Since my last thread, I bought round trip plane tickets from Detroit to Lima and back. I haven’t made other reservations yet. My trip is in June. This is the summary of my itinerary unless I am persuaded to make changes:

Plane arrives in Lima at 8:20pm. A day in Lima. 2nd night in Lima. Part of a day in Lima. Bus to Nazca, thinking of arriving mid to late evening and spending the 3rd night in a hotel in Nazca. Then a flight over the Nazca lines and whatever else I have time for. 4th night on a bus to Arequipa. 5th and 6th nights in Arequipa. Transportation to Ollantaytambo, thinking of a plane flight and taxi. I am open to a collective shared taxi but not if I am going to have to waste too much time waiting for the car or van to fill up. 7th and 8th nights in Ollantaytambo including a day trip to Machu Picchu. 9th-11th nights in Cuzco. Transportation back to Lima again, thinking of a plane flight. 12th to 14th nights in Lima. Flights back to Detroit leaving from Lima at 6:50am.

Notice my two supposed long-distance bus trips.

Have you taken the bus in Peru on these routes?

Is there an ideal time of day to take the bus from Lima to Nazca?

How will I avoid getting robbed by a nearby fellow passenger on the bus?

What is the typical procedure for when you get all your stuff stolen and you don't have your passport, phone, debit card, credit card, money, wallet, spare clothes, coat, addresses of your hotels, and so on?

Should I worry about bus accidents or bus hijackings?

Do I have to pay close attention to the weather and skip my long-distance bus rides if it is raining or if rain is predicted?

I took two long-distance bus rides in Mexico in August 2023 without a problem. Is bus travel in Peru supposed to be much more dangerous than in Mexico?

I am a 41-year old man traveling alone if this matters. You read about people wondering whether it is safe to travel alone as a woman, as if men are never be assaulted or robbed or worse. And my mom is horrified every time I tell her I am taking a trip. I was 32 when I took my first major trip alone.

My great-grandfather with my same last name had a heart-attack and dropped dead 6 weeks before he would have turned 40. Should I worry about having a heart attack while on the bus or some other time on my trip? I am in average to good health as far as I know.

I don’t like the idea of Peru Hop: Peru Hop looks they don’t sell tickets from one city to another city. Instead you are supposed to buy a whole itinerary. They start in Lima, go to the first city they stop at, you get off, spend a day or more, get back on, get off at the next stop, spend however many days you want, get back on, and so on.

In case any of us have forgotten why many of us stopped offering advice to this poster:
Peru solo trip July 2025

Thanks for the reminder kja!

It won’t rain, crime isn’t a problem.

Peru Hop may make sense for you since it’s less worry. Otherwise but Cruz del Sur bus tickets for your trips. Use Uber getting to and from buses.

One of the reasons for traveling is to get beyond compulsive worrying and realize the world is looking out for you.

You are far more likely to be robbed in a bus station than on the bus. Use Cruz del Sur for safety if they run your route. With limited time, I would take a night bus from Lima, arriving Nasca in the morning and then when you get off in town, head for the airport or a travel egency on the main street. I've taken Cruz del Sur between Lima and Nasca, they are fine.

I have never taken the night bus Nasca to Arequipa. It takes too long for me to be interested and I don't care for night busses. I did Nasca as an out and back from Lima.

When I went to Arequipa, I flew from Lima.

I would never take a night bus between Arequipa and Cusco. Take a nonstop flight.

You need to keep your passport, phone and other important documents on your person on the bus, preferrably under your clothing. I also keep some cash and a credit card inside one shoe. Make photo copies and upload them to an online account and keep paper copies in your luggage with an itinerary.

Thanks for your input. I had not thought to take the bus to Nazca and then take the bus back to Lima the following day or evening and then take a plane to Arequipa. Which is backtracking and inefficient but if it is much safer I could be persuaded to return to Lima before the end of my trip. The bus from Nazca to Arequipa takes over ten hours.

If you want to go to Arequipa then take the bus onward from Nasca. Returning to Lima then getting to and from the airport on either end by flying to Arequipa — you are turning a 12 hour cheap and simple journey into a 13-1/2 hour pricier and convoluted journey.

I’d drop Arequipa rather than fly there and then fly onward.

My mom is horrified at me. I guess that is her "job". I don't know why my anxiety about travel itself is so much lower than hers and I don't know what to do about it. She has never taken a plane flight and she thinks it isn't safe to go outside the United States or Canada.

If I pack what I carried last time I took a major trip, I will be carrying a 20-22 inch long wheel-free travel bag with extra clothes, a backpack with whatever else I have that isn't clothes, and a re-usable grocery bag with bottled water and a reasonable amount of food, hopefully not too much. There is a 25% to 50% chance the food could be squished into the backpack. I hope they let me carry it all onto the plane and/or buses; it probably would be fine if they need to one of those bags under the bus or in the plane's luggage compartment as long as I don't forget to get it back at the end of the trip.