Through the years, we’ve seen Peru Hop grow into one of the best travel companies in Peru since their start in 2013. With a unique hop on, hop off bus system, they’ve helped over 300,000 travelers discover Peru.
Here’s all the the information you need to know about Peru Hop to know if it’s the best option for you!
They operate as a hop on hop off bus system that covers the South of Peru and connects through to Bolivia. Each pass has a start and end point, with a set amount of stops (destinations) throughout the route. With your “Hop Login” (provided with your booking ticket), you’re then able to change your itinerary, pick up locations, add extra tours and more! It’s surprisingly easy to use given we haven’t seen something similar anywhere else.
Compared to public buses and fixed tours, the first thing that always stands out is their flexibility. Traveling at your own pace is made simple with their service. Onboard Peruvian bilingual guides are always present, special discounts in each destination, and the perfect combination of travelers from around the world make it one of the best.
Is Peru Hop worth it?
From previous experience and by reading what other travelers have said, it definitely is worth it. Just check out out some of their reviews to see for yourself!
Is Peru Hop expensive?
At a glance, some may think it’s expensive but after doing the maths it’s actually not! Add up all the journeys, direct pickups and dropoffs to your hotel/hostel (taxis from terminals can cost between $4-5 each way), the free tours along the way and it all comes out to almost the same price. Additionally, they offer discounts on many hotels and hostels in the destinations they go through. Lastly, add to that the onboard bilingual guides, excellent customer service, and GPS tracking systems and it all comes to be cheaper and much safer!
How comfortable are the buses?
Yes, comfortable and spacious. If you traveled around South America, theres a trend of buses being uncomfortable but Peru actually has the best buses in the continent. Peru Hop runs more of the modern buses, which offer reclining seats, spacious and bathrooms.
Do the buses have Wi-Fi?
No Wi-Fi is available on the bus. Due to the below par internet and isolated areas in route, it’s difficult to provide the service. We’ve traveled with other bus companies and although they offer it, it ends up being useless after 30 minutes.
Is there an age limit?
There is no age limit. The time I’ve used the service, I met the usual young backpackers but also met a family of 5 who were traveling a 2 year old and an elderly couple who were traveling South America!
As you can see, there’s many reasons as to why Peru Hop has become one of the best ways to travel Peru. Make sure to check out their How It Works page to get much more info to start planning your trip. Safe travels!
Lima, Peru, a vibrant city known for its lively nightlife, boasts an array of thrilling entertainment options. Among the many, one stands out – The Bunker Bar Lima. Offering the best music from live DJs, free shots, and an atmosphere brimming with excitement, this club located in the heart of Miraflores – the main tourist spot – has become the go-to destination for local and foreign party enthusiasts.
Address: Calle Bolívar 164, Miraflores (behind the Atlantic City Casino)
Open: Fridays & Saturdays ’til late
Known for: Being a relatively new but already popular and social nightclub with some of the best DJs
Why we love it: 10 soles drinks from 7pm to 10pm on Fridays to get the night started and wild parties on Saturdays
Instagram: @bunkerbarlima
The moment you step into The Bunker Bar, you are greeted by an explosion of sound, dazzling lights, and an electrifying atmosphere. The immersive, lively club will bring guests into a meticulously designed space featuring multi-genre music.
Every Friday and Saturday night, the special guest DJs combine to perfection the best of both worlds: the main latin genres such as reggaeton and salsa with the english classics and latest top-charters. The seamless transitioning between tracks, and the flawless reading of the mood, keeps the crowd dancing until the very end. And we don’t know how to explain it but despite the full dance floor, you’ll find yourself dancing comfortably.
The drinks offered at the bar just add on to the already nearly perfect scene. They like to keep the cocktails basic and simple – great quality nonetheless – and have perfected them to always keep the party going at all times. Best part of it all, even though these drinks are top-notch, they’re still much cheaper then other bars/nightclubs around.
Make sure to follow and check out their Instagram page @bunkerbarlima to stay up-to-date with their weekend events!
In the heart of Lima’s nightlife scene, this premier nightclub has carved a reputation as the ultimate destination for an unforgettable weekend night. Whether you’re going to dance away with locals or with your group of friends, the vibrant atmosphere of The Bunker Bar offers an experience that goes beyond the ordinary.
Included as one of the must do things in Lima, definitely make sure to have a night out (or two) at the Bunker and dance the night away on the coolest dance floor in the city!
Cruz del Sur is the most widely recognized bus company in Peru. Over the last few years, it has also generally been one of the most recommended bus companies around. However, with the emergence of the increasingly popular hop on hop off bus service Peru Hop (started in 2013), and improvements made by other local bus companies such as Movil, Oltursa and Civa, is it still best option out there?
