When we reached Peru we had been travelling for around 8 months through Central and South America. We were both experiencing a little bit of travel fatigue, particularly with the organisation and transport side of things which can be pretty exhausting. When we first saw Peru Hop we were a little apprehensive as it’s definitely not the cheapest option for travel through Peru and budget is important to us. After a lot of deliberation we decided to give it a try anyway and we did not regret our decision to spend that little bit extra.
Peru Hop offers a number of different passes with varying routes and prices but as we had a enough time and were planning to visit Bolivia after Peru anyway, we chose to do the ‘full south’ route. This route can be done in a minimum of 10 days but we would definitely recommend spending longer in Peru if you have time. There’s so much to see and do. This route was perfect for us and covered all the main destinations in Peru, even one or two that we hadn’t thought of.
So how does Peru Hop work?
To sign up for Peru Hop you can do this either in one of their offices (Lima, Cusco or La Paz), or on their website. Once you have booked your place you will be sent a confirmation email and welcome pack which has information about the stops in Peru including where you can get a discount on accommodation. You will also get a ‘Hop Login’ so you can start making any changes to your itinerary. Then you just have to wait for your pick up date and the fun to begin! At each stop you can stay for as long as you like as the passes are valid for up to one year, you just have to remember to update your itinerary on your ‘hop login’ and don’t miss your next bus.
** Important info/ tip: The prices for Peru Hop are all quoted and charged in USD. If you pay in cash on the bus with Peruvian Sol the exchange rate they give you is not great. As the ATM’s in Peru often don’t charge and will dispense USD as well as Sol, try to make sure you have USD to avoid paying the exchange rate twice.
What did we like about Peru Hop?
It’s SO EASY! Like seriously. Whether you’ve been travelling a long time and just need a break from planning, have no idea where to start with your visit to Peru, or just want someone else to organise it for you, it’s great! From the minute we booked in Lima to getting off our last bus in La Paz, everything was so so organised. You could jump on that bus with no plan at all and the guide would sort you out in no time. If you need to change your bus, no problem, book a tour, no problem, find a hostel, no problem.
Great Customer Support / Service! The office team are amazing. If you have any issues they resolve them swiftly and compassionately. If you need advice and you aren’t on a bus to speak to your guide, they are there to help. If you have issues with the hostels / hotels you book, they will try to resolve the problems on your behalf. Its nice to know you have such a great support in the background as well as the foreground.
Getting Social with fellow Travellers! Due to Peru Hop being mainly used by backpackers & holiday makers, you get a great mix of company on the bus. Its fantastic to meet people who are going to similar places, as you can share tips, do group activities together (most companies offer group discounts), cook, drink and socialise together too. Alternatively if you prefer to go alone is nice to talk still to fellow wanderers and learn about their experiences whilst travelling, they still may have great tips of where to go next, what to do next or money saving ideas.
Safe and Convenient: For anyone who has any safety concerns while travelling Peru then this would be a good option for you. For most stops they will drop you at your hostel (provided it is within their radius), this will either be on the bus, a shuttle, or a prepaid taxi. If you arrive at night or early morning they always wait with you to make sure someone at the hostel lets you in. There’s no stops in the middle of the night to let random people or sellers onto the bus, and they also track the buses using GPS to ensure the drivers are driving safely and not making any unauthorized stops. Also, the buses are ALWAYS on time… unheard of in South America!
Discounts along the way: We really did save money on accommodation at quite a few of our stops in Peru and it was easy to organize and get the discounts. There are also a few extra tours that are included within your ticket. Overall they were worthwhile additions to the trip and save some time on organising them yourself. Here are our thoughts on them:
- Pachacamac Viewing (Lima to Paracas): This is actually just a viewing from the bus as you drive passed. The guide gives you some interesting information about it but if you are on the left hand side of the bus you can’t see a thing other than the sign for it.
- Slave tunnels (Lima to Paracas): An interesting visit to a beautiful Hacienda that you have some time to wander round and enjoy a complimentary drink. The tour of the slave tunnels is done by your Peru Hop guide. A worthwhile addition which would be very difficult to visit with public transport.
- Paracas National Reserve: We did not do this tour as we rented bikes from Paracas to explore the reserve by ourselves. The bus stops at some important parts of the reserve for some photographs before heading back to Paracas and then onto Huacachina.
- Pisco Vineyard Tour: Great to be included in the ticket! It is a brief tour and tasting so if you are really into your Pisco then you might want to organise your own day tour. For those who just want a taster of how it’s made and to give some pisco wine a taste then its great and is done on the way to Nazca.
