How We Traveled: Perú

Planning on traveling around South America? Check out our plane and bus itineraries from Perú to see if it's right for you.

Regarding flights, it should be noted that my travel buddy and I flew separately and met up in Lima. Therefore, I have provided flight details and costs for both of our itineraries to help anyone planning a trip from within South America or from Europe. This information should give you a general sense of costs and times, varying by departure location, airline, etc. 

FLIGHTS:

Route: La Paz (Bolivia) --> Lima (Peru)

Layover?: No

Airline:  Taca

Duration: 2 Hours

Price: $300 (booking made on studentuniverse.com)

**Note: Passengers on international flights out of Bolivia are charged a $25 airport tax fee. This is NOT included in your ticket cost and will be paid at the airport prior to entering security.**

Route: London (England) --> Lima (Peru)

                                       +

            Santiago (Chile) --> London (England)

Layover?: Yes, one layover in Madrid (Spain)

Airline: British Airways/Iberia

Duration: 14 hours there / 16 hours back

Price: £1100 = $1677

BUSES:

**While in-country and crossing the Peru/Chile border we only took buses and colectivos. If you have plans to travel within Peru and/or Chile, remember that the distance between destinations can be very far and long. Prices range depending how nice your bus is; all of our buses were fairly high quality, so cheaper (read: less dependable) travel options are available.**

Route: Lima (Peru) --> Cusco (Peru)

Bus Company: Cruz del Sur

Duration: 23 Hours

Price (per person): 185 soles = $66

Extra Tax?: No

Overnight?: Yes

Route: Cusco (Peru) --> Arequipa (Peru)

Bus Company: Cruz del Sur

Duration: 10 hours

Price (per person): 135 soles = $48

Extra Tax?: No

Overnight?: Yes

Route: Arequipa (Peru) --> Tacna (Peru)

Bus Company: Tepsa

Duration: 6 hours

Price (per person): 20 soles = $7

Extra Tax?: Yes, 5 soles per person

Overnight?: No

Route: Tacna (Peru) --> Arica (Chile)

Bus Company: **colectivo**

Duration: 2 Hours, including customs/border control

Price (per person): 3,500 pesos = $7

Extra Tax?: No

Overnight?: No

Where We Stayed: Perú

**Note: This information pertains to a double room with two beds for each accommodation; prices for singles and larger rooms will vary. 

Websites have been provided when possible.

The breakfast offered at each of these locations is what we called a "South American Breakfast" and is not as comprehensive as an English or American breakfast. Usually this included bread, jam and coffee/tea/juice. Additional foods varied between hostels and included yoghurt, eggs and ham.**

City: Lima (Peru)

Lodging: B&B Miraflores Wasi

Website: http://www.mirafloreswasi.com/

Cost (per night): $50

Number of Nights: 3

Amenities: Breakfast, Wireless Internet, Cable TV, Private Bathroom, Laundry Service

Staff Spoke English?: Yes

Notes: This hotel is on Calle Tarapaca, a side street off of the much larger (and fairly busy) Avenida Arequipa; the walk the center of the Miraflores District is only 20 minutes. There is a small cafe next door to the B&B and a handful of places to eat within walking distance. There is also a small market store one block up and a large supermarket at the corner of Tarapaca and Arequipa. Huaca Pucllana is just two blocks away and sits adjacent to a small park. 

Miraflores Wasi is small but comfortable, however the front rooms on the lower level can get noisy because they are nearby the lobby, the stairs and the courtyard. 

The staff was exceptionally helpful and courteous. 

This hotel included a 5% surcharge for using a credit card as payment.

City: Cusco (Peru)

Lodging: Monte Horeb B&B
Website: http://www.hostel-cusco.com/

Cost (per night): $43

Number of Nights: 2

Amenities: Breakfast, Wireless Internet, Cable TV, Private Bathroom, Laundry Service

Staff Spoke English?: Yes

Notes: One major downside to this hotel was their cash-only policy. We booked our room online prior to our trip and used a credit card to hold the reservation, but when we checked in we were told we had to pay in cash. The hotel accepts dollars and soles. 

The room was a little chilly, but we were offered a heater which made things much cozier. Monte Horeb has a strange policy that disallows guests from washing and hanging their clothes in the bathroom and they encourage you to utilize their laundry service. The price is 5 soles per kilo (approximately $1 per pound) and delivery of clean clothes is the same day. There are also cleaners in town that can wash and fold laundry in two or four hours, if you are in a time crunch.  

The B&B is just up the street from Plaza Regocijo and a 5-minute walk from the main town square (Plaza de Armas). Staff was kind and offered dining/tour tips.

This hotel is located in a fairly secluded courtyard and many locals (including taxi drivers) were not familiar with it. Make sure to give the full address when describing this location.

Photo Blog: Perú

A collection of some of my favorite photos from Perú. ¡Disfrutar!

The Temple of the Sun at the Pachacamac ruins, located about 40 km
southeast of Lima. The Moche and the Huari people were two of the
many pre-Incan civilizations to worship here.  

The Peruvian hairless dog - these are considered to be the ugliest dogs in the world.
Don't worry; we showed them some love! 

View of Pacific Coast in Lima.

Peruvian street art in Lima. 

Some fruits and veg in the local market in Lima. We can here
with our tour guide to gather ingredients for the famous
Pisco Sour drink (see below

Peru's famous Pisco Sours are made with pisco, simple syrup,
fresh-squeeze limes and egg white. Ingredients are shaken
vigorously over ice and topped with bitters for garnish.

Sunrise in Cusco

The official flag of Incan culture and history.

Machu Picchu, arguably the most iconic Incan site in the world.
The name Machu Picchu (Machupichu) comes from the Quechua
words meaning Old Mountain.

A shot of the Machu Picchu ruins through
some very well-maintained plant life.