How to get to Peru

Peru will always be an important destination in the world, moreover, in recent years after the Covid-19 health emergency, visits have increased little by little and are not expected to decrease. It is that in this country you can find different options to visit, from the beaches, the jungle, the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon River that have many important archaeological destinations for the History of Peru and Universal.

In this sense, the ways to get to Peru will depend a lot on the destinations you want to visit and the place of origin from where you start the trip. First of all, you will have to take into account the details and requirements to enter Peruvian territory, after that you have to choose the best way to get there. There are many ways to do it, let’s get to know some of them.

• Arrive in Peru by plane

  One ​​of the most effective ways to get to Peru is by airline. The airlines that can reach Peru to date are:

  LATAM Airlines	https://www.latamairlines.com
  LATAM Airlines Perú	https://www.latamairlines.com/pe/es
  DELTA	https://es.delta.com/lac/es
  Viva Air	https://www.vivaair.com/pe/es
  Sky Airline Perú	https://www.skyairline.com/
  AEROMEXICO	https://aeromexico.com/es-mx
  Avianca	https://www.avianca.com/co/es/
  Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas S.A.	https://plusultra.com/
  Star Perú	https://www.starperu.com/es
  AIR CANADA	https://www.aircanada.com/mx/es/aco/home.html
  GOL Líneas Aéreas	https://www.voegol.com/
  Air Europa Líneas Aéreas	https://www.aireuropa.com/pe/es/home
  JetBlue Airways Sucursal del Perú	https://www.jetblue.com/
  Aerolíneas Argentinas	https://www.aerolineas.com.ar/
  UNITED AIRLINES	https://www.united.com/es/pe/
  IBERIA SPAIN AIRLINES	https://www.iberia.com/pe/
  Avior Airlines Sucursal Perú	https://aviorair.com/
  AMERICAN AIRLINES	https://www.aa.com/homePage.do
  AERO TRANSPORTE S.A.	https://www.atsaperu.com/
  COPA AIRLINES	https://www.copaair.com/es/web/gs
  JETSMART	https://jetsmart.com/pe/es/
  SPIRIT	https://www.spirit.com/
  KLM	https://www.klm.com.pe/
  WINGO	https://www.wingo.com/
  Arajet	https://www.arajet.com/es
  Volaris	https://www.volaris.com/

  We place the list of airlines that currently appear on the list of the Jorge Chávez airport. Surely by the names the traveler can be guided and find the airline that operates from his country. We believe that this is the easiest way to get to Peru, besides that it will locate you at the airport of the capital and you will be able to take a flight to other regions. In case you want to visit Cusco or the Peruvian jungle, one of your main options should be to do it through an airline, the distances between regions in Peru are quite long and doing it this way will take less time. As we will see later.

• Arrive in Peru by boat

  Peru connects with the sea and the Amazon, two geographical places that make it possible to navigate and therefore reach this country by boats. Although at first these accesses were prioritized for commercialization, it is currently possible to get some boats dedicated to passenger transport, although comfort in some cases is not guaranteed.

  Let’s start by pointing out some ports that receive international cruise ships. The ports most used for this function start from the north of Peru and are the following: Puerto Salaverry, Puerto del Callao and Puerto San Martín; in the region of La Libertad, Callao and Ica respectively. Those who wish to visit the Peruvian capital can put the Port of Callao as their point of arrival, this port is only 30 minutes from the historic center of Lima in case the traffic is not very congested, otherwise it can take about 15 more minutes.

  The Port of Callao is responsible for generating a lot of movement in the South Pacific Ocean. This port is important because it also allows the arrival of interoceanic vessels that cross the Panama Canal or the Strait of Magellan, key geographical points that also facilitate the arrival of vessels to Peru.

  Another option to get to Peru by boat is to cross Lake Titicaca, this lake connects the country of Peru with that of Bolivia. Although the trip for civilians is short, it is possible to find incredible views and also the possibility of visiting some archaeological sites such as the Isla del Sol and enjoying spectacular views and sunsets.

  Finally, it is possible to enter Peru by river boats, this is possible in the areas of the Peruvian jungle that connects with Brazil and Colombia. The port of arrival will be in the Iquitos region, in Colombia the boat is taken from Leticia and from Brazil from the Tabatinga port. Although there are tourist services, you have to be prepared for the heat, the crowds of people and also comfort will be a problem. The travel time varies from 16 hours or 3 days of travel. The boats are known as the Fast and Slow Ferries; on trips from Leticia to Iquitos.

• Arrive in Peru by land

  This option may be the most recommended for some since they could enter Peru with their private vehicles. Of course, you should first come from one of the countries that borders directly with Peru, these countries are: Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador; although this option will not be possible from Colombia, since the roads are not safe due to heavy rains. The requirements to enter with your vehicle are easy to present, you will need:

  • Passport or Identity document.
  • Valid and original driver’s license, obtained in the country of origin.
  • Vehicle ownership card, it will be important that the owner is inside the vehicle as driver or passenger.
  • Certificate of Temporary Internment issued by Peruvian Customs at the same border crossing or the Libreta de Pasos issued by Peruvian Customs.

