Has anyone taken the 3:30am Cruz del Sur bus out of Lima?
 

Hello! I am planning a trip to Peru for this September and am trying to work out the last details of our trip! We are flying into Lima at 5:30pm and are planning to take the bus to Nazca at 3:30am with Cruz del Sur (we have the VIP tickets.) I would have preferred to take the later bus, but this was the only way that we could really fit Nazca into our trip and my husband was really set on seeing the lines. Has anyone taken the 3:30am bus before? Is the bus terminal safe at this time of the morning? We are debating either getting a hotel in Miraflores so we have a little time to relax, or just pulling an all nighter and trying to stay up late and then catch the bus. Both of us seem to be able to sleep anywhere, so I am not worried about missing out on sleep since we can just catch some sleep on the bus. We want to make sure that we stay safe if we stay out this late and also do not have a problem finding a taxi in the early morning hours. Does anyone have a recommendation for what we could do? If we went somewhere like Barranco to experience the nightlife, do you think we would have an easy enough time finding a taxi to take us to the bus station at this time, or do you think it would be a better idea to book a hotel and have them arrange our taxi to the bus terminal? I was thinking that trying to go to Barranco or Miraflores at night might be safer and give us more options of things to do than trying to stay near the city center, regardless or whether or not we end up getting a hotel. Also, do you think arriving 1 hour ahead for the bus is the best plan, or would anyone recommend getting there earlier or later? If anyone has been in this situation before and have any advice, please let me know! We'd love to get some input!

I've taken an early bus from the Cruz del Sur terminal, but not quite that early. Pulling an all nighter after a full day's travel isn't my idea of getting the most of your vacation.

I find flying into Lima and getting from the airport into town can be a bit exhausting. You're arriving early enough to go into town, have a bite to eat, and get 4 or 5 hours of sleep and a shower. If you decide to do that, though, be sure to read comments about how noisy your hotel might be. At least in September you will be able to close the windows if it's a hotel without A/C (common except at the upper price range). I like to stay in Barranco at 3B. It is fairly quiet (a relative thing in Lima) and not very expensive (again relative). It will take a bit longer to get to the station from Barranco, though.

Another option would be to eat at the airport after the flight (upstairs there is a food court), then nearby. I've stayed at this place and they get GREAT Tripadvisor ratings http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/peru-lima-bbdekike.html They can pick you up and take you to the bus station whenever.

San Isidro is closer neighborhood than either Barranco or Miraflores but tends to be more business oriented. However, the Westin isn't very far away and they have a bar that stays open til 2AM but the kitchen closes at midnight (just to give an idea). I'm not sure that there will be that much traffic that early, maybe ask on Tripadvisor if there is any reason to stay closer to the station.

The bus station isn't sketchy. But you still have to keep your hands on your luggage. If you have checked luggage you can check it in when you arrive at the bus station, they even give you a ticket on Cruz del Sur. (I have never had a bag go missing with them but I still wouldn't tempt fates with cash or "valuables".)

This is the direct link for that B*B near the airport.

http://www.lima1night.com/

The owner's name is Enrique but his nickname sometimes gets rejected in postings...I'll just spell it Kiki instead.

I can't say enough how nice that family is, even though the neighborhood isn't for walking around.

Really meeting them was one of the highlights of my travels to Lima, you'll see many similar comments on their reviews.

In about two years I am desperately going to be trying to remember the name of this place.