How to Take Overnight Buses in Peru
How to Take Overnight Buses in Peru
Why take a bus in Peru instead of flying?
- Taking a bus is way cheaper. Flying from Cusco to Lima for example (even on a budget airline) is $70 – $100 after all the fees, a bus is as low as $10.
- Less hassle. The buses don’t charge for luggage or have excessive
- Some places you can only access via bus or private car. Huaraz, for example, doesn’t even have an airport.
- More comfortable. I found taking an overnight bus with 180-degree reclining seats and waking up at my destination to be way more comfortable than squishing into an airplane seat.
What you’ll need to ride a bus in Peru (Post-covid)
HOW TO BOOK A BUS IN PERU
You can book on Busbud.com, Redbus.com, in the station, or on a bus company’s individual website. Busbud is what I usually use, but the hours posted are not always correct.
I would recommend booking ahead of time because the buses do fill up. If you book on Busbud you should be able to pick your seat. This is great for overnight buses because the rows are usually 2/1, meaning 2 seats on one side and 1-seat rows on the other.
If you’re traveling alone and sleeping it’s a lot nicer to have your own row.
Best bus companies in Peru
Cruz del Sur is the main bus company in Peru, that being said I prefer Civa (short for Excluciva) for overnight buses even though it’s a slightly cheaper/less-reputable company.
On Civa overnight buses, the seats actually turn into real beds. By contrast, the seats on Cruz del Sur just recline onto each other.
Tip: book online ahead of time and try to get the front-row second-story seats so no one is reclining onto you.
Covid precautions
For plane rides in Peru you need to wear two masks, but for bus rides and entering certain venues (like malls) you need two masks AND a face shield.
They are very strict with PPE in Peru, and someone will also likely take your temperature and spray you all over with disinfectant before boarding.
The bus companies also make you fill out a form with your information (which they already have on your ticket) stating you have no symptoms.
I’m all for stopping the spread but face shields on a sleeper bus. It’s so uncomfortable. And because it’s so uncomfortable the minute everyone boards 90% of people remove their face shield, which was only required for boarding and not enforced once you’re actually on bus/train.
Face shields are impossible to pack once you use them because the clear plastic will get smudged and bent, effectively making all the shields purchased (and immediately discarded) for this trip just unnecessary single-use plastic.
The only place I actually saw the face shields enforced was on the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu, but on the buses, they’re just a formality.
Paying the bus terminal tax
In some Terminal Terrestre (main terminal of a city) you’ll have to pay a terminal tax in order to enter the gates.
Note: you don’t need to pay the tax to enter the bus station, only if you plan on leaving from that station. The conductor will check your ticket to see that you paid the tax. It’s usually a slip of paper or a sticker.
You should only have to pay the tax when you’re taking off from a station, not on arrival. It’s usually between 1-5 sol ($.25-$1.25).
Terminals I had to pay tax at:
Private bus terminals in Peru
A lot of overnight buses leave from private terminals and sometimes that’s not clearly marked. It’s a “you just have to know” thing more often than not.
For instance, when I was departing from Lima to Huaraz the ticket said “Javier Prado Bus Station”. I took an Uber to that station and found out Javier Prado is actually comprised of 1-2 miles of private terminals for different bus companies along the highway.
I had to hail a second cab to take me to the terminal because it wasn’t walkable.
Budget some extra time in case you show up and you’re in the wrong place or the terminal has changed. Usually, private terminals are near the main bus station if you do have to depart from one.
ROUTES I HAD TO TAKE A PRIVATE TERMINAL
Lima > Huaraz
- Cruz del Sur private terminal address: Av Javier Prado Este 1109, La Victoria 15034, Peru
Cusco > Puerto Maldonado
- Cruz del Sur private terminal address: Terminal Santiago, Industrial 121, Cusco 08007, Peru
Cusco > Puno ( Tourist Trail Bus)
- Turismo Mer private terminal address: 28 de Julio Avenue X 1-2, Cusco
MAS PROBLEMAS
So… like with anything else sometimes things don’t go to plan.
During my 3 months in Peru I’ve had buses abruptly canceled with no explanation, buses delayed for hours, or sometimes the times posted are flat out wrong and I missed my connection (says it will get in at 5 AM and doesn’t arrive until 8 🙁 )
Or, sometimes the bus will leave from a private terminal instead of the “Terminal Terrestre” and there was no way to know ahead of time.