Travel health · Peru
Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and the Amazon. The vaccine everyone asks about is not the one they need — and the thing most likely to ruin the trip is the altitude, not an infection.
The short version
Most travellers to Peru need 4 vaccines, and six weeks is enough time to do it properly.
Leaving sooner? Most of it can still be done — we prioritise what matters for your route. Nobody gets turned away for booking late.
Recommended for essentially everyone going to Peru.
Not a vaccine, and first on the list anyway. The Government of Canada puts the risk from 2,500 m upwards and names Cusco, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Huaraz, Colca Canyon and Ayacucho — describing high-altitude illness as life-threatening and possibly requiring immediate medical evacuation. Cusco is reached by air, so you arrive at 3,400 m instead of climbing to it, which is exactly the fast ascent it warns about.
Plan it before you book the internal flight. Altitude medication is prescribable by a pharmacist in Alberta — we will work out whether your ascent needs it.
Food and water, and both sources agree without qualification: CDC for unvaccinated travellers aged one and over, the Government of Canada for all travellers to areas where hepatitis A is present.
Any time before you fly. One dose covers the trip; a second, six months later, covers decades.
CDC recommends it for most travellers to Peru, especially anyone staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities and rural areas. The Government of Canada does not raise it for Peru at all — a real gap between the two, and one we would rather show you than average away.
At least two weeks before departure. The oral capsules take a week to finish.
The Government of Canada recommends hepatitis B for all travellers; CDC for unvaccinated travellers under 60. Routine cover — tetanus, measles, polio — is the usual ask, and CDC wants every international traveller fully vaccinated against measles.
Tetanus if it has been more than ten years. Hepatitis B runs over months, but faster schedules exist.
The honest answer to “am I too late?” depends on the date. Put yours in and we’ll work backwards. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Worth a conversation — the answer changes with where you’re going and what you’ll be doing.
The full list for Peru. Most people need the first two or three; the rest depend on where you are going and for how long.
Spread through contaminated food and water. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over going to Peru; the Government of Canada for all travellers to areas where hepatitis A is present. One of the few points where the two need no reconciling.
Bacterial infection from contaminated food and water. CDC recommends it for most travellers to Peru, particularly those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities and rural areas. The Government of Canada does not list typhoid for Peru. Injection or oral capsules; the capsules take a week to finish.
Spread through blood and bodily fluids — medical or dental care, tattoos, piercings, unplanned injuries. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers younger than 60; the Government of Canada for all travellers. Worth weighing against the note that care quality varies sharply outside private urban hospitals.
CDC asks travellers to be up to date on routine vaccines before every trip and asks all international travellers to be fully vaccinated against measles. Tetanus is the one that lapses quietly, and a trek is exactly where a cut happens.
CDC recommends it for areas below 2,300 m in Amazonas, the Cusco region, Huánuco, Junín, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Pasco, Puno, San Martín and Ucayali, plus designated parts of Ancash, Apurímac, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Huancavelica, La Libertad and Piura. It is NOT recommended for Lima, Cusco city, the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, or anywhere above 2,300 m. Proof is not required to enter Peru. We are a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre, so if your itinerary does call for it, the vaccine and the certificate happen here — ten days before it takes effect.
CDC advises all eligible travellers to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
The Government of Canada states rabies is present in Peru and carried by dogs and some wildlife, listing children, adventure travellers, cave explorers, veterinarians and wildlife workers among those at higher risk. CDC frames it around activity risk and how easily you could reach treatment — which on a jungle or high-Andes itinerary is the deciding factor.
CDC says vaccination may be considered for stays of roughly six months or more. The Government of Canada notes a vaccine approved in Canada, says risk varies by season, region and elevation, and warns the joint pain can last months or years.
Honest about the risks, and specific about what prevents each one.
The Government of Canada puts the risk from 2,500 m and names Cusco, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Huaraz, Colca Canyon and Ayacucho — warning it can be life-threatening and may require immediate medical evacuation. Risk rises if you ascend quickly, or exercise or drink alcohol before adjusting. Cusco is about 3,400 m and most people fly straight to it from sea level.
Prevention A slow first day, no alcohol on it, and the Sacred Valley before Cusco where the itinerary allows. Altitude medication is prescribable by a pharmacist in Alberta — bring your ascent plan and we will work through it.
Named by CDC, and the most likely thing to interrupt the trip. Contaminated food, water and ice, and it does not care how good the hotel is.
