Moving Day: Lima to Arequipa on Peru Hop
Our next destination, Arequipa, was about 475 miles southeast of Lima. Instead of flying, we decided to try something different: a three-day bus ride. So I guess this post should really be titled “Moving Days.”
Peru Hop was an interesting riff on the “hop-on, hop-off” bus concept. With just a single ticket, we could choose to stay as long as we wanted at any of the stops along the route. We would have an English-speaking host on the bus with us at all times, and transfers to and from our hotels. And we’d have the chance to see some of Peru’s “hidden gems” - interesting spots that many visitors don’t know about or don’t have time for. On the tourist experience spectrum, Peru Hop was somewhere between taking a package tour and doing it yourself.
The route from Lima to Arequipa traveled the Panamerican Highway along the coast, stopping at three cities along the way. We chose the recommended itinerary of just one night in each city, which enabled us to have the same hosts and drivers with us for the whole trip. This was certainly more rushed than our usual travel pace, but we’d have sufficient time for the “must-do” activities, and I was eager to reach Arequipa and settle down for a while.
Day 1: Lima to Paracas
We left urban Lima and saw a lot of Peru’s undeveloped coastal desert. We toured a historic hacienda with secret slave tunnels. Later we relaxed at a luxurious oceanside resort.
Day 2: Paracas to Huacachina
This long day was packed with fun activities, and not much time on the bus. We saw penguins and seals from a boat and took a wild ride on a dune buggy! We spent the night in a real-life oasis.
Day 3: Huacachina to Nazca to Arequipa
We saw the famous and mysterious Nazca Lines and then survived a long, restless night on the bus, arriving in Arequipa at dawn.
What did we think of Peru Hop?
We enjoyed meeting the other travelers, who included a retired Aussie couple, vacationing professionals from Canada and Amsterdam, and young Englishmen who had just graduated from “uni.” The average age for Peru Hop travelers is 30, which pretty much matches our experience. All of us chose Peru Hop because we had something in common - we wanted to see “the real Peru” and not be typical tourists. Peru Hop did a good job of creating opportunities for everyone to socialize. We skipped the evening group gatherings, but we heard they were a lot of fun.
Our hosts (one experienced, one in training) were excellent - they spoke fluent English, told us a lot about the cities and local customs, and patiently handled every request. We had a Peru Hop app for booking buses and a WhatsApp group for pre-ordering meals, booking excursions, and receiving detailed info on each day’s schedule. I was impressed at how well-organized everything was.
The recommended “extra” activities were awesome! The included stops showcased local culture and were well-timed for breaking up the drives. I liked trying local foods and using clean bathrooms.
The buses were clean and air conditioned, and I liked the headrest covers. The high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi worked fine. The drivers handled the bus well, and I always felt safe on the road, even during the overnight drive through the mountains. But there were issues with comfort on both buses. And the seat belts were faulty (they wouldn't retract), so we didn’t wear them.
It’s difficult to do a fair comparison of the cost of Peru Hop to the alternatives. For Lima to Arequipa we paid $189 each for a 3-day trip. Our Peru Hop ticket included flexible bus transport with English-speaking hosts, transfers to/from our hotels, and four exclusive tours/activities. A flexible flight would have cost around $140 plus transfers, with a duration of 1.5 hours flight time plus airport wait time. A public bus would have cost around $75 plus transfers, with the ride taking 13-17 hours. We had the time and desire to explore, and Peru Hop was an excellent value.
Bottom line: I would recommend Peru Hop to my friends, with the warning that the long overnight trip may be uncomfortable and smelly.
Final tally: about 630 miles (1,000 kilometers) traveled, and about 20 hours on the bus (the last 11 hours in one stretch overnight).
