Money exchange
The sol and dollar are freely exchangeable currencies. This means that there is essentially no black market for exchange. The general exchange rate varies, and if the rate currently published in El Comercio is the same as the rate on the ground, the sol has strengthened in the year since I last visited. (You get less soles to the dollar.)There are also differences between bank rates, hotel rates and street money changer rates, but they are small compared to countries where legal exchange of national currency to foreign currency is restricted. Although prices for tours, airfares and hotels are generally quoted in dollars at travel agencies and on the internet, I always have paid for everything I needed in soles. Even for the train to Aguas Calientes from Cuzco, but that was three years ago. Sometimes there is a slight advantage to paying in soles when either is possible, this depends on...
