By Tony Dunnell
Peru Travel Expert, about.com
Whether or not to take night buses in Peru is an issue that can cause some debate. Some people recommend avoiding buses altogether, especially overnighters. Others are happy to hop on a bus, day or night, rain or shine, and happily recommend doing likewise.
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I’m in the pro-bus camp, especially when it comes to budget backpacking in Peru. Telling shoestring backpackers to avoid bus travel in Peru is like telling them to avoid beer or ceviche or pisco
-- it just won’t happen. And I’ve spent countless hours in buses in
Peru and South America, so I won’t tell anyone else to avoid them.
Bus travel can be dangerous in Peru. Peru has terrible -- and I mean really terrible -- road accident statistics, many involving fatalities and all too frequently buses.
But
these accidents typically involve cheap local or regional bus companies
whose standards are miles away from those set and upheld by national
companies like Cruz del Sur, Ormeño, Oltursa, Civa and others.
[post_ads]As for night travel, it’s sometimes unavoidable. Many trips of eight
hours or more are scheduled to run overnight, with no alternatives. Even
if there are daytime options, many backpackers choose to travel
overnight because it doesn’t waste any time and it avoids the expense of
a night in a hostel or hotel. You might arrive a little groggy in the
morning, but you can still have a full day to explore, rather than a
full day stuck on a bus.
The key to staying safe on a night bus in
Peru is to avoid the small, dubious and altogether unreliable bus
companies. Stick with the big companies -- those that obey safety
standards, driver and bus restrictions, and do not pick up random people
from the side of the road.
Some specific routes might be best avoided due to safety concerns (banditry, hijackings or natural hazards),
so it’s always worth researching a lengthy nighttime route before
buying a ticket. But generally speaking, night buses in Peru are fine --
as long as you ride with the reliable, comfortable, and responsible
major national companies.
