highlands, particularly in Ayacucho, Puno, and Cusco. By January 2023, over 60 people had been killed in protest-related violence, according to the Peruvian Ombudsman’s Office (Defensoría del Pueblo), with more than 1,200 injured. The core grievances included demands for Boluarte’s resignation, early elections, constitutional reform, and recognition of systemic marginalization of Indigenous Quechua- and Aymara-speaking communities—groups comprising nearly 45% of Peru’s 33.5 million population, per INEI (National Institute of Statistics and Informatics) 2023 census data.

Geographic Impact: Which Regions Were Most Affected

While protests occurred nationwide, intensity and duration varied significantly by region. The southern highland departments bore the brunt: Puno recorded 218 protest events between January and April 2023, the highest in the country (Peruvian Ministry of Interior, Informe de Seguridad Pública, May 2023). Ayacucho saw 173 documented demonstrations—many centered on Plaza de Armas in Huamanga and blocking access to the airport (Coronel FAP Alfredo Mendívil Duarte Airport, IATA code: AYP). Cusco experienced 92 incidents, including the 12-day blockade of the Cusco–Puno highway (Route PE-34) from February 14–26, 2023, halting bus traffic for Cruz del Sur, Oltursa, and Ormeño—the three largest interprovincial carriers serving Machu Picchu-bound travelers.

Key Transportation Hubs Disrupted

Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) remained operational throughout 2023 but faced intermittent delays due to fuel shortages at nearby storage facilities in Callao. Between March 7–12, 2023, LATAM Airlines canceled 34 flights originating from LIM, while Sky Airline suspended 12 domestic routes—including Lima–Cusco (LIM–CUZ)—for 72 hours. In contrast, Arequipa’s Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) reported zero flight cancellations in Q1 2023 but recorded a 41% drop in passenger volume compared to Q1 2022, per Aeropuertos del Perú (AdP) statistics.

Urban vs. Rural Dynamics

Protest activity in Lima was largely confined to central districts—Plaza San Martín, Plaza Bolognesi, and the congressional perimeter—where police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets on January 21, 2023, injuring 17 journalists, including two from El Comercio and one from Associated Press. In rural areas, roadblocks were often organized by community councils (ronderos) using stones, burning tires, and wooden barricades. A 2023 study by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) documented 1,842 roadblocks nationwide between January and October—78% occurring on secondary roads (e.g., PE-37A between Abancay and Andahuaylas), not major highways like Pan-American Highway South.

Safety Realities: Verified Incident Data and Risk Levels

The U.S. Department of State upgraded Peru to Level 4: “Do Not Travel” for Puno, Ayacucho, and Apurímac departments from January 9 through August 1, 2023. Canada’s Global Affairs advisory echoed this for the same regions until June 2023. Crucially, neither advisory extended to Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo, or Chiclayo—cities that maintained normal tourism operations. According to the Peruvian National Police (PNP) Public Security Report (Q2 2023), foreign nationals accounted for 0.3% of all protest-related injuries—23 individuals out of 7,612 total. Of those, 18 were caught in crowd surges near Plaza Bolognesi; five sustained minor respiratory irritation from tear gas exposure during a demonstration on Avenida Tacna.

Hotel and Tour Operator Responses

Major hospitality brands activated localized protocols. At the Belmond Hotel Monasterio in Cusco—a UNESCO World Heritage property—staff conducted biweekly security briefings for guests starting January 2023 and partnered with local NGO Red por los Derechos Humanos to verify real-time road status via WhatsApp. In Lima, the Marriott Lima Hotel implemented a ‘Safe Stay’ policy requiring all guest shuttle drivers to carry GPS-tracked devices and avoid Avenida Nicolás de Piérola after 6 p.m. during peak protest periods. Meanwhile, Intrepid Travel suspended all group tours to Puno and Ayacucho from January 10–April 30, 2023, but continued operating in Arequipa, Nazca, and Paracas without incident.

Transportation Disruptions: Buses, Trains, and Domestic Flights

Interprovincial bus service suffered the most consistent disruption. Cruz del Sur, Peru’s largest bus company, suspended operations on 14 routes—including Lima–Cusco, Cusco–Puno, and Arequipa–Puno—for an average of 18 days per route between January and March 2023. Oltursa reported 3,217 delayed departures totaling 14,822 hours of cumulative delay in Q1 2023. By comparison, PeruRail—the operator of the Cusco–Machu Picchu train line—maintained 99.2% on-time performance (per its 2023 Annual Service Report), as rail lines proved harder to block physically and were prioritized for military escort during high-risk periods.

