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Do you think it is safe to travel in Peru by bus in the night?

Or should I only travel during the day? Actually a few trips are quite long—around 20 hours—so I guess I'm going to travel by night anyway.

In any case I've been told to buy tickets with the best companies only, since the accident frequency is quite high there...

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    I'm from Peru and it's only dangerous if you travel in public transport, if you are only traveling in buses there won't be a problem :)
    – Washu
    Commented Feb 23, 2013 at 16:58

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I also read a lot of blog posts and heard stories about bus travel in Peru being dangerous.

However, all the ones I was on were pretty good. I travelled in semi-cama and full-cama class, with a variety of companies. No problems with any, and most were pretty good at being on time, unlike a couple I had in Argentina.

I travelled at night from Cusco to Arequipa, Arequipa to Lima, Lima to Mancora and up to and crossed the Ecuadorian border at night too. No problems at all.

I heard the same about Colombia too, people were shocked that I'd travel, but think logically - these buses go through these areas every single day and night, several companies. If there were problems every day, it'd be in the news. It'd be huge.

This doesn't mean you will be fine. Odds are you will be, but accidents do happen occasionally, everywhere. Be aware, keep your valuables with you (and NOT under your seat), and when possible, travel with someone else as well, or get to know the people around you.

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  • I went by night from Lima to Huaraz and it was fine. I remember the driver's assistant filmed the travelers on camera and he spent more time on me since I was the only foreigner. The fresh mountain air at arrival, locals gathered around a fire , unforgettable
    – Bogdan Lataianu
    Commented Jun 12, 2013 at 20:16
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    The reason they photograph all the passengers is to discourage thefts and hijackers from getting on the bus... seems to work!
    – Michaela Light
    Commented Jun 13, 2013 at 4:31
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By Western standards - no.
It's not safe.

Will you arrive at your destination? Probably; you will get there just fine.

But the general driving style (outrageous speed for the conditions, passing on completely blind corners, etc) means that it isn't safe as most of the world likes to think.

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    By most western standards, NYC isn't safe to even walk in, so it's all about perspective.
    – cdeszaq
    Commented May 9, 2013 at 18:54

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