Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 712

BY BUS
Peru's privately operated buses offer
remarkably low fares. Buses range from
the efficient and relatively luxurious cama
or semicama buses with air conditioning,
snacks/meals included and on-board
entertainment, to the more basic
económico buses, to the scruffy old
ex-school buses used on local runs
between remote villages.
Cruz del Sur ( W cruzdelsur.com.pe)
and Oltursa ( W oltursa.com.pe) offer
the plushest and most reliable buses;
Cruz del Sur covers most destinations
(though not the Cusco-Puno route),
while Oltursa is best for any destination
along the Panamericana, followed by
Cial ( W expresocial.com). Ormeño
( W grupo-ormeno.com.pe) has routes as far
as Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and
Bolivia, though it also has a reputation for
lateness, and the condition of the buses

9

when travelling away from the main
towns. It is very important that you keep
your original tourist card safe, since you
will be asked to return it to immigration
officials when leaving the country. Fines
of around S15 are applicable if you lose
your card.

GETTING AROUND
Given the size of the country, many
Peruvians and holiday-makers fly to their
destinations, as all Peruvian cities are
within a two-hour flight from Lima. Most
budget travellers get around the country
by bus, as these go just about everywhere
and are extremely good value. There is a
limited rail service along some routes,
which makes for a change from the
monotony of long bus rides, despite being
considerably slower and more expensive
than the equivalent bus journey.

LAND AND WATER ROUTES TO PERU
FROM BOLIVIA
The southern cities of Puno, Cusco and Arequipa are easily reached overland from Bolivia.
There are two crossings: Yungayo from Copacabana on Lake Titicaca, and Desaguadero from
La Paz; Yungayo is marginally less chaotic. Regular buses run direct to Puno (and some to
Cusco) from both destinations. It's di cult, though not impossible, to take a boat to Puerto
Maldonado from Bolivia's Puerto Heath via Puerto Pardo.
FROM BRAZIL
It's a simple bus journey along the Interoceanic Highway and across the bridge from
the Brazilian border post of Assis Brasil to the Peruvian village of Iñapari, which is three
hours by bus from Puerto Maldonado (see p.823). You can also reach Iquitos via the
Amazon from the small port of Tabatinga via the border post of Santa Rosa, just like from
Colombia's Leticia.
FROM CHILE
The Arica-Tacna border in the far south of Peru causes few problems for travellers. Taxi
colectivos run regularly across the border and the driver will help with border formalities for
a small tip. See p.780.
FROM COLOMBIA
The easiest way to reach Peru from Colombia is by bus via Ecuador, but if in the Amazon,
you can also take a boat from the Colombian border town of Leticia to Iquitos via the small
immigration post of Santa Rosa; river journeys take two and a half to three days.
FROM ECUADOR
There are three border crossings open between Ecuador and Peru. The most commonly used
is the Tumbes-Machala crossing along the Panamerican Highway on the coast, though the
crossing from Loja to Piura via La Tina is also straightforward, as there are direct buses between
major destinations in each country, stopping at the Peruvian and Ecuadorian immigration
o ces en route. The third crossing - from Vilcabamba to Jaén - is further inland where roads
are not so good, and it involves changing basic transportation several times.