Air Travel Reliability Metrics

Domestic air travel remained comparatively stable outside of short-term spikes. According to SNI (Sistema Nacional de Información Aeronáutica), only 2.1% of scheduled domestic flights were canceled in 2023—down from 3.4% in 2022. LATAM Peru operated at 94.7% capacity utilization in 2023, with CUZ–LIM averaging 98.3% occupancy. Sky Airline’s new A320neo fleet achieved a 99.1% technical dispatch reliability rate, per its Q4 2023 Operations Summary. Still, travelers should note that flight delays increased by 12 minutes on average during protest peaks—particularly for morning departures from AQP and CUZ airports, where ground staff shortages occasionally occurred.

What Authorities and Embassies Actually Advised

Travel advisories diverged sharply by nationality and source. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advised against all travel to Puno and Ayacucho until September 2023 but explicitly stated: “There is no current advice against travel to Lima, Cusco city center, or coastal areas.” Germany’s Federal Foreign Office issued a regional warning limited to “departamentos afectados por bloqueos viales”—not naming specific cities—and emphasized that “tourist infrastructure in Cusco remains fully functional.” Australia’s Smart Traveller portal updated its Peru page 17 times between January and December 2023, with the final December 12 revision noting: “Protests have decreased markedly since August; no demonstrations reported in Cusco since October 3.”

On-the-ground coordination improved significantly after July 2023. The Peruvian Ministry of Tourism (Mincetur) launched the Plan de Reactivación Turística, deploying bilingual (Spanish/English) tourist police units to Cusco’s Plaza de Armas, Lima’s Miraflores district, and Arequipa’s Plaza de Armas starting August 1, 2023. These officers underwent training with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and carried standardized ID cards bearing QR codes linking to official safety updates. By November 2023, Mincetur reported 92% compliance among registered tour operators with mandatory emergency communication protocols.

Verified Embassy Resources

U.S. Embassy Lima operates a 24/7 Citizen Services Unit reachable at +51-1-618-2000. Its online Alert System sent 41 geotargeted SMS alerts to registered U.S. citizens in 2023—23 of which referenced transport disruptions, 12 cited curfew extensions, and six warned of localized fuel shortages. Canada’s embassy provided weekly email bulletins titled “Peru Weekly Security Update,” distributed to 2,840 subscribers, with open rates exceeding 78%. The Australian Embassy in Lima partnered with Peru’s Civil Defense Institute (INDECOPI) to publish a multilingual “Traveler’s Emergency Card” available in English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and German—distributed at Jorge Chávez Airport arrivals and major hotel lobbies.

Practical Preparedness: Actionable Steps for Travelers

Pre-departure planning matters more than ever. First, register your trip with your home country’s embassy—this enables targeted alerts and consular assistance. Second, download offline maps: Maps.me offers downloadable vector maps for all 25 Peruvian regions, including road classifications and real-time traffic layers (updated daily). Third, secure local SIM cards upon arrival: Entel Peru’s Turista Prepago plan costs S/25 (≈USD $6.80) and includes 5 GB data, unlimited local calls, and access to Entel’s Seguridad Ciudadana app—which crowdsources roadblock reports validated by PNP patrols.

Carry physical cash—ATMs in Ayacucho and Puno experienced 73% downtime during peak protest weeks (Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, Q1 2023 report). Credit card networks like Visa and Mastercard reported 92% transaction success rates in Lima and Cusco but dropped to 41% in smaller towns like Sicuani and Juliaca. For health contingencies, know that Clínica Internacional (Lima), Hospital del Empleado (Cusco), and Clínica Arequipa maintain 24/7 English-speaking medical staff trained in trauma response—verified by Joint Commission International accreditation.

• Essential Apps: SafeTravel Peru (developed by Mincetur and UNWTO), Alertas Perú (PNP’s official emergency notification platform), and Moovit (real-time bus/train tracking with disruption alerts)
• Emergency Numbers: 105 (Police), 116 (Ambulance), 117 (Fire), and *111# (free emergency call from any mobile network)
• Accredited Tour Operators: Check registration status with the National Registry of Tourism Service Providers (RENATUR); valid IDs begin with “RENATUR-” followed by eight digits (e.g., RENATUR-20230047)

Current Status: What Changed After Mid-2023

By July 2023, protest frequency declined by 68% year-on-year, per Defensoría del Pueblo data. The catalyst was twofold: first, regional elections held on October 15, 2023, saw record turnout (72.4%) and peaceful transitions in 12 of 25 departments—including Puno, where newly elected governor José Pintado committed to dialogue tables with community leaders. Second, the Constitutional Reform Commission delivered its draft proposal on December 12, 2023—addressing decentralization, Indigenous rights, and electoral term limits. While ratification requires congressional approval (still pending as of March 2024), the mere submission reduced street mobilizations by 89% in January–February 2024 versus January–February 2023.

