Touring in Peru just Got a Lot Cheaper

Peru Country Manager Daniel Salazar talks about how the arrival of a low-cost airline has opened the door for really cheap domestic flights in Peru.

Thanks to the arrival of the first low-cost airline for domestic flights in Peru, touring in Peru just got a lot cheaper. If you would like to visit Machu Picchu, you would have to flight to Cuzco. At current prices, you would have to pay around $120 each way, but starting next year, the new airline will offer plain tickets starting at $20 each way. That’s right, domestic flights in Peru will be cheaper than taxi rides in the U.S. Actually, they will be cheaper than travelling by bus. A bus ride to Cuzco takes 22 hours and costs around $50, while a flight takes only 45 minutes. So that’s a no-brainer with this new airline.

What’s the catch?

As you may know, low-cost airlines compensate their lower costs with the elimination of many traditional passenger services. In this case in particular, the biggest difference is that passengers will only be allowed to carry up to 15 pounds. That’s not much, but considering the price difference, you might even be able to get new clothes from wherever you’re going and still save. If the luggage limitations and poorer service is a deal-breaker for you, you will still have many flight options including traditional first class.

Where should I go?

Besides travelling to Cuzco, there are many other gorgeous places to visit in Peru. If you like the beach, surfing, partying, and jungle expeditions, you can flight to Piura. If you would like to get deep into the amazon and do adventure sports, or just relax in the middle of a paradise, you should go to Iquitos. Finally, if you would like to visit a beautiful city in the highlands at the feet of a volcano, with a canyon more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, then you should visit Arequipa. All these cities and many more will be accessible with this new low-cost airline.

As if serving in Peru, meeting new people, and truly experiencing the culture wasn’t enough, now you have really cheap domestic flights in Peru. You can now more easily travel in Peru before or after your service program. No volunteer who has done it has ever regret it – and we’ve had hundreds. What are you waiting for? You have a whole new world to experience.