A car is a luxury for most Peruvians and the folks I know don’t have access to luxuries. Never fear, there are many ways to get around town or between towns without your own vehicle.
In Tarma I am living very close to the Main Street in town, as well as the Thursday market, supermarket and daily open air (and rain) markets. So, walking is the usual means of getting around. This means taking along a shopping bag or my trusty backpack.
If we don’t want to walk in Tarma, then the moto taxi, a bicycle built for three, is the answer. The driver sits in front and the two passengers behind him. ( I have only seen male mototaxi drivers so far.) It is like a motorcycle with a little tent built on it. For $.30 you can go anywhere around Tarma.
Want to leave Tarma? The moto taxi will take you to the transportation hub where you can take a car into Huancayo, our biggest town nearby at about an hour and 15 minutes. The cars are usually packing three in the back and one in the front. We each pay 20 soles or almost $7. Usually it takes less than 15 minutes to fill the car and take off! If you don’t mind a minivan, that will cost 10 soles or not quite $4, but will be slower. Buses to Lima leave from here as well.
In Huancayo I did some shopping with Gladys and we walked out about 6:30 in order to get to the wholesale market for a whole wheat homemade bread that she can only find there. She is an avid walker and would not spend a $1 for a taxi if she could walk. Another market that she likes for cheese and grains was too far for walking, so we took a taxi that cost about $1.50. On this shopping trip we looked in vain for a Frisbee for the teen group at the church in Tarma. The toy stores were all in the same area, a blessing because of the rain. I finally settled for a couple of plastic rings about the size of the Frisbee and they work surprisingly well. The only person who seemed to really know what I was looking for was a Venezuelan gal who informed me I would only be able to use one at the beach! We were quite wet when we arrived home, as it was raining cats and dogs, a usual occurrence here.
Here in Huancayo I see only minibuses running routes. No big buses like in Lima, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc. I have only spotted one moto taxi. However, there are many, many taxis buzzing around town. Most charge from $1 to less than $2 to take you anywhere you want to go in Huancayo. Gladys left for a visit with family in Lima and took a very comfortable bus for a ride of around 8 hours, depending on the weather.
Trains are also an option for a few destinations in Peru. Tourists can plan a trip around the train running from Lima to Huancayo that gives amazing views of the Andes. It has no heating and the wooden benches get hard, so be prepared. It is also around 12 hours! Since this train leaves only once per month, you must plan your visit around its schedule. A band in uniform plays for you as the train leaves the station in downtown Lima. The band didn’t make up for the slow train ride. Once was enough for me. The train took forever to leave Lima, a city of over 11 million. The scenery is wild and rugged. I did enjoy very much meeting the Belgium family of five who were traveling around the world for a year, before relocating from Abu Dhabi back to Belgium. They had picked 10 countries and were spending a month in each. What an adventure for the two teen-age girls and upper elementary age boy!
Gladys and I tried the train from Huancayo to Huancavelica last May. It was another stunning trip, with lovely scenery going through a river valley. We stayed the night in COLD Huancavelica. Our hotel was nice, but no central heating. We walked around town, looking at a number of the many churches for which the town is famous. Had a good dinner at the Hotel El Presidente, where we should have stayed because it does have heat. On the cold early morning we hopped on board the train for the return trip. Again, no heat aboard the train. The trip is about five hours. Always dress in layers in the Sierra in Peru.
The train ride everyone takes is the one from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Pichu. The terminal used to be right in Cuzco. The first time I went, my nice hotel manager walked me to the train. I think he was pretty sure that the gringa would get lost. Now, due to train accidents in town, the departures take place at the new terminal about 15 minutes outside of town. My hotel helped me connect with a responsible taxi driver who also appeared on the dot when I returned the next day after having visited Machu Pichu. What a great guy! This train also runs along a river valley. It stops in several spots for hikers to hop off and join their guides for treks on the trail leading to Machu Pichu. Trekking is for the young adventurer, which I no longer am. I did find out that many treks use horses for the tourists, as well as native Peruvians who carry packs, tents and do the set up for the night as well as the cooking. Treks can take many forms it seems!
So, forget about your car when you come to Peru and rub shoulders with the natives as you enjoy a variety of transportation.
Paths in Peru 