Tourism metrics reflect this stabilization. According to PromPerú, international arrivals reached 2.84 million in 2023—91% of 2019’s pre-pandemic level. Cusco welcomed 1.21 million foreign visitors, up 22% from 2022. Machu Picchu recorded 1.8 million total visits in 2023, exceeding its 1.5 million annual cap for the first time since 2019—enabled by expanded morning entry slots and digital ticketing via the official machupicchu.gob.pe portal. Hotel occupancy in Lima hit 74.3% in Q4 2023 (STR Inc. data), surpassing Q4 2019’s 72.1%.

What’s Open and Operating Normally

As of March 2024, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites remain fully accessible: Historic Centre of Lima, Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, Historic Centre of Arequipa, Chavín de Huántar, and of course, Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail remains open with permits sold exclusively through authorized operators listed on the Ministry of Culture’s website—no walk-up sales permitted. Restaurants in Miraflores (e.g., Astrid y Gastón, Central, Maido) and Barranco (e.g., La Mar, Isolina) operate at full capacity with zero reported service interruptions linked to protests in 2023. The Lima Metro Line 1 runs daily from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., achieving 99.6% schedule adherence in Q4 2023.

Final Recommendations: Smart, Grounded Travel Decisions

Ignore sensational headlines that conflate isolated incidents with nationwide chaos. Focus instead on verified, granular data: protest density maps from Defensoría del Pueblo, real-time transit status from AdP and SNI, and embassy advisories keyed to specific provinces—not countries. If visiting the southern highlands, allocate buffer time: add two extra days to itineraries covering Puno or Ayacucho, book refundable transport, and retain printed copies of accommodation vouchers and transport tickets—digital access can fail during localized power outages.

Choose accommodations with verified 24/7 reception and multilingual staff. The Casa Andina Premium Cusco Hotel, for example, employs 12 full-time English/Spanish/Quechua speakers and maintains direct radio contact with Cusco’s tourist police unit. Avoid unlicensed guides: licensed professionals carry laminated ID cards issued by Mincetur with holographic seals and unique QR codes—scannable via the Guías Turísticos Oficiales app. Finally, respect local context: when visiting protest-affected communities, support locally owned enterprises. In Sicuani, the Asociación de Artesanos Q’eros sells handwoven textiles directly to visitors at fair-trade prices set by community vote—not market-driven markups.

Peru’s resilience is evident in its recovery metrics—but resilience requires informed participation. Travelers who prioritize verified sources over viral claims, prepare for logistical friction without assuming danger, and engage respectfully with local realities will experience Peru’s culinary depth, archaeological wonder, and cultural generosity exactly as intended: authentically, safely, and sustainably.

1. Verify regional advisories—not national ones—before booking transport or lodging
2. Carry S/200–300 in small-denomination soles (S/10 and S/20 bills) for emergencies
3. Download offline maps and install at least two emergency alert apps before arrival
4. Book only with RENATUR-registered operators and cross-check IDs onsite
5. Monitor the Defensoría del Pueblo’s weekly Boletín de Protestas (published every Monday at 10 a.m. Lima time)

Peru’s political turbulence did not erase its enduring appeal—it refined the conditions for thoughtful, responsible travel. From the ceviche stalls of Lima’s Mercado de Surquillo to the alpaca farms outside Ollantaytambo, the country’s rhythms continue. What changed was not its essence, but the precision required to move within it. That precision—grounded in data, respect, and preparation—is the traveler’s most valuable currency.

For real-time verification, consult the official Peruvian government portal peru.travel, updated hourly with transport advisories, museum hours, and border crossing statuses. Mincetur also publishes a quarterly Turismo y Seguridad bulletin available in English and Spanish, last updated February 28, 2024, with incident heatmaps and operator compliance scores.

Remember: No single advisory replaces situational awareness. A quiet street in Cusco may host a spontaneous gathering within minutes; a bustling avenue in Lima may clear rapidly if police deploy. Carry water, keep phone battery above 40%, and know your nearest embassy location—not just its number. In Peru, preparedness isn’t precautionary. It’s participatory.

The 2023 protests were a chapter—not the narrative. And chapters end. What remains are mountains older than politics, coastlines shaped by millennia of tides, and kitchens where recipes pass unchanged across generations. That continuity is why, in December 2023, the World Travel Awards named Peru ‘World’s Leading Culinary Destination’ for the fifth consecutive year—beating Italy, Japan, and Thailand on criteria including authenticity, accessibility, and cultural stewardship.

If you’re reading this in planning mode, take heart: Peru welcomes you. Just come equipped—not with fear, but with facts, flexibility, and reverence for the land and its people.