Peru

Backpacking along the Pan-Am Highway, over the Andes Mountains, and to wonders of the world.

My 2 Month Backpacking Guide to South America – Taking on the Pan-Am Highway

Peru was a bit of an eye-opener for us. It was the first time we ever traveled to a developing nation. We had an amazing time in Peru, but we also struggled. We learned a lot about traveling and we stretched our budget maybe too thin. Our budget travel tips include a post about how to get to Machu Picchu for as little as possible.

So how much does it cost to travel South America for 50 days?

In an effort to make this blog useful, what follows is a spending summary to give fellow travelers an idea of how much it cost us to travel through Peru, Chile, and Argentina. We are frugal travelers which means we don’t spend a lot of money on things like souvenirs, fancy meals, fabulous hotels, or first-class tickets. We do, however, like to maximize the bang for our buck; this requires planning and research on our part. We are a couple, and this gives us an advantage when traveling as we can split everything 50/50. In fact, a shared double room often tends to work out cheaper than the cost of a dorm bed.

“Day Trips” includes admission fees, taxis, public transit fares, etc.
“Transport” is the cost of transportation between cities: buses, trains, boats, etc.
“Spending money” includes things like beer money, gifts, laundry, and sundries.
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How We Conquered Half the Pan-Am Highway in 2 Months for $2000

Backpacking South America: 2 Months, $2000

Welcome to the origin of Itchy Feet on the Cheap. This blog originally started as a way to share all the planning we did to make our first backpacking trip as a couple as budget friendly as possible. In this post, you will find the videos and links to the guides that outline the specifics of our journey.

If you are planning a trip to South America, you’ll find the guides helpful with your planning, and the videos will give you a preview of what’s to come.
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The White City: Arequipa, Peru and Going Deep into the Colca Canyon

The bus ride from Puno to Arequipa was the best we’ve had so far. We paid slightly more through Cruz del Sur than we needed to (S/54, CAD$18.60), but it was totally worth it. We had front row seats, a meal (read: sandwich, cookies, and juice), and a movie. Not to mention, a clean bus that didn’t stop at every rest stop in the Peruvian wilderness.

We arrived in Arequipa around 8 or 9pm and took a taxi for S/6 (CAD$2) from the bus station to Amazing Home Backpackers (S/70/CAD$24 for a private double with en suite bathroom per night). Alex, the hostel owner, was friendly and helpful and gave us information about the two- and three-day tours to Colca Canyon.

We left our laundry with Alex the next morning after breakfast. Breakfast at Amazing Home Backpackers was a treat. A rooftop patio serving freshly prepared banana pancakes with dulce de leche. With bellies filled with pancakes we went out to explore Arequipa.
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Puno and Lake Titicaca, Peru

We caught a bus to Puno from Cusco with a company called San Luis. We paid S/25 (CAD$8.40) for 1st class seats. The ride was about 5 hours long.

Puno isn’t a very attractive town and it doesn’t really hold very many tourist attractions aside from the fact that it sits on the largest lake in South America, Lake Titicaca. The lake sits at 3800 m above sea level which makes it the highest navigable body of water in the world.

We stayed at the Walk on Inn (Jiron La Libertad 115) which cost us S/50 (CAD$16.70) for a private double with private bathroom per night. They served a delicious buffet breakfast for an extra S/8 (CAD$2.70).
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The Cheapest Way to get to Machu Picchu

Buses, Taxis, Hiking, and Avoiding the Expensive Train

Backpacking South America: Machu Picchu, Peru

Watch this video on YouTube

A typical visit to Machu Picchu costs about $174. That’s a ton of money in Peru. It’s especially painful knowing that a lot of that money is going into deep pockets, and not into preserving the ruins.

We managed to get there for $132.

That might not seem like a big saving, but the real value is in the time.
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Cusco, Peru

We took the Palomino bus from Abancay to Cusco (5 hours, 15PEN/CAD$5). There happened to be a Palomino bus station directly opposite our hostel, so at 5:30 in the morning we decided to catch our 6:00am bus there (thinking it must go to the main terminal). The bus didn’t do that. We weren’t idiots. We had asked the driver, he checked our tickets (twice) and confirmed that we were on the right bus heading to Cusco. The bus didn’t stop at the main bus terminal (where we were supposed to get on). So we sat on the bus for 5 hours hoping that there would be enough seats for everyone. There was and we made it to Cusco.

Main square Cuzco — View of the main square, Cuzco, Peru.

Andahuaylas and Abancay, Peru

Given that Abancay is a 14-17 hour bus ride from Ayacucho, and our previous Andes bus experience was less than desirable, we opted for an overnight stop in Andahuaylas. The bus (Expreso Los Chankas 25 PEN/CAD$8.80) to Andahuaylas was eleven hard hours on unpaved winding mountain roads.

While the motion sickness/soroche didn’t raise its ugly head again (thank Science!), I cannot stress how tiring and soul consuming an eleven hour bus ride through the Andes on an unpaved road is. There were several moments of teeth clenching as the bus swerved around precipitous curves, but for the most part the driver seemed cautious and drove at a good speed. The majority of buses that leave for these treks through the Andes leave at night and there are rumours (and crosses at the side of the road as a testament) that buses regularly veer off the edge of the cliffs.
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Into the Andes: Ayacucho, Peru

Getting There

The buses to Ayacucho leave from the nearby transit hub of San Clemente (easily reached by a short taxi ride from Pisco). The taxi driver was very helpful and showed us the two companies that service Ayacucho: Molina and Anhanza. Both of these companies offer only basic service for the 8 hour trek through the mountains. The buses leave at 12:00pm, 12:30pm, and 7:00pm. We got there a couple of hours early but Molina was all sold out, leaving us with Anhanza (35PEN/CAD$12.50).

We grabbed a coffee from a small restaurant near the bus stop and waited for our bus to arrive.
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Pisco, Peru

A four-hour (30PEN/CAD$10.50) bus ride down the smooth Pan-American Highway is all it takes to land yourself in Pisco. We went with PeruBus, but several other companies make the trip from various bus terminals in Lima. We bought our tickets ahead of time through the hostel and were charged 10PEN/CAD$3.50 extra on each ticket. To avoid being overcharged, we suggest taking a taxi to the terminal of your choice and just buying a ticket the day of your travel. The buses stop on the highway just outside of Pisco, so grab a taxi (there will be many hawkers waiting for the buses) into town (3PEN/CAD$1).
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Lima, Peru

We made it from Toronto to Lima in just under 27 hours. A little frazzled and slightly uncomfortable we were glad we had made the decision to have the hostel’s taxi service come and pick us up.

The taxi from Lima’s Jorge Chavez airport to our hostel in the centre of Lima was prearranged through Hotel Iquique and cost CAD$17. A taxi from the airport to downtown Lima should cost around $15-17 (be ready to haggle) and will take about 30 minutes, depending on traffic.

5 Tips on Driving in Peru