Getting to and Away from Nasca

Getting to and away Types:
Getting to and away

By Lorraine Caputo

Most fruits and vegetables are banned from entering Tacna and Moquegua Departments. Bags and vehicles are checked upon entering these districts.

Most buses depart Tacna from Terminal Terrestre Manuel A. Odría (Calle Hiólito Unanue s/n, Tel.: 42-7007, Fax: 42-3009). To the left of the roadside is the national terminal, with police post, restaurant, bag keep ($0.50-0.70 per hour), shops, bathrooms, tourist information office, internet, phones and GlobalNet ATM (Visa, Plus, MasterCard, Cirrus, American Express, Diners Club).

To Lima: Buses leave mostly noon-7:30 p.m., 18-20 hours—Cial ($24-37), Flores ($20 económico, $27-34 first class), Ormeño ($33), Civa ($17-25 economical, $40-47 first class), Cruz del Sur ($36-54 cruzero). Also Pullman del Sur.

To Arequipa: 6-7 hours—Flores (hourly 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m., $9-12), Cruz del Sur (2 p.m., 6 p.m., $12), Ormeño (2:30 p.m., 9:15 p.m., $6), Civa (9 p.m., $7). Also Moquegua, Angelitos Negros, Pacífico and other companies.

To Nasca: Cial (1:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., $23-37, 10-12 hours). To Ica: Take any Lima-bound bus (expect to pay full fare to Lima).

To Puno: Pacífico, or go by way of Arequipa. To Cusco: Cruz del Sur (12:30 p.m., $42, 14 hours). Other buses for Puno, Cusco and Desaguadero depart from Terminal Terretsre El Kollasuyo (Emancipación s/n and Avenida Haití, Distrito Alto de la Alianza, Tel.: 31-2538). Ormeño has internacional buses South to Chile and Argentina, and North to Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. Various companies also have service to Moquegua and Ilo.

Colectivos (shared taxis) and busetas (minibuses) leave from the international section of Terminal Terrestre Manuel A. Odría, opposite the national terminal (daily 4 a.m.-11 p.m.). This terminal has an iPeru office, shops, restaurant, phones, internet, bathrooms, exchange houses, travel agents and other facilities. See Peru-Chile Border Crossing for details on transportation to that country.

For combis and other transport to towns within the Tacna region, including the coast, go to Terminal Terrestre Francisco Bolognesi, commonly called Terminal Pesquero (4 a.m.-9 p.m. Avenida Circunlación s/n, Tel.: 41-1786).

Agencia de Viajes Caminos al Sur downtown sells Civa and Cruz del Sur tickets, and fares for Chilean buses (daily 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Downtown: Calle Ayacucho 96, Tel.: 24-6149, E-mail: haza71@hotmail.com; also Terminal Internacional D-1, 2nd floor, Tel.: 24-2872, E-mail: pullmanbus_tacna@hotmail.com). Arica-Santiago (6 departures daily, $76, 30 hours), Arica-Antofagasta (10 a.m., 8:30 p.m., 11 p.m., $24-32, 10 hours), Arica-Calama-Salta, Argentina (Monday, Friday, Saturday 9 p.m., $76, 18 hours), Arica-La Paz, Bolivia (daily 10 a.m., $16, 8 hours). Payment for tickets only in Chilean pesos (change at any exchange house). All buses leave from Arica's bus terminal.

Twice daily Monday-Saturday a train departs for Arica, Chile. See Peru-Chile Border Crossing for details. (Avenida Gregorio Albarracín 412, Tel.: 24-7126). Aeropuerto Carlos Ciriani Santa Rosa is five kilometers (3 miles) south of the city (Carretera Panamericana Sur s/n, km 5, Tel.: 31-4672).

Lan Perú has two daily flights to Lima (7:20 p.m., 8:50 p.m., $137-180, 1 hour 50 minutes) and thrice-weekly to Cusco (Wednesday, Friday, Sunday 11:30 a.m., $144-200, 1 hour). Lan takes major credit cards (Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Apurímac 101, Tel.: 42-8346, Fax: 24-6102, URL: www.lan.com).