[..] Callao’s main attraction. Built over 250 years ago to defend the Peruvian coast and the harbour of Callao from attacks of pirates, it is the biggest and most impressive of all fortresses the Spanish crown erected overseas. Inside its walls, hallways and towers a piece of Peruvian history has survived. Since 1984 the fortress houses the museum of the Peruvian army, the ‘Museo Historico Militar Real Felipe’. Take a guided tour and discover another part of the Peruvian past (it takes about 2½ hours).

Your recommended ride to La Punta is the turquoise green RR! OM57 La Punta – Pachacamac “CTI”.

Coming from Miraflores, one could take La Sesosa (NO02) until the crossing of avenidas Salaverry and Pershing (with all the flagpoles) and take the OM57 from there. This is your best option, because the both the crossings at avenida Arequipa with avenida Javier Prado (OM23 Callao-Callao) as well as the crossing of avenida Brasil with avenida La Marina (NO101 “La Nueva America”) are overpasses and you would have to walk half a kilometer.

When getting on the OM57, double-check that you took the correct bus, because the CTI bus-company operates 4 lines. They all share the same terminal in Pachacamac, but only the OM57 goes all the way until La Punta. This is supposed to be clearly indicated on the front, but it is easy to get confused.

After getting on (in the direction of Callao), the OM57 will run the full length of avenida La Marina. Eventually it will turn left on avenida Saenz Peña, make the turn around the Fortress Real Felipe and then continue for some 15 blocks more until its end stop at the Plaza Matriz.

In the other direction (towards Pachacamac), the route follows avenida Javier Prado until Melgarejo and then goes along La Universidad and La Molina until Musa, where it will turn right towards Pachacamac. Word of warning: this is Pachacamac, the district, not Pachacamac the archeological ruins. To visit the ruins, you need to take the SO16/SO18 along the Panamericana Sur.

The complete route of the OM57 La Punta – Pachacamac “CTI” is:

• LA PUNTA
• Grau
• Fortress Real Felipe
• Saenz Peña
• Guardia Chalaca
• Ovalo Juan Pablo II (Saloom)
• La Marina
• Pershing (Sanchez Carrion)
• Javier Prado
• Melgarejo
• La Universidad
• La Molina
• Manchay
• PACHACAMAC (final stop)

Barranco is a small district, and in terms of public transport there are basically three options. The first option is the north-south route from Miraflores towards Chorrillos (and vice versa). This route passes the Plaza de Armas and the Puente de Suspiros and a bit further towards Chorrillos the museo Pedro de Osma. The Ruta Recomendable to take is the yellow line SO08 “La 4SA”.

The second option is the route towards Surco Viejo. Surco Viejo is charming, especially the Plaza de Armas, but it is not particularly touristic. Nonetheless on this route one can find the excellent cevichería la Onceava. To go into this direction, your Ruta Recomendable is the light blue OM23 “Callao-Callao”.

The final option is to take the Metropolitano. This modern bus service crosses the OM23 Ruta Recomendable at Station “Balta” and crosses the SO08 Ruta Recomendable at Station “28 de Julio” (in Miraflores). Besides Station “Balta”, there are 2 more stations in Barranco. Station “Bulevar” is the one to get off for the Plaza de Armas and the Puente de los Suspiros. The other station is Station “Estadio Unión”. After that, the Metropolitano continues towards Chorrillos and Plaza Lima Sur.

Barranco is easy to navigate and with the recently launched Miraflores – Barranco – Centro de Lima Combi Map, you will have all the info that you need. This map contains a detailed street map of Barranco (and Miraflores and Centro de Lima). Furthermore it contains the 2 Rutas Recomendables and the Metropolitano information. And as an additional bonus, this map has info about some additional routes to connect Barranco to Miraflores and to Centro de Lima. This map can be bought for US1.

The high resolution Miraflores – Barranco – Centro de Lima Combi Map is perfect for printing on A3-size paper and can be bought for $1 by clicking this button

The Miraflores – Barranco – Centro de Lima Combi Map contains 10 routes for traveling between Miraflores, Barranco and Centro de Lima and will save you a lot of money in the process. this product has been bought by 451 visitors.

Example

A taxi driver will typically try to charge 15 soles ($5) for a ride from Miraflores to Centro de Lima. By taking the Blue Ruta Recomendable you will pay no more than 1.20 soles ($0.50). That is a saving of $4.50 on your first journey. Even if you take the Metropolitano fast bus, you’ll save over $4. And you’ll save the same amount when you go back to Miraflores.