Prevention Bottled or boiled water including for teeth, ice only where you trust the kitchen, food cooked fresh and hot. Rehydration salts weigh nothing, and we can send you with a standby antibiotic where appropriate.
The Government of Canada is blunt: mountainous roads are dangerous especially at night, fatal accidents are common, and signage and guardrails are often lacking. It also warns of criminal tactics — objects thrown in front of traffic, nails dispersed on the road. CDC names motor vehicle crashes the number one killer of healthy travellers abroad.
Prevention No overnight mountain drives. Use reputable operators for transfers rather than the cheapest option.
The Government of Canada notes dengue is a risk, that it can become severe dengue which is sometimes fatal, and that the mosquitoes bite particularly around sunrise and sunset.
Prevention Repellent through the day, not just at night. Air-conditioned or screened rooms in the lowlands.
Named by both sources. Spread mainly by midges — no-see-ums — rather than mosquitoes, which is why ordinary netting misses it. The Government of Canada flags concerns for pregnant travellers including stillbirth and effects on the baby’s head and brain development.
Prevention Fine-mesh screens or air conditioning in the Amazon. If you are pregnant or planning to be, this is a conversation to have before booking a jungle leg.
A risk in Peru, spread mainly by mosquito bite and also sexually, and it can cause serious birth defects.
Prevention If you are pregnant or trying to conceive, discuss it before you book rather than after.
The Government of Canada notes care quality varies throughout Peru: private urban hospitals are well staffed and equipped, while public and rural facilities can lack basic resources. Most providers speak only Spanish.
Prevention Travel insurance with medical evacuation — the altitude warning makes that more than a formality. Save the policy number offline and keep a Spanish copy of your medication list.
Prevented with tablets rather than a vaccine, and only needed for some routes — which is why the answer depends on your itinerary.
CDC puts malaria risk in ALL areas below 2,500 metres east of the Andes, including Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado, with rare cases in Tumbes and Piura. There is NO risk in Lima Province, in Arequipa, Ica, Moquegua, Nazca, Puno or Tacna, in the highland tourist areas — Cusco, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca — or on the central and southern Pacific coast.
For the Amazon lowlands CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine; chloroquine is not an option because resistance is present. Around 80% of cases are P. vivax and 20% P. falciparum. For the classic highland itinerary none of this applies — worth knowing before somebody sells you tablets you do not need.
The things that prevent most travel illness are not medical.
This is the single most common misunderstanding about Peru, and CDC is explicit. Yellow fever vaccination is NOT recommended for Lima, for Cusco city, for the Inca Trail, for Machu Picchu, or for anywhere above 2,300 m. It IS recommended below 2,300 m in Amazonas, the Cusco region, Huánuco, Junín, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Pasco, Puno, San Martín and Ucayali, and in designated parts of several other regions. In plain terms: the classic Lima–Cusco–Sacred Valley–Machu Picchu trip does not need it; adding Puerto Maldonado, Iquitos or a jungle lodge does. Peru does not require proof to enter. If your route does call for it, we are a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre and issue the certificate here — it becomes valid ten days after the dose.
The Government of Canada puts high-altitude illness from 2,500 m and names Cusco, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Huaraz, Colca Canyon and Ayacucho. It says you are more at risk if you ascend quickly, or exercise or drink alcohol before you have adjusted — and warns the illness can be life-threatening and may require immediate medical evacuation. Cusco sits at about 3,400 m and almost everyone arrives by plane from Lima at sea level, in under two hours. Two things help more than anything else: build a slow first day into the itinerary, and visit the Sacred Valley BEFORE Cusco where the schedule allows, because the valley is lower. Altitude medication is prescribable by a pharmacist in Alberta, and we will talk through whether your particular ascent calls for it.
CDC puts malaria risk in all areas below 2,500 m east of the Andes, including Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado, with rare cases in Tumbes and Piura. It puts NO risk in Lima Province, in Arequipa, Ica, Moquegua, Nazca, Puno or Tacna, in the highland tourist areas — Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca — or along the central and southern Pacific coast. About 80% of cases are P. vivax and 20% P. falciparum, and it is chloroquine-resistant, so the options are atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine or tafenoquine. For the highland route none of this applies.
The Government of Canada notes that Peruvian law strictly prohibits exporting coca products — the tea and leaves sold everywhere in Cusco stay in Peru, however well-meant the gift. And it is direct about the roads: mountainous routes are dangerous especially at night, fatal accidents are common, guardrails and signage are often missing, and there are criminal tactics involving objects or nails thrown onto the road. It also notes health care quality varies sharply outside private urban hospitals, and that most providers speak only Spanish.
