Can I bring coca tea or coca leaves on the plane?

One of the curiosities we had for our trip to Peru was, of course, the existence of coca tea and even the famous coca leaves, which are easily accessible in the area of ​​the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Coca (from Quechua Kuka) is a plant of the family Erythroxylaceae, with the scientific name Erythroxylum coca (wikipédia). It is a plant that has its origin in Bolivia and, of course, in Peru, and is the source of cocaine.



Well, the truth is if you think you're going to "party" with tea or coca leaves, it will not happen. Although it is on the basis of cocaine that, let's say, is prohibited in Peru, the traditional ways of eating places are through the chewing of leaves and their use in tea.

Qualities of Coca


And since the time of the Incas, coca leaves were already used because of they're various properties and benefits that, besides being nutritious, are rich in several essential vitamins, proteins, fibers, and minerals, namely calcium, potassium and phosphor.


In addition to the nutritional qualities, coca leaves were traditionally used to combat the signs of fatigue, hunger and, of course, to alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness (you can read here our article on how to prevent and deal with the symptoms of altitude sickness ). There were several medical uses attributed to Coca leaves, so they have always had great importance in Peruvian culture, even to the present day.

Use of leaves and coca tea in Peru


A curious factor that occurred during the Spanish occupation has to do with the prohibition that has occurred of the consumption of coca leaves by the locals during a period of time. However, the Spanish occupiers began to see that, in the high Andes, local productivity declined significantly when deprived of the benefits of Coca, and quickly had to end their ban, otherwise their profits were declining.

The truth is that, until today, the benefits of coca leaves are used and, contrary to what you may think, it is not only something for tourists because it was with frequencies that we saw locals consuming coca leaves naturally throughout the Sacred Valley of the Incas, even on top of Machu Picchu, space watchers often take out coca leaves to chew from their pockets.

Use of leaves and coca tea by tourists


Although in the capital of Peru do not often observe coca leaves or tea when you arrive in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, you will notice that the offer is huge. In fact, it is even recommended, to mitigate the effects of altitude sickness, so you will not have any difficulty in buying coca tea, coca leaves or other derivatives such as sweets, sweets, even sweets intended for children.



When you arrive at your hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, there are few chances that you will not have a good coca tea available to receive it, or available for breakfast. Of course, we have also used it, and although it is a good tea, it is not the best and perhaps it has helped us to deal with the symptoms of altitude because we felt few. We also tried the coca leaves, namely chewing and, we have to say that we preferred the tea experience, we did not find it as nice to chew the leaves directly. However, there is nothing like experiencing it.

Can I bring Coca tea or Coca leaves to Peru?


This was then the issue that we put up during our stay. Who would not find a formidable memory of Peru carrying a set of coca tea or even some leaves to make tea with friends at home?

We wondered if it was possible to surprise our friends. After all, tea was something so harmless, and it was something sold in every corner of the Sacred Valley that we hoped to be allowed.



And the truth is that it is even possible to fly in Peru, but what worried us was whether it would be possible to transport it from Peru to Europe. Of course we did not want to risk being arrested, or a fine we would not risk without being sure, so we began to investigate.

In a quick search on the internet, we have even found reports of people successfully bringing coca tea from Peru to their home country, but the fact that some people have successfully brought coca tea to their destination does not mean that and we wanted to do it without any risk, so we had to increase our research.

And what we discovered was not very good in relation to our intention to bring coca tea to Europe, particularly since what is happening is that, in the great majority of the countries of the world, the transportation of any product containing Coca is illegal, and the same applies when you want to leave the country.

It is true that many people can tell happy experiences they have had in bringing this different "souvenir" in countries like Peru and Bolivia, but the truth is that if you try to catch a plane with coca leaves or coca leaves from one of these countries for your country, you may have problems, serious problems that, the risk does not pay.

When we went from Cusco to Lima, we did not check for any security check, but at Lima International Airport, while we waited to check in to Madrid, police control was enormous. There were 3 police dogs smelling all the bags, and when we refer to all the suitcases, they are all individually, both hand and basement baggage. 


In addition to the 3 dogs, there is a set of police that, their presence, is certainly intimidating to anyone who might want to bring something illegal with you and, will verify, that they will look for themselves looking for some suspicious sign and case find him, will likely search all his luggage, at least.

In this way, we have to leave the recommendation that, as much as it costs you, to leave for your trip any experience you want to have with coca leaves or coca tea for during your trip. Looking for a ride home may cause you problems, and it's not worth the risk.

If you go on your trip to Peru, we highly recommend you try muña tea, which is excellent for digestion and totally legal and free to transport to your home. Incidentally, this is also a very useful tea to use to deal with the symptoms of altitude sickness and, therefore, also very frequent in the area of ​​Cusco and the entire Sacred Valley of the Incas.

If you are planning your trip to Machu Picchu, we always do our reservations with booking, they are our partners and its with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals by clicking here, it won't cost you any money and, it helps us to support our blog.

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We would also like to invite you to leave your opinion and questions and, in case you have already visited Machu Picchu, let us know what is your opinion and experience using our comments box. Thanks for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you liked our article, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

If you are planning your visit to Peru, here is a list of some of our destination-related posts that are sure to be very helpful in organizing your itinerary:

10 reasons why you should visit Lima
20 things you should know when planning your trip to Machu Picchu 
What is the Sacred Valley of the Incas? What to see in the Sacred Valley, Peru
How to avoid the crowds in Machu Picchu
How to visit the Rainbow Mountain in Peru? Things to know when planning your trip


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