Bus Travel in Peru

In Peru bus travel is by far the cheapest method of transportation. Bus routes cover all major cities with tariffs to suit most travelers. Surprisingly, in Peru you will find some of the best luxury busses on the continent. Travel times can often be lengthy as the country is large and distances between majors destinations long. Coastal routes follow the Pan American Highway and for most part follow a flat and straight road, where as routes through the Andes Mountain Ranges (Lima – Cusco / Arequipa – Cusco / Puno – Cusco) are windy and slower.

Bus Travel in Peru

It is always important to remember your surroundings when travelling on buses in Peru, as petty theft is common. Be particularly careful on bus routes where the driver stops to pickup local’s en-route, as this can lead opportunistic theft of your personal items. Take extra care on night buses when sleeping. Hop-on, hop-off bus services tend to be the safest option, usually taking the safer route and monitoring their buses 24/7.

Driver Quality

Unfortunately, speeding buses and driving erratically are quite common place in Peru. Often drivers are keen to arrival at their final destination in the quickest time possible, and without much attention for other vehicles on the road or their passengers on-board. Through narrow winding mounting roads drivers are quite happy to take un-necessary risks, overtaking other vehicles where road conditions don’t permit, and speeding around bends where most other people slow down. For even hard core bus travelers this can be quite scary and unnerving. Obviously when purchasing your bus ticket the bus companies don’t advertise that they have good or bad drivers, so choosing the right bus operator is important.

The bus company Peru Hop, which is European owned, understands a little more about driver quality, and is more focused on safety and experience rather than trying to get to their destination in a hurry.

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Customer Service

On-board and off-board assistance can be limited for most of the companies as they don’t count with fluent, bilingual staff. Peru Hop and Cruz del Sur are the best ranked for customer service, with Peru Hop being at the top due to their on-board bilingual guides on all buses, well spoken phone calls and quick email replies. Apart from that, their reviews are all 5-stars on TripAdvisor, with most of them mentioning the great service they had even before their trip started!

Bus Companies

Peru Hop
Website: www.peruhop.com
Office:

• Lima: Av. José Larco 799, Miraflores (Tourist Information Center)
• Cusco: Tandapata 100B, San Blas

Telephone: +51 1 2422140
Southern Bus Routes: Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Nazca, Arequipa, Puno, Cusco
Northern Bus Routes: Not currently available
Bus Station (Lima): Offers hotel and hostel pickup service

Cruz Del Sur
Website: www.cruzdelsur.com.pe
Telephone: See web-site
Southern Bus Routes: Cusco, Nazca, Arequipa, Lima, Tacna
Northern Bus Routes: Trujillo, Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Piura, Mancora, Tumbes
Bus Station (Lima): Av. Javier Prado 1109 La Victoria

Ormeno S.A.
Website: www.grupo-ormeno.com.pe
Telephone: +51 1 472 1710
Southern Bus Routes: Ilo, Ica, Cusco, Cañete, Caraveli, Chincha, Camana, Arequipa, Mollendo, Marcona, Paracas, Nazca, Tacna, Pisco, Puno.
Northern Bus Routes: Mancora, Caraz, Chiclayo, Chimbote, Huaraz, Sullana, Piura, Talara, Trujillo, Tumbes, Yungay, Cajamarca, Huarmey, Huanacayo, Ayacucho.
Bus Station (Lima): Av. Javier Prado Este 1059

CIAL Bus Peru
Website: None
Telephone: +51 1 265 8121
Southern Bus Routes: Cuzco, Nazca, Arequipa, Tacna
Northern Bus Routes: Trujillo, Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Piura, Mancora, Tumbes
Bus Station (Lima): Av. Republica de Pamana 2469-2485 Sta Catalina, La Victoria

Transmar Bus Peru
Website: www.transmar.com.pe
Telephone: +51 1 433 7440
Southern Bus Routes: Cuzco, Nazca, Arequipa, Tacna
Northern Bus Routes: Trujillo , Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Piura, Mancora, Tumbes
Bus Station (Lima): Av. 28 de julio, No 1511

Palomino Bus Peru
Website: www.expresowari.com.pe
Telephone: +51 1 332 0963
Southern Bus Routes: Cuzco, Nazca, Arequipa, Tacna
Northern Bus Routes: Trujillo , Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Piura, Mancora, Tumbes
Bus Station (Lima): Av. Luna Pizarro 343, La Victoria

Inka Express
Website: www.inkaexpress.com
Telephone: +51 84 247 887
Route: Cusco – Puno – Cusco
Bus Station (Cusco): Urb. El Ovalo Av. La Paz C-23, Cusco
Bus Station (Puno): Jiron Tacna 346, Puno

First Class
Website: www.firstclass.com.pe
Telephone: +51 84 255 648
Route: Cusco – Puno – Cusco
Bus Station (Cusco): Av. 28 de Julio N R-2, Cusco
Bus Station (Puno): Av. Ricardo Palma 315, Puno

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