Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 713

has declined over the years. Reliable
companies covering the north of Peru
include Movil Tours ( W moviltours.com.pe),
Línea ( W linea.pe) and Tepsa ( W www.tepsa
.com.pe), while the south is covered by the
cheaper Flores ( W loreshnos.net), TransMar
( W transmar.com.pe) and Soyuz ( W www
.soyuz.com.pe). For intercity rides, it's best
to buy tickets in advance direct from the
bus company offices; for local trips, you
can buy tickets on the bus itself.
If storing main luggage in the hold, you
should get a receipt. You'll need to hand
this in at the end of your journey to claim
your luggage. Keep your hand luggage
with you at all times, particularly if
travelling on cheaper buses like Soyuz.

combis , can squeeze in twice as many
people, or often more. They cost on
average S5 per person, per hour travelled.
Do keep in mind that in the cities,
particularly in Lima, colectivos (especially
combis ) have a poor reputation for safety.
They frequently crash, turn over and
knock down pedestrians.

9

BY TRAIN
Peru's spectacular train journeys are in
themselves a major attraction. Peru Rail
( W perurail.com) runs passenger services
from Puno to Cusco, from where another
line heads down the magnificent
Urubamba Valley as far as Machu Picchu
(see box, p.762). The world's second-
highest railway route, from Lima to
Huancayo, is considered to be among the
most scenic in the world, but it only runs
once a month or so; check departure dates
and times at W www.ferrocarrilcentral
.com.pe.
Trains tend to be slower than buses and
considerably more expensive, but they do
allow ample time to enjoy the scenery,
and are quite comfortable. If you're
planning on visiting Machu Picchu but
don't intend to hike the Inca Trail, you
have no option but to take a tourist train
priced in US dollars.
At the time of writing, the Cusco-Puno
service costs S436, while a bus costs S40;
a “backpacker” train to Machu Picchu
costs US$78. If possible, tickets should
be bought at least a day in advance, and
a week in advance on the Cusco-Machu
Picchu route.

BY TAXI, MOTOTAXI AND COLECTIVO
Taxis are easily found at any time in
almost every town. Any car can become
a taxi simply by sticking a taxi sign up in
the front window; a lot of people take
advantage of this to supplement their
income. However, in recent years this has
led to an increase in crime, so if possible
call a radio taxi from a recommended
company. Always fix the price in advance,
since few taxis have meters. Relatively
short journeys in Lima generally cost
around S6, but it's cheaper elsewhere.
Taxi drivers in Peru do not expect tips.
In many towns, you'll find small cars
and mototaxis ( motorcycle rickshaws ).
The latter are always cheaper than taxis,
if slightly more dangerous and not that
comfortable. Outside Lima, you will
almost never pay more than S5 for a ride
within a town.
Colectivos (shared taxis) are a very useful
way of getting around. They look like
private cars or taxis but run a fixed route;
each has a small sign in the window with
the destination and can squeeze in up to
six passengers. They connect all the coastal
towns, and many of the larger centres in
the mountains, and tend to be faster than
the bus, though they often charge twice
as much. Colectivos can be found in the
centre of a town or at major stopping
places along the main roads. The price
is generally double that of combis (see
below), depending on distance travelled.
Colectivo minibuses, also known as

BY AIR
Peru is so vast that the odd flight can
save a lot of time, and flights between
major towns are frequent and relatively
inexpensive. The most popular routes
usually need to be booked at least a few
days in advance (more at the time of
major fiestas). For the best fares to
popular destinations, either book your
flights in advance with Chilean-owned
LAN ( W lan.com), the main airline, or
with the smaller Peruvian subsidiaries
of Star Peru ( W starperu.com), Peruvian
Airlines ( W peruvianairlines.pe) or
LC Perú ( W lcperu.pe).