Cruz del Sur has the best domestic coverage of any Peruvian bus company. With terminals in almost all of the major cities in Peru going from Tacna in the far south to Tumbes in the north, along with more than 25 destinations in between. These include all of the main coastal destinations, as well as highland cities like Cajamarca, Huaraz, Huancayo, Ayacucho, Cusco, Puno and Arequipa.
| Company | Main Destinations (Updated 2024) |
| Cruz del Sur | Ica, Paracas, Cajamarca, Huaraz, Huancayo, Ayacucho, Cusco, Puno and Arequipa |
| Peru Hop | Ica, Paracas, *Huacachina (Peru Hop is the only direct bus to Huacachina in Peru. If taking a public/local bus, you would need to take a bus to Ica. Once in Ica, you would need to find a local taxi to then take you to Huacachina), Nazca, Arequipa, Puno and Cusco. |
| Movil | Arequipa, Ayacucho, Chachapoyas, Cusco, Huaraz, Oxapampa, Trujillo, Puerto Maldonado |
| Oltursa | Arequipa, Cusco, Huancayo, Huaraz, Ica, Chiclayo, Huancayo, Mancora, |
| Civa | Amazon, Ayacucho, Cusco, Ica, Piura, San Martin, Apurimac |
*=Exclusive Stops
This round has to go to Cruz del Sur due to the number of destinations they go to.
Whilst their coverage is excellent, their reviews have not always been so favourable.
On tripadvisor they have the following reviews:
| Company | 5 Star Ratings | 1 and 2 Star Ratings | Overall Rating |
| Cruz del Sur | 350 out of 1,036 total reviews as of 12th April 2023 | 269 out of 1,036 total reviews as of 12th April 2023 | 74% |
| Peru Hop | 4,234 out of 5,097 reviews total reviews as of 12th April 2023. | 167 out of 5,097 reviews total reviews as of 12th April 2023. | 97% |
| Oltursa | 29 out of 131 total reviews as of 12th April 2023. | 64 out of 131 total reviews as of 12th April 2023. | 51% |
| Movil | 14 out of 103 total reviews as of 12th April 2023. | 53 out of 103 total reviews as of 12th April 2023. | 48% |
Cruz del Sur also goes to more international destinations than any other Peruvian bus company. Heading north, buses run through Guayaquil and Quito in Ecuador before heading to Cali and then Bogotá in Colombia. They also head south to Santiago in Chile, with two routes into Argentina, one through Córdoba and one through Mendoza, both terminating in Buenos Aires.
Although Peru Hop mainly goes to the south of Peru, they also have stops in La Paz and Copacabana in Bolivia with their sister company, Bolivia Hop.
Due to its international destinations, Cruz del Sur beats Peru Hop, Civa and Oltursa here.
It can never be said that Cruz del Sur don´t invest in comfortable buses. Their buses are amongst the top of the range, and whilst their safety levels have been questionable, especially on the routes to Cusco, their buses are always comfortable.
Because Peru Hop is a relatively new company which only started running a few years ago, all their buses are brand new and comfortable with reclining seats. They don’t have double-decker buses for safety reasons(the narrow, winding roads going up and down the mountains on most routes) which means that their buses aren’t as big and that they can’t get as many passengers on board. Unlike other bus companies, they don’t have different classes of seats on their buses so you don’t have to worry about paying extra for comfort either.
Both Civa and Oltursa have a variety of buses ranging from luxurious to average. It really depends on the length of the journey and the route it’s going on.
This round is a pretty close one between Peru Hop and Cruz del Sur, but due to the sheer number of buses owned by Cruz del Sur and the consistent standard of comfort across their fleet, this round just about goes to Cruz del Sur.
There have been incidents on Cruz del Sur involving hijackings (which can be googled or read on their tripadvisor page) and from what we have read, their response to such incidents leaves a lot to be desired. As tourists in Peru, there is not a lot you can do, and Cruz del Sur know this, so are inclined to fob you off. They tend to not be very helpful towards their customers after such incidents have occurred, leaving people stranded for hours and not offering any sort of compensation. Traveling with a reputable company dedicated to tourists, such as Peru Hop or Inka Express, is probably a much better option for those more safety inclined. This round would go to Peru Hop hands down, with a tie between Cruz del Sur and Oltursa for 2nd.
ENTERTAINMENT TIP: If looking for fun at night, or to watch sports during the day, or even a taste of home, visit the Wild Rover Hostels Chain for great food, sports and beer! Entrance to their bars is free even for non-guests
As you can see, Cruz del Sur offer more coverage and international services but, Peru Hop wins based exclusively on tripadvisor tourists (again showing they are more focused on the tourism market than any other company) and for safety, which can’t be emphasised enough. If you want to read some of these reviews, you can see more here.