The Miraflores – Barranco – Centro de Lima Map comes with these features:

• The map covers the districts of Miraflores, Barranco and Centro de Lima. 95% of tourist will not travel outside of these 3 districts
• The map covers the majority of Lima’s tourist destination
• Popular tourist destinations like Centro de Lima and the Aqua Park are clearly marked
• The map contains 10 routes, 2 of them are among the recommended routes for tourists to take when traveling in Lima. 8 additional routes are included as alternatives.
• Each route is clearly marked by its unique color
• On the map you can find a photo for each route, for easy identification
• The brand new Metropolitano is included as wel

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On the northern end, the Consorcio Via has a terminal in Puente Piedra. I once visited this terminal to talk with the administration and it is well organized. Almost all their buses are new, with just a few older Dae Woo buses mixed in. Their administration appears well organized and that reflects on the whole operation. They do trainings for their drivers, among other things. They have strict dress codes. Puente Piedra in itself is not very interesting for a visitor to Lima, but on its way the Consorcio Via is passing a couple of universities. I have known quite some foreigners living in Lima, that are working as a researcher on one of these, so for them it can be recommendable.

The other end of the line is in Ate. In between it is passing “todo Javier Prado”. Where the Via Expresa and Javier Prado cross, one can change for the Metropolitano and where Javier Prado and Aviación cross (at the National Museum) one can change for the Trén Electrico, once it starts working properly. Beyond that, the EO39 is passing Jockey Plaza and the University of Lima, on its way to the end of the line in Ate district.

The complete route of the EO39 Puente Piedra – Ate “Consorcio Via” is:

• TERMINAL PUENTE PIEDRA (starting point)
• Panamericana Norte
• Las Palmeras
• Antunez de Mayolo
• Universitaria
• La Marina
• Pershing (Sanchez Carrion)
• Javier Prado
• La Molina
• Los Constructores
• Separadora Industrial
• Carretera Central
• Prolongación Javier Prado
• TERMINAL ATE (final stop)

The starting point of both is avenida Precursores in the San Miguel district. The first part of the route takes you along the south side of the Parque de las Leyendas. LimaEasy says:

A highlight of San Miguel is the Parque de las Leyendas (Park of the legends), Lima’s main zoo. But it’s much more than that. It is located amidst a big part of Lima’s most extensive ancient city and is one of the most important pre-Hispanic complexes at the central Peruvian coast called the Archaeological Complex of Maranga. The park successfully manages to combine ecology, archaeology, education and relaxation. Have fun visiting!

After turning left on avenida Universitaria the lines split. The SO18 takes the more boring route north on avenida Universitaria, then east on avenida Venezuela and avenida Arica. SO16 goes east on avenida Bolivar and then north on avenida Brasil. In doing so, this line passes the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. According to LimaEasy, the Larco museum:

… showcases remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview on 3000 years of development of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Located in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century Pre-Columbian pyramid and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The museum features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous erotic archaeological collection, one of the most visited Peruvian tourist attractions. For an unforgettable experience, Larco is one of the few museums in the world where visitors can also choose to enter the storage area with its 45.000 classified archaeological objects. Its masterpieces are considered worldwide icons of Pre-Columbian art, after being exhibited in the world’s leading museums.

Frankly, it is the southbound leg of this route that is likely to be more of interest to the average tourist. This part of the route is following the Panamericana Sur all the way to San Bartolo, which according to LimaEasy is:

… a beautiful seaside resorts south of Lima. Located at around km 52 of the Pan Americana directly on the Pacific Ocean San Bartolo is known for its clean waters, small bays with nice beaches and perfect waves that are ideal for surfers. San Bartolo has a dry and healthy climate with sunshine nearly 8 months a year and clean air throughout the year.

For beach lovers this could be a nice day or weekend trip. But also for those interested in pre-hispanic archeology, this is an important route, because 40km Southeast of Lima one can find the Archaeological Complex of Pachacamac. And the SO16/SO18 is the route that will take you there.

From Miraflores the advice is to take the NO02 “La Sesosa” to Puente Primavera and there change to the SO16/SO18 towards San Bartolo. You have to tell the driver or cobrador that you want to get off at the “ruinas”. This is important, otherwise they might take you to the town and you’ll have to walk back to the entrance of the ruins. If you have the time, this is worth a visit and now easier than ever with the Green Ruta Recomendable.

The complete route of the SO16/SO18 San Miguel – San Bartolo is:

• PRECURSORES (starting point)
• Universitaria
• Venezuela (SO18 only)
• Arica (SO18 only)
• Bolivar (SO16 only)
• Brasil (SO16 only)
• Plaza Bolognesi
• Grau
• Circunvalacion
• Panamericana Sur
• Antigua Panamericana Sur
• Ruinas Pachacamac
• Panamericana Sur
• SAN BARTOLO (final stop)

“…the tours are carried out mainly over bike lanes, beautiful parks, wide sidewalks, one way streets and always on flat areas. That is what make our tours suitable for people of all ages and levels.”

