Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [120]
Drinking
The small pedestrian streets of Libertad and Vigil are ground zero for Tacna’s limited nightlife. There you’ll find a couple of pubs and clubs, some with live music and dancing on weekends. Beer geeks imbibe at the flashy München Brauhaus (24-6125; 8pm-late) while rockers get down ’n’ dirty at Jethro Pub; both are on Libertad.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Tacna’s airport (code TCQ; 31-4503) is 5km west of town. At the time of research, LAN (in Lima 01-213-8200) was the only company offering regularly scheduled passenger services to Lima, as well as thrice-weekly flights to Cuzco.
BUS
There are a few major bus terminals. Most long-distance departures leave from the terminal terrestre (42-7007) on Hipólito Unánue, at the northeast edge of town, with the exception of some buses to Juliaca, Desaguadero and Puno, which leave from Terminal Collaysuyo (31-2538), located in the district of Alta Alianza to the north of town. Terminal Bolognesi (Circunavalación), a 1km walk uphill past the Mercado Grau and to the right from the terminal terrestre, is for regional buses and combis to the beach at Boca del Río (S3.50, one hour) and other villages outside the city limits but within the department of Tacna.
International
Infrequent buses (S10) to Arica, Chile, leave between 6am and 10pm from the international terminal across the street from the terminal terrestre.
A few companies, including Sagitario (952-843-439) and San Martín (952-524-252), run overnight económico and luxury bus services to Puno (S35 to S45, 10 hours) via Desaguadero on the Bolivian border (S30 to S40, eight hours), finally ending up in Cuzco (S60 to S70, 18 hours). These mostly leave in the evening from Terminal Collaysuyo. When choosing this route, opt for the nicest bus, or you could be in for a cold, bumpy ride with few bathroom breaks – trust us! Alternatively, you can also return to Arequipa and transfer there.
Long-Distance
Buses are frequently stopped and searched by immigration and/or customs officials not far north of Tacna. Have your passport handy, and beware of passengers asking you to hold a package for them while they go to the bathroom or smoke a cigarette.
A S1 terminal-use tax is levied at the terminal terrestre. For Lima (S50 to S140, 18 to 22 hours) there are luxury services run by Cruz del Sur (42-5729), Ormeño (42-3292) and at least a half-dozen smaller, cheaper but less-reliable companies. The same services also run periodic buses to Arequipa (S15 to S35, seven hours). Most Lima-bound buses leave in the afternoon or evening and will drop you off at other south-coast towns, including Nazca and Ica. Cruz del Sur also has a daily direct overnight bus to Cuzco (S125, 17 hours) that travels via Arequipa. Flores (74-1150) has hourly económico buses to Moquegua (S10, three hours) and Arequipa (S25, seven hours) from 4:30am until 8:30pm, plus buses every half hour to Ilo (S10, 3½ hours). Some of these departures go directly to their destination, which can cut transit time considerably. Many other bus companies serve these destinations, but not as cheaply or frequently.
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BORDER CROSSING: CHILE VIA TACNA
Border-crossing formalities are fairly straightforward, except if you take a public bus, which is not recommended. While trains (below) are the cheapest way of crossing into Chile, colectivos (shared taxis; below) are the quickest. Taxi drivers usually help you through the border formalities, making them a safer, more convenient option than the ratty local buses. Allow at least two hours for the 65km trip by road between Tacna and Arica.
The Chilean border post is open 8am to midnight from Sunday to Thursday, and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. Note that Chile is an hour ahead of Peru, or two hours during daylight-saving