Most people booking a travel consult with us are sorting out a household, not just themselves. A few things are different for children.
Bring the whole household to the same consultation. We review each person’s records separately but plan the trip as one, which usually means fewer visits and no repeated explanations. Tell us how many people when you book so we set aside the time.
Children get altitude illness too, and they are less able to describe what they are feeling — a quiet, off-colour child at 3,400 m deserves attention rather than a nap. Plan the same slow first day for them, and know the symptoms yourself.
CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over. Infants aged 6 to 11 months can have a travel dose, which does not count towards the routine schedule and is repeated later.
The Government of Canada lists children among those at higher risk of rabies exposure. Small children approach dogs, are less likely to mention a scratch, and are more often bitten on the face or hands. Worth discussing per child rather than per family.
Any immunisation records you can find, for each traveller. Alberta records we can often look up; out-of-province and overseas records we cannot. A photo of a yellow card is plenty.
No — and this is the most common misunderstanding about Peru. CDC specifically does NOT recommend yellow fever vaccination for Lima, Cusco city, the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, or anywhere above 2,300 metres. It is recommended for the lowland Amazon regions below 2,300 m — Madre de Dios, Loreto, Ucayali and others. So the classic Lima–Sacred Valley–Machu Picchu trip does not need it, while adding Puerto Maldonado or Iquitos does. If yours does, we are a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre and issue the certificate here.
Bad enough that the Government of Canada calls high-altitude illness life-threatening and warns it may require immediate medical evacuation. Cusco is around 3,400 metres and you fly there from sea level in about ninety minutes, which is precisely the rapid ascent that causes trouble. Most people are fine with a slow first day; some are not. Plan the first day as a rest day, skip the alcohol, and if your itinerary allows, do the Sacred Valley first because it is lower.
Altitude medication is prescribable by a pharmacist in Alberta, so yes — but whether you need it depends on your ascent profile, your other medications and your history, which is what the appointment is for. Bring your itinerary with the internal flights on it.
Only if you are going east of the Andes below 2,500 metres — the Amazon, Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado. CDC puts no malaria risk in Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca or the southern coast. For the standard highland itinerary the answer is no, and we will tell you that rather than sell you tablets.
Drinking it in Peru is ordinary and legal there. Taking it home is not — the Government of Canada notes Peruvian law strictly prohibits exporting coca products, so a bag of leaves as a souvenir is a bad idea. It is also not a substitute for planning the ascent properly.
You have, and both sources are on this page. CDC recommends typhoid vaccination for most travellers to Peru, especially anyone staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities and rural areas. The Government of Canada does not list it for Peru at all. We show you the disagreement and decide with you: a hotel-based highland trip and a month in the north are different answers.
No. Hepatitis A can be given right up to departure and a tetanus booster the same day you come in. If the Amazon is on your itinerary the yellow fever certificate needs ten days, so two weeks still works if we start now. Altitude planning takes no lead time at all — but it does take a conversation.
Nothing. The travel consultation is free — a full itinerary review, every recommended vaccine discussed, and advice for your particular trip. You pay only for the vaccines actually given.
Designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre
We are licensed to give yellow fever vaccine and issue the international certificate, here in Sunpark Plaza — you do not need to find another clinic for it. The certificate becomes valid ten days after the dose, so this is the one to book first. Whether your itinerary actually needs it is the conversation we have at the appointment.
Bring your travel dates. A pharmacist will go through what you need for Peru, give what can be given that day, and book anything that needs a second dose. No doctor referral, no wait list.
Written from current CDC and Government of Canada guidance, checked 31 July 2026. Advice for your particular trip comes from our pharmacist, in person.
Imagine Health Pharmacy & Travel Clinic — #4120, 15 Sunpark Plaza SE, Calgary, Alberta. In Sunpark Plaza, off Macleod Trail, serving Sundance, Midnapore, Shawnessy, Chaparral and the rest of south Calgary.
No doctor’s referral is needed. In Alberta a pharmacist can assess you, prescribe what your trip needs and give the vaccines in the same visit — so for most travellers this is one appointment, not a clinic queue and then a pharmacy.
The vaccine guidance on this page follows the official recommendations below, read and applied by a pharmacist. Where the two differ we say so rather than pick one.
Checked against both sources on 31 July 2026. Official advice changes — if your trip is months away, check again or ask us.