BikeTours offers three different tours. One could choose for the Bay Tour. This means biking in Miraflores, Barranco and Chorrillos all along the malecon (the seaside boulevard). This is a tour of about 4 hours and is very relaxing. Another option would be the Urban Tour. This 3-hour tour takes in Miraflores and a part of San Isidro. An option which is only available on Sundays is the Downtown Tour, going to Centro de Lima.

The prices are very reasonable and they include guides, bike, minor accident insurance, helmet, locks, snack and bottle of water. And to make this offer even more interesting, you will get a 20% discount with BikeTours of Lima in case you bring along the Rutas Recomendables Combi Map.

The office of BikeTours is in Miraflores in Calle Bolivar, next to Restaurant Patagonia. If you are craving a good steak after your bike tour, this would be the place to go.

“The district Lurigancho – Chosica is east of the city center in the valley of the River Rimac and is the second largest district of Lima. It’s “capital” is Chosica. Since the Trans-Andean railroad was built in the 19th century Chosica was a fashionable place for resting and partaking in leisure activities. At that time, many aristocratic families from Lima made the place their holiday home. And still today Chosica is a popular get away for Limeños in the winter months.”

The good news is that many combis are servicing the route between Plaza Grau in Centro de Lima to Chosica. The combis on this route are referred to as Chosicanas. There are several Chosicanas you could choose, because the competition on this line is strong and almost everyone is operating with a renovated fleet. Nonetheless the company I particularly recommend is “Sarita Colonia y Villa Sol” or ETRESCOVISSA. Their combis have green stripes and they have three lines running basically the same route: EO42, EO53 and EO122. On the Rutas Recomendables Combi Map, this line has a light brown color.

Its starting point is actually the crossing of Avenida de los Insurgentes with Avenida Venezuela at the district limit of San Miguel with Callao. From here it is a straight line along Av Venezuela to Plaza Bolognesi and Plaza Grau (this is where you can change from the Metropolitano or the OM23 Ruta Recomendable coming from Miraflores). Going further eastbound towards Chosica, the route passes Avenida Grau and then it is all the way along the Carretera Central to Chosica. This might take 1,5 to 2 hours, depending on traffic, so sit back and relax. Chosica is the end of the line so you don’t have to worry about missing your stop.

If you leave in the morning, you can enjoy the day in Chosica and get back right before sunset!

The complete route of the EO122 San Miguel – Chosica “Chosicana” is:

• AV DE LOS INSURGENTES con AV VENEZUELA (starting point)
• Venezuela
• Arica
• Plaza Bolognesi
• 9 de Diciembre
• Plaza Grau
• Grau
• Nicolas de Ayllon
• Carretera Central
• CHOSICA (final stop)

Questioning of my friends revealed that it means that a combi is totally full, so full that not a soul extra would fit (so in a combi made for 30 people, 60 are already inside).

Allegedly this refers to the practice of making rich soups and filling them up with meat and vegetables until the rim, until really no more could possibly enter. So the next time you hear about a combi that it is sopa, you know that you should wait for the next one!

Miraflores is reasonably easy to navigate. In the center is the Ovalo de Miraflores, next to the Parque Kennedy. From here one can take a combi to Centro de Lima. The most direct route is the north-south connection through avenida Arequipa. The combi taking this route is the OM23 (the Dark Blue RR!, marked Callao-Callao). Roughly parallel to avenida Arequipa, also going towards Centro de Lima is the Via Expresa. Here one can find the Metropolitano, the new, fast urban bus. This is the other logical option for tourists to go to the city center.

Passing west through the Ovalo de Miraflores is the avenida Jose Pardo, afterwards extending into the avenida del Ejercito (the Army). This is the route of the Orange RR! (the NO101 “Nueva America”). Eventually this route will also go to Centro de Lima, but that is a bit of a detour, so not recommended. However, if you visit Magdalena del Mar, Pueblor Libre or Jesus Maria this is a good option. Also the Faro de Miraflores is on this route. Take the combi towards the Faro and walk back along the coast for a relaxing afternoon.

Five blocks north of avenida Pardo one can find the other important East-West connection: avenida Angamos. The Huaca Pucllana can be found one block from Angamos, for example. Towards the east avenida Angamos connects with Chacarilla (good restaurants) and Monterrico (horse-racing). This is the route of the “Sesosa” (the NO01, the Light Blue RR!). The Sesosa also goes to the city center eventually (and all the way north to Ancon after that), but just like the NO101 this is a bit of a detour. But for getting around in Miraflores proper these lines work well.

If you intend to travel around in Miraflores using combis, keep in mind that a journey of 8 blocks should not cost more than 0.50 soles (a China!). Sometimes the cobradores will make a bit of theater, but you can easily insist. However, if you want to avoid problems, pay 1 sol. The minimum price for a taxi ride is 3 soles, but it takes good negotiation skills to convince a taxi driver to accept that price. So, if you don’t like to walk, a combi can be a great alternative.