Anyway, this isn’t an advert for Cruz del Sur or anything like that. The idea is to allow our readers to get a more insightful view into what is supposedly the best bus company in Peru.
In general, Cruz del Sur drivers tend to be responsible, their terminals respectable and the onboard food is surprisingly edible. The bingo is annoying, that’s for sure, but it’s not exactly a deal breaker.
If you are a first time traveler to Peru, Peru Hop is probably a much better way to see Peru given their extra stops and ease of pickup and drop off service. For continuing travel in South America, Bolivia Hop and Ecuador Hop are also great options.
If you’re a local living here looking to go from city to city for business or to visit family, then Cruz del Sur might be a quicker option.
But remember, as with everything on our site, this is just an opinion, and we recommend you use travel blogs or tripadvisor to help you make your choice as to the best way to get around this amazing country, or read our post about The Best Bus Companies in Peru.
Below is a complete guide to the best bus companies in Peru, updated every month for new reviews and feedback from tourists.
Long-distance Peruvian bus companies range from the luxurious to the downright dangerous so it’s important you make sure you choose the right company. If a company isn’t mentioned on this page, it’s because they are crap, pure and simple!
Did you know: Places such as Paracas, Huacachina and Nazca are ONLY accessible via bus, so be sure to choose the best bus company to travel to these locations with.
As can be seen below, Peru Hop is the Best Bus Company in Peru according to reviews on TripAdvisor and across the web. Setup in 2013 by 2 Irish guy’s, it has made the whole experience of traveling by bus much safer and comfortable for tourists.
Peru Hop is different to public bus companies in that it picks you up and drops you off at your accommodation, meaning you avoid taxis and bus terminals. It also makes quick stops at places between the major stops, as there are some hidden gems along the way. Public buses don’t stop here as Peruvians (their core customers) just want to get from A to B as quickly as possible.
As can be seen by our analysis below, Cruz del Sur is the best of the rest. Their buses are excellent, but after reading their TripAdvisor page, you can see their customer service to tourists is very poor, with many people experiencing a lot of issues, with robberies, delays and accidents all being reported. See their TripAdvisor page here.
Anyways, read below and decide yourself what is the best bus company in Peru, and remember, safe travels!
Below is a quick, side-by-side summary of each of the most popular and reliable bus companies in Peru. To jump to a more in-depth analysis you can click the name of the company and it will take you to its section.
| Bus Company | Safety Rating | Tripadvisor Score | Customer Service | Bus Quality and Seat Comfort |
| Peru Hop | 5/5 | 97% | 5/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Cruz Del Sur | 3.5/5 | 73% | 2.5/5 | 4/5 |
| Civa | 4/5 | N/A | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
| Movil | 3.5/5 | 48% | 3.5/5 | 4/5 |
The following are all top-end to mid-range Peruvian bus companies, starting with some of the best and working down towards the ones that are probably best avoided. The order is by no means scientifically proven, but it will give you an idea of the bus companies you can rely on to get you from A to B with minimal fuss and more importantly, safely.
Quality costs, so expect to pay more (but not too much) for the upper end of the scale. Click on the company name to go directly to its website (English version where available, all links open in a new window and some of the websites have really annoying music).
A relatively new and refreshing bus service in Peru which started in October 2013, but already has over 5,000 excellent reviews on their Tripadvisor page, which is quite impressive.
Being the first and only hop-on, hop-off bus system in Peru, the company covers the Lima to Cusco route. It offers a flexible bus pass (50+ options from long distance to short day trips), in which you can stay however long you want in any of the destinations, letting you enjoy travel at your own pace. Apart from this, there’s onboard bilingual assistance on all their busses, as well as discounts on accommodation and restaurants in all the destinations.
They tend to stick to 1 floor buses which definitely seems to be the safest option for any bus and take the safer route through the south of Peru (Nazca/Arequipa/Cusco). They pick-up passengers at hotels and hostels in all destinations which is a huge bonus here in Peru (no getting unsafe taxis or going to dangerous bus terminals).
They do not cover the North of Peru yet, but definitely a service that is recommended for people wanting to travel safely and discover Peru! For continuing travel in South America, Ecuador Hop and Bolivia Hop are also great options. If you want to check out some of the reviews of Peru Hop, then you can see their review page here.
| Safety Rating | Tripadvisor Score | Customer Service | Bus Quality and Seat Comfort |
| 5/5 | 96% | 5/5 | 4.5/5 |
Cruz del Sur is over 50 years old and Peru’s most-known bus company. It is one of the recommended companies in Peru by local people looking to get from A to B. They are said to be reliable, comfortable and have excellent coverage throughout much of Peru. Not always reliable (like most local companies) and delays are frequent. Check their Tripadvisor page for more independent reviews about them or read more about Cruz del Sur. If traveling North they are recommended, however if going South to Cusco, be careful as they cross the Andes (as do most other Peruvian companies) where hijackings and robberies are infamous.
