Peru Hop, Bolivia Hop can be a convenient way to explore South American countries, especially for first time travelers
Peru is a wonderful country with a variety of landscapes, from snow clad mountains, deserts, ancient ruins, Amazon forests, Andean highlands, wonderful coastline- you can get anything you wish for
Bolivia is another less visited gem. The colorful dresses, high altitude cities and lakes, rock formations, salt flats, cold desert landscapes of this magnitude are found nowhere else in the world. The visa process and connectivity are cumbersome, making visiting this place a cherished one.
While we were exploring different options for intercity transfers, Peru Hop- Bolivia Hop popped up as one of the options for foreign travelers. Some of the distinct advantages we saw were
- Good connectivity across major cities like Lima, Cusco, Puno, Arequipa, La Paz
- Seamless booking option online
- English speaking guides onboard to help with everything
- Visa support at Bolivian border. This is especially helpful when there is lack of information online. We had applied for visa in advance, but the documentation required is almost same as new application at the border- something we realized only after getting onto Peru Hop bus
- Option to include tours starting from 2 hours to multiple days through Peru Hop or on your own. They have a partnership with ‘Find Local Trips’ that offers options at almost every stop
- You get to see lake crossing on a barge where even the bus gets onto it, not the same as passenger one though
- They have tie ups with hotels where you can rest in the lobby, store luggage, use washrooms during short stops
- The buses are comfortable with heavy recline (not 180 degrees). You get blankets and can get a comfortable sleep
- You can complete some border formalities before you reach. The guides give detailed instructions beforehand to keep documentation ready, fill in online immigration forms so that wait time is reduced
- The guides also point out currency exchange and printing shops. They can help with translations where required
- Having support is useful in countries like Bolivia where road shut downs are frequent
- They have a good online community. You can join their Facebook groups to get frequent updates about latest news, ask questions when you need help
- They can give discount coupons for each destination for food and drinks
Few points to note to make your experience better
- People of all ages are welcome. It is not youth focused only. Our group had senior citizens and they didn’t feel left out
- If you want lower floor seats closer to washrooms, arrive early and be one of the first ones to board the bus. Seating is first come, first serve
- Don’t hesitate to keep asking questions even if you irritate the guide. Better to understand well than miss out on a few things
- Be prepared for change of guides at each stop and some repetition of context if required
- Be ready to take some change at the Boliva border during immigration. While the guides insisted that a return ticket is a must, we could do away with just a printed itinerary. We planned to cross to Chile by road and had only return flight from Chile. Some of my fellow travelers bought bus tickets on the spot which had low cancellation fees. Officials just want the number of documents to match; they don’t have the time to validate what is on it. That said, it is purely a matter of luck and we could very well have been asked to get one
- Washrooms have urinal only. You need to request for a stop for other needs
- You need to change buses at Peru-Bolivia border after crossing it
- Bolivia Hop buses are smaller than Peru Hop since they have to get onto a barge to cross lake Titicaca. This means no toilets on Bolivia Hop buses
- Buses don’t have wifi all the time. Rely on local sim/ data on your phone
Some trade offs to be aware of
- Cost- slightly on expensive side compared to DIY, of course understandable. We opted for route from Cusco-La Paz since it involved multiple stops at Puno, Copacabana with potential support at border for immigration. The stops were perfectly timed as per our preference
We also chose to see Paracas-Huacachina on a different day tour from Lima which was much cheaper than Peru Hop. We didn’t want to move further to Arequipa so that leg didn’t make sense for us
- Unexpected blips can result in skipping stops. Our planned visit to Isla del Sol, our top prioirty stop, couldn’t happen due to bad winds. There was little room to move our itinerary out given the cancellation timeline by Peru Hop plus our tightly packed itinerary ahead
- Experience with guides can be mixed. Some were too helpful, some not at all. We came across a less patient one who never announced when to pay for optional tours, where to go etc. We had to keep asking every hour to make sure we were not left back in Puno
- They don’t cover all possible cities or routes, so you need to be ready to move beyond their route if you want to see some awesome places like Bolivian salt flats
- Not Peru Hop’s fault, but you might be stuck in some tourist traps. We very well knew about how visitors are forced to give money for boat rides at Uros floating islands. We had firmly decided not to indulge, but the locals almost begged to give a ride on reed boats. Some fellow travelers made up excuses of not having local currency or cash since they were too adamant. We didn’t mind beyond a point, but you have limited option of which island to go to
Overall, we strongly recommend Peru Hop for routes with 2 or more stops and if it is your first time in a new country with different language. For pure intercity travel and if you are comfortable in foreign land in general, there are enough night bus options that can save you some bucks. The experience and convenience is worth it and overrules additional cost by a margin, especially for European and American tourists
We look forward to trying another Hop experience, maybe Ecuador Hop next time!