Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 729

companies with desks at the airport - pay there and
you'll be assigned a driver. Green Taxis is the cheapest
(S45-55 to downtown). The family-run RGM Secure Taxi
service is also recommended; the father and sons are very
knowledgeable about the city (S40-55; English spoken;
T 997 380 389).

Tepsa (3 daily); Tacna (19hr): Cruz del Sur (2 daily),
Oltursa (2 daily), Tepsa (1 daily); Trujillo (9hr): Cruz del
Sur (4 daily), Oltursa (3 daily), Línea (9 daily), Movil
Tours (1 daily), Tepsa (2 daily); Tumbes via Máncora
(18-20hr): Cruz del Sur, Línea, Oltursa, Ormeño, Tepsa (all
1 daily).

9

DESTINATIONS
Arequipa (10 daily; 1hr 20min); Cajamarca (5 daily; 1hr
20min); Cusco (15 daily; 1hr 15min); Iquitos (8 daily; 1hr
45min); Tumbes (daily; 1hr 50min).

BY TRAIN
Apart from a small local service, the only train from Lima
goes to Huancayo twice a month (see p.717). It departs
from Desamparados station (Jr. Ancash 207).

GETTING AROUND
By bus Combis race from one street corner to another
along all the major arterial city roads. Wave one down
and pay the flat fare (S1-1.50 within Lima, depending on
distance) to the driver or cobrador (conductor). A fantastic
uno cial map of Lima's most useful and safe combis
(many are more than a little ropey) can be purchased for
US$2.50 at W rutasrecomendables.com.
By colectivo A useful form of transport for getting to
outer districts of the capital such as Chosica and Comas,
mostly leaving from Plaza Bolognesi (S4-8).
By taxi Taxis should not cost more than S30 within
the city (except to/from the airport). Most are uno cial,
although the yellow ones with a licence plate number on
the side are, in theory, regulated. It is, perhaps, better to
look at the condition of the car and always agree on a
price beforehand as they don't have meters. As a guide,
taxis within a district (eg anywhere within central Lima)
should be S4-7, while Miraflores to the centre should be
S12-15. Private companies are few and far between,
change numbers regularly and charge a lot more.

BY BUS
Unfortunately Peru doesn't have central terminals - each
bus company has its own private terminal. Buses to Lima
usually arrive and depart in the district of La Victoria, near
central Lima, or at the other end of La Victoria on Av Javier
Prado. Whichever terminal it's best to hail the first decent-
looking taxi you see and fix a price - about S12-15 from or
to anywhere in the centre, or S15-18 from or to anywhere
else in Lima. Many buses can't be booked online, so you'll
have to visit the o ce in person - it's worth booking in
advance if you want the best seats (ie cama , with fully
reclining seats). A good option is to find a decent travel
agent - the in-house agency in the Hotel España (see
p.734) is recommended and they can advise you about
different companies, hours and prices.

BUS COMPANIES
The following bus companies have the best fleets and
services. Cruz del Sur Av Javier Prado 1109 ( T 01 311
5050, W www.cruzdelsur.com.pe); Línea Av Paseo de la
República 941-959 ( T 01 424 0836, W linea.pe); Movil
Tours Paseo de la República 749 ( T 01 716 8000,
W moviltours.com.pe); Oltursa Av Aramburu 1160, San
Isidro ( T 01 708 5000, W oltursa.pe); Ormeño Av Javier
Prado Oeste 1057 ( T 01 472 1710); Soyuz Perú Av
México 280 333 ( T 01 205 2370, W www.soyuz.com.pe);
Tepsa Av Javier Prado Este 1091 ( T 01 617 9000, W www
.tepsa.com.pe).

METROPOLITANO
Lima may be one of the largest cities
in the world without an underground
metro, but it now has the very modern
Metropolitano bus service (daily
6am-9.50pm, express service during
rush hours 7-9.30am & 5-8.30pm;
W metropolitano.com.pe). This bus runs
through the city north to south and
connects the main tourist areas of
Barranco, Miraflores and San Isidro along
the Paseo de la República with central
Lima. It uses a rechargeable card which
subtracts S1.50 per ride, and it's the
quickest, easiest and certainly the safest
way to get around Lima as the buses
use special lanes and the fleet is new.
Check the website (under “rutas”) for any
changes before you use it.

DESTINATIONS
Ayacucho (9hr 30min): Cruz del Sur (3 daily), Arequipa
(15hr): Cruz del Sur (7 daily), Oltursa (6 daily), Ormeño
(1 daily), Tepsa (2 daily); Cajamarca (14hr): Cruz del Sur
(1 daily), Línea (2 daily), Tepsa (1 daily); Chachapoyas
(20hr): Movil Tours (1 daily); Chiclayo (12hr): Cruz del Sur
(4 daily), Línea (2 daily), Movil Tours (2 daily), Oltursa
(4 daily), Tepsa (3 daily); Cusco (22hr): Cruz del Sur
(2 daily), Oltursa (1 daily), Movil Tours (1 daily), Tepsa
(2 daily); Puno (20hr): Ormeño (1 daily); Huaraz (7hr
30min): Cruz del Sur (4 daily), Oltursa (4 daily), Movil
Tours (5 daily); Nazca (7hr 30min): Cruz del Sur (5 daily),
Oltursa (3 daily), Ormeño (2 daily), Soyuz Perú (hourly),