I’ll admit, when I was travelling in Peru this year, I did some extensive googling on how to get from Huacachina to Cusco by bus before I actually made the trip. I wasn’t convinced that Arequipa would be worth the visit, and wondered if I could get directly from Huacachina to Cusco without making a stopover.
Well, if you’re here with the same question, here is your answer: you can, but you shouldn’t. (And that’s for several reasons, but I’ll get on to that.)
Huacachina and Cusco are both places you should absolutely put on your bucket list if you’re travelling in Peru or further afield in South America this year.
Huacachina Oasis is in fact the only natural oasis in South America, and it’s just a few minutes by taxi to the city of Ica. (Actually, many of your transport options from Huacachina to Cusco also include going into Ica to start your journey, but it’s just a five dollar taxi and I’ll make it clear when you need to do that!).
Cusco is, of course, the cultural capital of Peru, and if you haven’t already been then you cannot miss it if you’re going travelling in Peru. As well as being the best place from which to access Machu Picchu, it’s home to a vibrant culture in its own right. But, more on that later – I’ll write another article soon about what there is to do in Cusco.
For now, let’s go over the main ways you can travel from Huacachina to Cusco.
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Getting from Huacachina to Cusco by Direct Bus
So, as I alluded to before and as you may already be aware, there is a direct bus from Huacachina to Cusco. It is a long journey – around 17 hours travel time, if you’re lucky – but I had read online that it is not a safe bus to take, so I asked someone that worked in a hostel in Peru, and they told me the same thing.
Not only does it take dangerous roads that wind through the Peruvian Andes, (high risk of flash flooding, landslides, and crashes), but it’s not a route often frequented by travellers, which means they can be especially targeted on these routes by pickpockets or other, more nasty types of criminal.
Most public buses in Peru are perfectly safe, but this is why it’s a good idea to do your research before you go. Along the way I met a few travellers who had taken this bus, and every single one had had some kind of problem, whether it was being robbed or getting hugely delayed due to flooding or other problems on the road. So, a 0/10 recommend for this route!
Getting from Huacachina to Cusco by Bus via Arequipa
So, now that we’ve established which route you shouldn’t take, let’s get onto your options. Unfortunately, even though the bus isn’t safe, there also isn’t a convenient option to fly from Huacachina to Cusco as there aren’t many airports nearby. I will explore some options that include flying later in this blog post, in case you’re in a rush, but I always recommend taking the bus where possible as it is better for the environment. Taking the bus via Arequipa is by far the safest route in comparison with taking the direct bus.
If you have plenty of time on your hands, you can even make a stop at the Nazca lines on your way from Huacachina (Ica) to Arequipa.
Personally I think that going via Arequipa is the best option, because there are so many day trips and things to see there. Again, if you have time, I’d really recommend spending a few days there (especially as it will help you to acclimatise to the altitude).
Now, I will warn you that these are two long bus journeys. The bus from Ica (just a short taxi from Huacachina) to Arequipa is around fifteen hours, and the bus from Arequipa to Cusco is around 12 hours. I took both of them as overnight buses; a few different bus companies run these trips, and they’re all high quality, reliable and comfortable. I’d really recommend doing these trips as overnight buses, both because it saves money on accommodation costs, and because you don’t have to do two full days of travel!
You can book your bus ticket directly at the bus station, online directly with the company, or you can use a booking service like BusBud. Online booking services generally charge a couple of dollars extra, but they make booking easy, and everything is in English.
🚌 Book your tickets with: Cruz del Sur
🚌 Book your tickets with: BusBud
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Getting from Huacachina to Cusco Using Peru Hop (also via Arequipa)
If you’re a bit on the conservative side when it comes to bus safety, using Peru Hop could be ideal for you. Peru Hop run a hop-on-hop-off bus system in Peru, and whilst they are designed for longer trips, you can contact them to arrange shorter transfers, depending on availability.
I did a full review on Peru Hop here, but essentially they run buses between most popular tourist destinations in southern Peru. You buy a package ticket (e.g. Lima to Cusco with various stops in between) and you can plan when you get each of the buses according to your own schedule, with as little as 24 hours notice (depending on availability).
They don’t advertise many short bus routes on their website, but I did contact them to check if it would be possible to just buy tickets from Huacachina to Cusco. They said yes, depending on availability, because they want to prioritise customers taking longer trips, which I think is totally fair.
Whilst Peru Hop is more expensive than the public bus, they’re a great option to use if you’re short on time and want to see a lot quickly, if you want to reduce the hassle of booking, or if you want a little extra bus safety and comfort. There are lots of different guided tours included with their bus rides, and each bus comes with a bilingual Peru Hop guide to help you on your trip. I took a short journey with them from Puno (Peru) to La Paz (Bolivia) and I really recommend their service.
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Getting from Huacachina to Cusco by Plane (via Arequipa)
So, as I mentioned, there is no airport close to Huacachina. Whichever way you spin it, you would have to take a bus or transfer to a larger city and then take a flight from there. I’m including two options here just to keep things flexible (and because I can’t stop recommending Arequipa!).
The bus journey from Huacachina (Ica) to Arequipa is long and it’s definitely not the quickest option for getting from Huacachina to Cusco, but I would recommend this option for several reasons:
The change in altitude from coastal towns and cities in Peru to Cusco is pretty brutal, and if you do it all in one go you’re very likely to suffer from altitude sickness. Arequipa is 2,300m above sea level, which might make you feel a little breathless but usually won’t make you sick. You can let yourself adjust to this altitude for a few days before heading up to Cusco, which is even higher at 3,400m.
The second reason is because there are so many great and interesting things to do in Arequipa. From hiking Colca Canyon to white water rafting to seeing salt lakes, if you can work in a stop in Arequipa, I would highly recommend it. Besides, the main square is truly beautiful.
To take this route, you’d take a long bus ride from Ica to Arequipa (around 12 hours, and you can scroll up to see how to do this in the section about going by bus via Arequipa), and then take a short domestic flight from Arequipa to Cusco. And, as I mentioned, spend as many days in Arequipa as you can in between.
🚌 Book your bus: Ica to Arequipa
Getting from Huacachina to Cusco by Plane (via Lima)
Of course, this method of getting from Huacachina to Cusco is basically the same, only you’d take a shorter bus or transfer from Huacachina to Lima, and then take a domestic flight from Lima to Cusco.
The bus from Ica to Lima is around five hours, and there are many daily bus departures from Ica to Lima. As I mentioned, it’s just a short taxi ride to get from Huacachina to Lima.
You can also take a private transfer straight from Huacachina to Lima quite cheaply with Wayki Bus. This is how I travelled this route (but in the opposite direction, from Lima to Paracas to Huacachina) and, whilst the buses are not as comfortable as Peru Hop, the service was friendly and they pick you up from Huacachina rather than Ica.
The only problem with travelling from Huacachina to Cusco via Lima is the altitude issue that I mentioned before: the change in altitude from Lima, at sea level, to Cusco, at 3,400m, is pretty brutal!
🚌 Book your Wayki Bus: Huacachina to Lima
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