Peru is an amazing country in South America to visit, with tons of rich history, culture, traditions, and natural beauty. Home of Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley, the Amazon Jungle, beautiful coast lines, and much more, Peru has so much to offer. And you’re going to want to bring home as many memories of this magical place as you can.
Luckily, besides photos which are some of the best souvenirs of all, Peru has a lot of cool products you can bring back as reminders of your time there or unique gifts for your family and friends. I’m not much of a shopper at home, but because I think memories from around the world are the best way to decorate my home I do love some souvenir shopping. And I love getting to share some of my adventures by bringing back cool gifts for my family. If you do too, check out this list of the best souvenirs and gifts from Peru!
Clothing
I always think clothing makes a perfect souvenir because then you get to remember your trip every time you wear it. And it also makes great gifts because it is practical and something someone can actually use.
Alpaca Wool Sweaters
Alpaca clothing in general and especially an alpaca sweater might be one of your best options here! They are so cosy and have intricate designs and patterns. There is a lot of variety available in terms of quality. If you’re just looking for a good deal, you can find factory made sweaters that are a blend of alpaca wool and cotton for 30-50 soles (8-14 USD). But if you’re looking for something of very high quality you can also find incredible handmade baby alpaca sweaters, with a corresponding price tag.
Scarfs
Another great option for alpaca wool clothing is a scarf. I think these especially make great gifts. Lots of options, big or small, with intricate designs or not, in various colors, and again in varying levels of quality, you can’t go wrong with a scarf.
Chullo Hats
A chullo hat is an Andean style of hat. It is a knitted wool hat with ear flaps and often has fun designs, like llamas, on it. Similar to the idea of a scarf, it’s warm, cosy, cute and practical!
Llama T-Shirts
Diverting a little from the theme here, when I say llama t-shirts I’m not talking about llama wool, but cute (and funny) llama designs on graphic tees. They definitely have a lot of fun with these in Peru. I’ve seen some really good ones. “The Llamitas” walking down Abbey Road, “The Llamasutra” complete with cartoon diagrams, “No Probllama,” “No Drama Llama,” and many more! Even if you don’t end up buying one, these can be so fun to look at in the stores.
Accessories
Blankets
In addition to the alpaca wool sweaters, alpaca wool blankets from Peru are amazing too. And, like the sweaters, you can find varying qualities, from a wool and cotton blend up to pure baby alpaca, as well as intricate designs. But they’re all beautiful, soft, cosy and perfect for either a gift or a souvenir.
Jewellery
Another good idea is jewellery, especially jewellery made with stones and gems. Necklaces with one pointed stone are very popular and each type of stone is said to have it’s own type of energy. Or, another one that I really like is something with the chakana symbol (which is sort of like an Inca cross and has a lot of meaning that you can read about here).
Purses
This might be one of the less expected items on this list, but I just saw so many cute purses for sale in Peru (particularly Cusco) that I wanted to mention it! Plus it can be very practical if you buy one early on and didn’t come with a good little day bag for the city.
Decorations
Instead of decorating yourself, why not decorate your house with hints of Peruvian culture? Personally, this is my favourite categories for souvenirs as I love walking around my home and seeing memories from all around the world turn up in the little things. It makes me feel a little like I’m still travelling even when I’m not, which I love!
Paintings
On every big trip I go on, I try to find a painting that brings me joy to look at and it was so easy to do this in Peru. Paintings with bright colours and gorgeous images fill the handicraft markets and touristy streets around Peru. You can find paintings of the jaw dropping natures in the different regions of Peru such as the Andes mountains, the marvellous Inca Empire, archaeological sites, religious figures, indigenous peoples in traditional dress, cites streets, local animals, and more. So many of these paintings are truly beautiful works of art.
Door and Wall Hangings
Another souvenir for decorating your home that my eyes kept coming back too were these lovely wall hangings, perfect to add some bright colours to a blank wall, or hang in a doorway. They’re usually sold individually (for about 7 – 12 soles) but I think they look best if you put a few together.
