Planes, buses and taxis…what’s the best way to get around?

  

There are many forms of transportation in Peru however, the most common is the bus. There are local buses in cities and towns of all sizes as well as buses that go from point to point all over the country. Even some of the most remote towns have regular bus service.

When traveling from city to city or town to town, there is no standard bus company for all of Peru, instead, there are multiple private companies that compete for business. Different companies have different luxury levels of buses as well as prices and times. Ask around when you arrive onsite what bus company is best for a trip to the destination of your choice. You do not need to worry about booking buses very far in advance, they run almost continuously, even to smaller destinations.

Local buses rarely have clearly defined routes and in major cities are not used by most people. The average person in a larger city usually takes a Micro, Combi, or Acho, which is basically a microbus or van. Lonely Planet has more information on buses and transportation in general. Most local buses stop around 10-11pm.

Taxis can be found almost every city or town and, like buses, are fairly cheap. There are also usually “safe” taxi’s that we recommend you use whenever you are in a large city, especially at night.

Air travel isn’t as common as a bus, but can be used between Lima and Cusco. The bus ride is 24 hours plus, while the flight is only 70 minutes, so it is a popular thing to do if time is an issue.