Rick McCharles
The Adventure Blog posted on an MSNBC.com report on “Peru cracking town on attacks against tourists”.
This caught my interest as I was on the Huayhuash Circuit in Peru in 2004 when an Israeli trekker was shot and killed by bandits.
A new law passed by the Peruvian congress make the maximum penalty for murder or severely injuring a tourist is now life in prison. The law covers both foreign and Peruvian tourists visiting sites in their own country. Armed robbery against tourists is fairly common in the country and in 2005 there was a fairly well publicized event in which 13 tourists on the Inca Trail were robbed. Since then, the goverment has begun getting tough on crimes against tourists, even taking the step to patrol the Inca Trail and increasing the security presence at Machu Picchu.
Peru could be the best hiking destination in the world. … Could be.
But we’d recommend you hike New Zealand instead if security is a big concern.
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