Table Runners
Also a beautiful accent piece for your home, these traditional textiles back beautiful table runners!
Llama and Alpaca Dolls
If you have a child in your life that you want to bring a souvenir back for, this has got to be the best option in my opinion. But even if you don’t, they make lovely decorations to remind you of Peru for around the house too – I got a couple different ones for myself. You can find some that are soooooo soft from baby alpaca wool, handmade ones, and all different sizes.
Toros
These little toro, or bull, statues always come in pairs and you’ll often see them on the roofs of people’s homes. They are a traditional wedding gift for a new couple, but you can buy them yourself or give them as gifts for other reasons too. They are meant to bring good luck to the people in the home they’re on or in. But remember, you always need to have them in pairs!
Musical Instruments
If you or your friend love Peruvian music, or just music in general, or are interested in Andean culture music instruments can also make great souvenirs or gifts from Peru.
Quena
This is a vertical wooden flute, or sometimes it’s even made of bone, with 5-7 holes. It is a traditional instrument that stems from the Incas and is very popular in South America.
Zampoña
Kind of like a cross between an organ and a harmonica, this instrument is made up of a collection of wooden pipes attached together.
Charango
This is a type of small Andean guitar that was traditionally made with the shell of an armadillo.
Food Products
Although Peru is famous for it’s cuisine, you can’t exactly take home a plate of ceviche or a glass of pisco sour. That said, there are a few food products that make really good gifts from Peru.
Peruvian Chocolate
Chocolate is almost universally a great gift, and Peruvian chocolate is no exception. With many varieties of cocoa beans growing in different regions across Peru, you’re bound to find the perfect bar of excellent quality chocolate for anyone’s taste buds – from 100% dark chocolate to true white chocolate made from cocoa butter to mouth watering milk chocolate and fun flavour options, such as coca flavoured.
There is even a small chocolate museum and factory in Cusco. You can go there to learn more about Peruvian chocolate and watch the process.
Peruvian Coffee Beans
Peruvian coffee beans are also always a big hit! Peru is a large exporter of fair trade coffee and for good reason.
Salt From The Maras Salt Mines
Another good idea for a food product to bring home is salt. Specifically, salt from the Maras salt flats, located in the sacred valley. The salt mines were used by the Inca’s and are still being used today in the same way. That is, the production methods haven’t changed in 500 years. The salt itself is a pink salt which is smoother and more flavourful than traditional table salt.
Tattoos
If you really want to remember your trip forever, tattoos also make great Peruvian souvenirs. There are lots of tattoo artists who do really beautiful work at an incredibly affordable price compared to North America. And there are so many unique designs you can get to symbolise Peru. Some ideas are a chakana (an Inca cross), an Incan sun design called chenique, an image of Machu Picchu, a llama, a combination of a snake, puma, and condor, a hummingbird.
A Note on Shopping and Bartering in Peru
In most of the tourist and local markets in Peru you won’t find many prices which is very intimidating as the seller could really tell you any number when you ask. Therefore, it is a good idea to ask around a bit before you commit to buying something to get a sense of what the price should be. That said, it is not quite like the bartering culture in some places in Asia where you can frequently expect to get them down to half their starting price or less! It’s definitely worth asking for a lower price – but only around 10% lower. Especially if you plan to buy multiple things from the same store, it is common to ask for a better deal.
Best Places to Shop for Souvenirs
In general, I think the best places to shop for souvenirs are on the outskirts of the tourist areas rather than right in the heart of it. In Cusco there’s a great handicraft market at the end of Avenue Del Sol called Centro Artesanal Cusco. It’s really big and worth walking around – I found some really lovely shops in the back row. That said, there is also a really good store to get a great deal right near the centre of Cusco, around the corner from the 12 angles stone, called Asunta which actually lists all the prices and they are quite low. It is recommended on all the walking tours too.