- Nazca lines observation tower: Such a convenient stop, especially if you are not planning to stay in Nazca for the night but still want to see the lines. You arrive just before sunset so the skyline is beautiful.
The border crossing from Peru to Bolivia was by far the easiest we have done in our 10 months of travel. They provide you with all the immigration forms and can help translate this for you too, plus they watch your bags so you don’t have to carry them into the immigration office. There is a short walk across the border and the other side you get onto a different bus with a different guide but the handover was seamless.
The buses themselves were pretty standard for Peruvian buses which are surprisingly comfortable in comparison to the buses in Ecuador and Colombia. What is better about the Peru Hop buses though is the comfy blanket you get for the night buses and ENGLISH FILMS! If you’ve been travelling on local buses in Central and South America you will understand the pain of badly dubbed action films. Who wants to listen to Arnold Schwarzenegger with a squeaky voice?! It’s painful.
Last but not least, the Guides are really what makes Peru Hop a great experience. They all speak great English (though are also patient if you want to try and converse in Spanglish) and are amazingly great at organizing your life for you with a smile on their faces. They will often be around in the evenings for a drink and will point you in the direction of places you can get a discount with your Peru Hop wristband. They all had such great knowledge of Peru and were enthusiastic to tell you about their beautiful country.
Things to be aware of
You do have to think a little in advance if you are on a tight time schedule. We did have 2 stops where we had to stay an extra night as there was no space on the bus (even though we tried to book it 24-48hrs in advance). Having said this, when we emailed Peru Hop to see if we could be put on a waiting list in case of cancellation, they did offer to refund us on bus tickets if we made our own way to the next destination.
If you plan to pass straight through Nazca to Arequipa, and on the journey from Arequipa to Cusco you will stop at restaurants with Peru Hop and pre-order your food on the bus. For us we did not think these meals were good value for money but you don’t have any other choices as there is no time to look around for other food. We were used to paying half the price but getting more food when eating out in Peru so if budget is important then this is a bit frustrating. You could take your own packed lunch to save on money if needed.
If you are on a really tight budget then Peru Hop is probably not for you. However when you add up the discounts, free tours, snacks on the bus, taxi/minibus to your hostel from the bus terminals, free drinks at some hostels etc… then we do think it is good value for money. Personally we saved on some hostel stays and the few extra tours that they include, however it is more expensive than taking the local buses and some of the discounts aren’t as good as the ones you might get from Booking.com or the tours from local companies.
BUT booking through Peru Hop does mean you get the best selected Hostel / Tours / Restaurants that they personally check themselves for safety, security and quality. With the added bonus that if anything goes wrong with them, you have the friendly backend office team to give you extra support.
Our Overall Opinion
If we could do it all over again, would we still chose Peru Hop? YES. It’s such an easy, convenient and safe way to travel Peru. We loved that everything is organised for you but there is still enough flexibility for those of us who are used to running on our own schedules and not that of a bus timetable. If it is within your budget and you’re looking for a stress free way to travel Peru then its definitely an option to consider.
Peru Hop / Bolivia Hop Contact Details
Contact Number: +51 01 2422140
Email: info@peruhop.com.
Website: https://www.peruhop.com/
Skype: peruhop.lima
Facebook Messenger: https://www.messenger.com/login.php?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.messenger.com%2Ft%2F451668361567608%2F%3Fmessaging_source%3Dsource%253Apages%253Amessage_shortlink
Alternative Hotel Booking Sites
Links below are referral links that give us a small bonus at no cost to yourself. Just click the links, sign up and book what you need as normal. As we are non profit travellers and we hope this information is useful, these small bonuses mean alot to us. 🙂
- Booking (Cheapest option) – https://www.booking.com/s/34_6/4b8b8807
- AirBnB (2nd Cheapest option) – http://www.airbnb.com/c/garys1958
- Hostelworld (3rd option) – https://www.hostelworld.com/
- Hotels (4th option) – https://refer.hotels.com/x/Imwv4N
Other Useful Sites
Links below are referral links that give us a small bonus at no cost to yourself. Just click the links, sign up and book what you need as normal. As we are non profit travellers and we hope this information is useful, these small bonuses mean alot to us. 🙂
- UBER (Safe Taxi App) – https://www.uber.com/invite/garys3406ue
- Google suite (Great cloud storage / cloud office products) – https://goo.gl/mEBYh3
Final Questions?
Are you heading to Peru and thinking of taking Peru Hop? Where are you most looking forward to visiting in Peru? We would love to hear your thoughts and questions 🙂
Couple of Explorers 