  The main road is the Pan-American Highway that connects the entire Peruvian coast from Tumbes to Tacna. This road is paved and has several detours that connect, for example, from Lima, which is on the Peruvian coast, with regions such as Huancavelica, Junín, Ayacucho, Cerro de Pasco; in the central Andes of the Peruvian territory. From these regions, you can reach Cusco, Apurímac, Arequipa, Puno, Moquegua by paved road and return to Tacna again. Something similar occurs with the northern regions that have paved roads to connect the main cities. However, if you want to go to more remote areas, we will find hiking trails or trail routes.

  The other option to get to Peru by land is by bus, whether you cross the border by bus or a private car. The safest borders through which you can pass only by presenting the aforementioned requirements are: from Ecuador where the control point is located between the districts of Huaquillas and Macará that connect directly with Peru. From Huaquillas you can get to Tumbes, while through Macará to Piura.

  As ​​for the borders of Peru and Bolivia, you can find two accesses through Desaguadero and Copacabana, both places connect Peru with the Puno region. Through Chile the access is through Tacna, passing through Arica. Finally, from Brazil you can enter through Iñapari from Assís, in Rio de Janeiro.

  All the borders that we mentioned in the four countries have a continuous flow of commercial exchange, so the roads and migration stations are quite safe as long as the expressed requirements are met.

How can I move from region to region in Peru?

If you read the transportation options that exist to get to Peru, you may have realized that the ways of traveling in Peru are varied. Also, it has already been reported that the distances between regions are really long and require many hours of travel. This has a positive and a negative side, positive is that you will be able to see incredible landscapes, especially if you travel through the Andes, the negative is that you can spend long hours of travel that end up being tedious and uncomfortable. In some cases it will be better for you to travel at night and arrive at your destination at dawn.

Let’s start with the most common services and those that can be found in all parts of the world, combis or public transport buses and taxis. We recommend taking the taxi service when arriving in a new region or destination, to go directly to the hotel. Something important to take the public transport services or vans, is that you can do it as long as you have already left your belongings at the hotel. These transports are usually very congested and there is no space for any large suitcase or backpack. Also, this will be necessary for the safety of your belongings. Another important factor to take these vehicles is that you are well informed about the whereabouts and the location of the same, so you will avoid unnecessary trips or similar things.

In most cities and towns you will find bus stations or terminals, as we mentioned a moment ago the proper way to go to these places will be by taxi. The same to go to or leave the airports. The taxi service is one of the safest, especially if you ask for it through an application where you can follow the route you are following. Remember to find out the approximate price that you should be charged from one place to another. In Peru, taxis do not have a meter, so prices can fluctuate deliberately.

Among the interprovincial buses you can find cheap and higher cost services, this relationship is at a higher price, higher quality. Direct and long-distance trips or more than 8 hours are mostly scheduled at night. The schedule and services to be purchased will depend on the tourist. Another option is to make your trip in sections, for this you must find out about the places where you can take the transport to your next destination, in some cases you will find buses or vans. But these are not the only travel options in Peru, if you do not have much time on vacation we recommend you to travel by plane with a trusted airline.

There are trips, for example, from Lima to Cusco that take a minimum of 22 hours, although there are comfortable buses, the trip can be tiring and you will also spend a lot of time on your vacation doing this type of trip. This same journey, but by plane is reduced to 1 hour and 45 minutes (as in most direct flights from region to region). For this, it will be recommended that you buy in advance, in this way you will have better discounts on prices. In Peru you can find 23 airports in total, as follows the following table.

The airports that we have just mentioned are the options with which you can travel immediately from Lima, the flights will not be very long, there is no one that exceeds 4 hours of travel, except for the case a flight has been purchased for layovers.

There is another list of airports based in Jaén, Chimbote, Yurimaguas, Talara, Nazca, which provide different services, some of which are only used by the Peruvian Air Force. These airports do not have airlines and make short flights or air rides, as in the case of the airport that we can find in Nazca, which perform services to contemplate the famous Nazca Lines.

Going back to the bus stations, the most important detail that we have to take into account, yes or yes, are the departure and arrival times. As we mentioned, in most cases night trips are prioritized. Another detail to take into account is that you should ask what the seats are like and the benefits of these, if they are reclining, comfortable and spacious; remember that you will spend more than 8 hours sitting down. By bus you will be able to reach any destination you want, another option is to do these routes making stops during the trip, but for this you will need constant help and preferably light luggage would be appropriate.

Finally, on the way further to eastern Peru, we will be able to appreciate another type of geography. In the jungle area, the human being used and uses other methods to move between the districts and provinces of the Peruvian jungle. In this wide region, the rains load the rivers with water, which allows you to navigate in motorized boats or simply rowing. This particularity is fundamental since, thanks to this medium, commercialization among these populations is achieved. Since 2015, some improvement works have been carried out on these waterways or waterways, in order to maintain a continuous flow of water that allows navigation every day of the year.

For example, the only ways to get to Loreto are by air travel or by sailing the Amazon River. Within Loretos and Iquitos, you will find means of land transportation like the ones mentioned above. However, the most common will be the motorcycle taxis, this transport service is also quite popular in other regions of the jungle and the Peruvian Andes, it consists of adapting a cabin and seats in the form of a carriage to a conventional motorcycle. The cost of service is lower than taxis.