Augustinians of the Midwest - Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel - Order of St. Augustine

Transportation in Peru Can Be Difficult

Passenters ride in back of truck in Peru

In the United States most people have easy access to transportation whether in their own private auto or by public transportation. Modern well-built interstate highways connect most of the major cities of the United States. A wide network of airline routes make air travel easy and convenient. We have bus and Amtrak routes to many medium and smaller cities and towns. Some people in the developed world walk or use bicycles to get around.

This ease of mobility is not the case for most of the people of Peru. Most Peruvians do not own an auto and so must rely on public transport to get around.

Walking Long Distances is Common

The overwhelming mode of getting from one place to another is by walking. People often walk great distances to go about their business. In the Andes region of southern Peru it is still common for people to walk for more than two days to reach a commercial center. Often a trek of more than 20 miles is done by walking, especially by poor people who do not have money to spend for the fare on a public transport vehicle.

Many of the most remote villages do not have a road reaching them, so it is necessary to walk long distances to at least reach a road. In remote areas the only form of transport is the infrequent trucks which pass on the road and will often accept paying passengers who ride in the open air back of the truck along with the freight, produce, or animals being transported. With very infrequent transport in the Andes region of Peru, often a trip can takes many hours or days to complete.

Boats, Barges, Rafts Carry People on Rivers

Small boats are main transport in remote regions of Peru

In the Amazon Basin of Peru there are three major river systems, the Apurimac, Ucayali, and Maranon, which form the great Amazon River. The Amazon is the second longest river in the world only surpassed by the Nile River in Africa.

This jungle region has very limited roads and almost all of the transport is done by boats which traverse the Amazon and its more than 1000 tributaries. Seventeen of the tributaries of the Amazon are themselves over 1,000 miles in length. The Amazon is between four and six miles wide after it passes Iquitos.

There are no bridges built to cross the Amazon, so boat transport is a necessity. The Augustinians serve in three places along the Amazon River, Iquitos, Santa Rita, and Nauta. The normal way to reach these places is by boat.

Pedestrian crosses river on inner tube raft

Iquitos, as the capital of the Loretto State Department, has a major airport, but most of the other smaller places of the Amazon basin rely on river transportation. In some of the smaller tributaries of the Amazon small canoes are used for transport to remote jungle villages.

Some of the rivers in Peru have a barge on a fixed cable which enables passengers to pull themselves across a small river. In other places someone will build a raft out of truck-tire inner tubes. For a small fee, pedestrians can remain dry as they are pushed or pulled across the river on the raft. The Incas in Apurimac even made small woven bridges out of weeds and other plant material which enabled people to safely cross small streams and rivers.

Airlines Connect Peruvian Cities

Peru has one major airline - LAN Peru - that is partly owned by LAN Chile, one of the world’s major airline companies. LAN Peru has frequent service to most of the major cities of Peru.

International airlines, including American, Iberia, Continental, TACA, Delta, and Air Canada, also serve Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport. There are also some smaller airlines which serve some of the smaller and more remote cities of Peru. These include StarPeru, LCBusre, Peruvian Airlines, and ATSA. Airfares in Peru are somewhat high-priced and often, because of limited financial means, most Peruvians are not able to travel by air.

Pan American Highway, Primitive Roads Cross Peru

Donkey carts often carry cargo and passenters in Peru.

The most well-known and major highway of Peru is the Pan American Highway, which stretches the length of Peru from the Ecuadorian border on the north to the Chilean border on the south. The Pan American Highway is the major artery linking most of the largest cities in the coastal region of Peru.

There are very frequent buses which run on the Pan American connecting the larger cities. Most Peruvians travel by bus when they must make long distance travel. There are many different types of buses available running the gamut from luxury buses with seats that convert to beds, to old school buses.

Many primitive roads run from the coastal area of Peru into the highlands. These unpaved roads are often only one lane and, since they pass through the treacherous Andes Mountains, they are often the scene of accidents where buses and trucks careen off cliffs that begin only inches from the edge of the road.

When traveling on the roads of the Andes Mountain region one must always take along pick-axes and shovels as landslides are very common. Frequently one must dig a path to get through a slide area.

Peru also has the highest road in the world in the southern Andes region. This road is at about 4,000 meters (12,000 feet) above sea-level. This road is treacherous.

In Lima, the capital of Peru, there are modern expressways and many tree-lined boulevards. Every year in Peru more and more of the streets and roads are being paved, thereby eliminating the muddy conditions which, during the rainy season, plague unpaved roads. Recently a paved road was constructed in the Cuzco area reducing the travel time from about 72 hours to just 24 hours to reach the regional capital.

Travel by Train is Rare

There are only a couple of rail lines in Peru. These were constructed in the 19th century to facilitate the transport of ore from the mines of Peru. One of the more well-known rail lines takes tourists from the city of Cuzco to the Inca ruins of Macchu Pichu.

As you can understand, transportation is more difficult in Peru than in the U.S.A. In spite of the challenges the Augustinians continue to minister to the poor of Peru in the remote areas with limited transportation.

Learn More about the Augustinian Missions in Peru

The Church at Work in Northern Peru

       » Making Much with Little
             Grassroots Pastoral Plan in the Catholic Diocese of Chulucanas, Peru

       » Social and Economic Development
             Helping the poor to help themselves in Northern Peru

       » Pastoral Journeys in Pacaipampa
             Travelling to remote Peruvian mountain villages to bring Christ to the people

       » The Bishop Visits
             Pastoral visits in Peru are a time of special blessing

       » Augustinians Return to San José Obrero
             Friars resume ministry in Chulucanas parish after five-year absence
Children of Peru

       » Children of Peru: The Working Child
             Peruvian children must work to help their family make ends meet

       » Children of Peru: The Child at School
             The life of a young student in the mountains of Peru

       » Education in Peru: The Peruvian School System
             Characteristics of schools in Peru

       » Heart to Heart Project
             Helping poor Peruvian children to remain in school