| Safety Rating | Tripadvisor Score | Customer Service | Bus Quality and Seat Comfort |
| 3/5 | 72% | 2.5/5 | 4/5 |
Reliable and reasonably priced, Civa is also a good option. The company has excellent coverage along the coast, all the way from the Ecuadorian border in the north to Chile in the south. Also runs to places further inland such as Tarapoto and Puerto Maldonado.
| Safety Rating | Tripadvisor Score | Customer Service | Bus Quality and Seat Comfort |
| 4/5 | N/A | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
Looking to travel Peru? Now is the perfect time to start planning your trip to Peru! And it seems like for many, the perfect start to their trip is one of the Day Trips from Lima operated by Peru Hop!
A reliable company (although negative reviews are not uncommon), which also offers a variety of options regarding price. Movil is arguably the best choice if you are heading to the north of Peru, or to Peru’s biggest inland cities (Huancayo, Tarapoto, Cajamarca, etc). However, like mentioned before, they do get negative reviews so make sure to take a look at their tripadvisor page.
| Safety Rating | Tripadvisor Score | Customer Service | Bus Quality and Seat Comfort |
| 3.5/5 | 51% | 3.5/5 | 4/5 |
If you are planning to travel around the South of Peru (Lima – Arequipa – Cusco) without any fixed itineraries, then Peru Hop is the only company we recommend after reading their Tripadvisor page, Facebook page and other online reviews. Their extra stops allows tourists to see more of Peru rather than public buses who just bring you from A to B. The hotel and hostel pickups are a nice bonus to avoid waiting in bus terminals and trying to haggle prices with taxi drivers.
How to get from Lima to Machu Picchu in 2024? This is a question we get asked by readers of this blog and so we thought we might as well help travelers find the best way for them to get from Lima to Machu Picchu.
Lima is a city 100% worth spending a couple of days in, something we showed in another one of our posts and if flying from Lima, it is worth doing 1 or 2 day trips around the city to Paracas and Huacachina Desert Oasis (must be seen to be believed!)
From Lima, it is necessary to stop in Cusco before heading to Machu Picchu as there are no direct flights, trains or buses to Machu Picchu.
How To Peru Expert Tip: We strongly recommend you check out Yapa Explorers for tours and treks to Machu Picchu. They’re not the cheapest, but in our opinion offer the best quality in terms of safety, tour guides and reliability.
There are really only two ways to get from Lima to Cusco which are plane and bus. Unfortunately, train is not an option because the only tourist train that leaves Lima goes to a city called Huancayo which is about one-third of the way to Machu Picchu and really not a viable option
The flight time from Lima’s airport to Cusco is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. Ticket prices vary depending on the airline you choose but we recommend LATAM based on the quality of their planes and reliability. The downside of traveling by plane is that you will miss the sights and some of the different landscapes that Peru has to offer. Also, a flight over the Andes will take you from 0 to over 10,000ft above sea level. This is sudden change in altitude is the main reason why many tourists experience altitude sickness on their first days in Cusco.
Apart from having the benefit of acclimatizing yourself to the altitude, you will get a chance to explore Peru when choosing to go by bus. A direct bus trip to Cusco can take from 22 hours to 27 hours. The reason for the long trip is the mountain chain known as… you guessed right! The Andes. Most roads are winding, curvy and steep. However, we recommend taking the route that passes through Arequipa as it is the safest option and the most popular among travelers. There are a bunch of places to see along the way.
There are mainly 2 ways to get from Cusco to Machu Picchu: Trekking all the way to Machu Picchu or going by a combination of bus and train.
Treks can last 3 to 5 days and you will usually have to book in advance, especially for the Official Inca Trail. Nevertheless, almost all treks will include the entrance ticket to Machu Picchu. The most popular treks are Salkantay trek; great for the sightseeing lovers, Inca Jungle; a more action-packed option and the Official Inca trail; arrive to Machu Picchu just in time to watch the sunrise. To have a great trekking experience, avoid scammers by buying from a recommended and trusted tour agency. Make sure to check out FindLocalTrips.com, a search and comparison website for tours and treks around South America.
Recommended tour operators
Our recommendations to complete this part of the trip are:
Going to Machu Picchu is a once in a lifetime experience you surely do not want to miss. We will keep you updated if anything changes in the near future. So, keep checking our blog and take a look at our other articles too to gather all kinds of tips and information you need before embarking on journey to Peru!
ENTERTAINMENT TIP: If in Cusco looking for fun at night, or to watch sports during the day, or even a taste of home, visit the Wild Rover Hostel for great food, sports and beer! Entrance to the bars is free even for non-guests.
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