Complete Guide to Traveling Peru by Bus + Tips!

Why Take a Bus in Peru? 

✔️ Less hassle than flying: The buses don’t charge for luggage or have excessive security like airports do. It’s a lot easier to just show up with your bags a half hour before your bus departs than go through airport security.

✔️ Sometimes it’s your only option: In some places in Peru, you can only access via bus or private car. Huaraz, for example, doesn’t even have an airport – and I wouldn’t recommend driving yourself there through windy mountain roads.

✔️ More comfortable than flying: 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.

✔️ Taking a bus is way cheaper than flying. 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.

My Top Tips for Traveling Peru by Bus

✅ Double-check: Call ahead on the day of your bus departure and make sure it’s still scheduled.

✅ Busbud: Book your tickets ahead of time because the buses do sell out.

✅ Google Maps: Google Maps the route you’re taking and see if the posted bus time is the same amount of hours Google says it will take (I’ve had three buses say they would get in hours earlier than they actually did).

✅ Assigned Seats: The seats in the buses are assigned, I pay a bit extra for the front window seat.

✅ Private Terminals: Check your ticket to see if it says “Terminal Terrestre” (the name of the main terminal in every city) or “Terminal Privado”. If it is a private terminal you’ll have to find the specific address for the terminal and go there.

✅ Toilets: Bring your own wet wipes and hand sanitizer! There are toilets in the long-haul buses but they’re a mess.

✅ Comfort: If you’re taking an overnight bus I strongly recommend bringing some things to make it more comfortable. I use my favorite travel pillow, sleeping mask, noise-canceling headphones, and my travel towel which doubles as a blanket.

What You’ll Need to Ride a Bus in Peru

Rules change fast in Peru, so maybe by the time you visit they will have dropped the extra protocol, but I would still come prepared!

• Passport / DNI identity card
• Pen (to fill out the screening covid form)
• Change (to pay the terminal tax)

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How to Book Bus Tickets in Peru

You can book on Busbud.com, at the station, or on a bus company’s individual website. I always use Busbud.com to book trips in Peru ahead of time because they do sell out, and I like to be able to pick my seat.

You should always book overnight buses ahead of time because the rows are usually 2/1, meaning 2 seats on one side and 1-seat row on the other. If you’re traveling alone and sleeping it’s a lot nicer to have your own row. The individual bus companies sell tickets on their websites but they usually only accept Peruvian credit cards.

👉 I always book my bus trips ahead of time with Busbud.com because they accept international credit cards. 👈

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.

Paying the Bus Terminal Tax

In some Terminal Terrestre (the main terminal of a city) you’ll have to pay a terminal tax in order to enter the gates. 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). 

About the 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 private terminal because it wasn’t walkable from where the Uber dropped me off. 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. 

Bus trips in Peru I had to take through 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

Problems I Had Taking a Bus in Peru

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” (main bus station) and there was no way to know ahead of time. So, just be prepared! Peru is a pretty easy country to travel in, but it doesn’t go smoothly 100% of the time.