Travel to Peru
Peru basically uses 02 types of transport: air and land. These connect all the departmental capitals (terrestrial) and most of the provincial capitals (aerial). This allows any citizen to travel with their vehicle to the main urban centers of the country; however, several interprovincial bus lines also arrive, many of them with very modern and comfortable units.
The difficult and varied geography of Peru is the first condition presented for the development of transportation in this country; these can be by land, air, sea or river.
The goods are transported in thousands of trucks that even reach areas and towns quite isolated from the territory.
Rail transport is not very extensive in terms of mileage of the railways and is basically used to transport minerals that are moved from production centers to export centers located in different ports. In some cases they are also used for passenger transport, including tourist trains.
Means of transportation in Peru
By airplane
Several are the companies that cover the journey with a large number of Peruvian cities, such as Arequipa, Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Iquitos, Lima, Cusco, Chimbote, Tacna, Trujillo, Tarapoto, Huánaco, Ayacucho, Tumbes, Pucallpa, Puerto Maldonado, Piura and Juliaca-Puno, these companies are LATAM, Avianca, Peruvian, Star Peru, Ski Air and Viva Air. If you would like more information on domestic air services, you can contact the Peruvian Airport Corporation (Corpac, website: www.corpac.gob.pe).
By sea or river
Although the discomfort may be excessive when traveling across the river, there are services that cover the journey Pucallpa – Iquitos in 5 days. From Iquitos you can reach the border with Brazil and Colombia in about two and a half days thanks to the three weekly services.
By rail
Although there is no connection between them, in Peru there are two railroad lines that connect the coast with the altiplano; these are: The Ferrocarril del Sur and the Ferrocarril Central. The first one connects the city of Arequipa with Cuzco and Lake Titicaca. It is habitual that the formations that connect Arequipa and Puno work in nocturnal schedules and they do it generally three times a week. In the morning you can take the train from Puno to Cuzco through Juliaca, which is also provided three times a week.
To get to Machu Pichu you can take the train that leaves Cuzco in a journey of approximately 4 hours. There are no connections between Lima and Cuzco. The Ferrocarril Central leaves Lima for Huancayo, on a route that includes the passage of more than 50 bridges and a large number of tunnels reaching the highest station in the world: Galera, 4781 meters above sea level, on a route that requires the whole day. It is good to remember that trains can stop running during the rainy season, so it is advisable to consult timetables and departures.
By road
The Carretera Central connects the city of Lima with La Oroya and Huancayo. Also from the town of Oroya part a road that connects with Huanuco, Cerro Pasco, Pucallpa and Tingo Maria in the area of the Ucayali River. In the rainy season landslides and landslides are frequent, which can cause delays in the trip. In Peru you drive on the right side of the road. It is always advisable to have road maps or use Google Maps on your cell phone.
Buses
In Peru buses cover almost all destinations except the Amazon jungle and Machu Pichu. Some of the most important companies that offer better service on long journeys are Cruz del Sur, Ormeño, Oltursa, the service varies depending on the fare.
Urban Transport
In the city of Lima, public transportation is provided by minibuses (combis) and buses, which operate on prearranged routes in the schedule of 06:00 to 00:00 hs. The fare is round 1 nuevo sol (it usually varies according to the distance) and whenever possible it is better to avoid catching them during the night.
Taxis
They can be found in airports, main hotels and on the streets, and fares must be agreed in advance, since none of them has a meter, it is advisable to haggle over the initial price and even ask several taxis, because generally – more to see you looking like a foreigner – you will want to charge more. They are not expensive at all and it is advisable to use only those officers who are identified by the color yellow. In Peru there are independent or informal taxi drivers, whose cars have no identifying color and can only be identified by small signs attached to the windshield, but as they do not belong to any company, they do not provide a guarantee.
Rent a car
Offices of international car rental companies such as Avis, Budget, National, Dollar, Hertz, Mitsui, Rentandina, AAA and American can be found both in Lima and in the main Peruvian cities.