By Bus in Cusco & Machu Picchu

By Bus

Cusco

The bus trip from Lima to Cusco is recommended only for the adventurous. The same goes for the road trip from Pisco through Ayacucho, which runs right through the adobe Colorado ruins. The bus terminal in Cusco is at the Terminal Terrestre on Pachacútec, not far from the airport. To book a comfortable bus trip from Cusco, ask for Ormeño's Royal Class service, which includes comfortable seats, air-conditioning, toilets, and snacks. Another dependable bus service is Cruz del Sur, which travels to Arequipa from Cusco.

Machu Picchu

Urubamba serves as the valley's transportation hub, meaning that a change of bus is sometimes necessary there. The bus terminal in Cusco is at the Terminal Terrestre on Pachacútec, not far from the airport. Bus travel between the Cusco and the towns of the Sacred Valley is cheap, frequent, informal… and sometimes accident-prone. Many of the routes are served by minivans, whose drivers seem determined to make it to their destination with little regard for rules of the road. Although a taxi is more expensive, the S/80 one-way fare between Cusco and Urubamba, for example, makes a reasonable and safe option when split between two or more passengers.

Bus Information

Cruz del Sur (Pachacutec 510, Cusco. 084/221-909). Ormeño (San Juan de Dios 657, Cusco. 084/218-885).