Hi travellers,

I’m posting this warning on different travel forums. What follows seems unfair to me and I’ve spoken with many tourists and hotel-keepers in Peru and this is a real scourge.

Just back from a trip in Peru. Everything was fine: landscape, welcome, nice local people. However I want to warn any of you planning to travel to this country: be careful with the taxi drivers. The best (or worst in this case) example was in Arequipa. I got my reservation done in a hostel. When I arrived at the bus terminal I caught a taxi and asked the driver to get me to the hostel in question. This a**h*** drove me to another hostel, at the other side of the town, saying that the hostel I was supposed to go to was booked up and that there wouldn’t be room for me.

The next day I made for the hostel I had a reservation at to find out what was going on. There they explained me they had been waiting for me and as I hadn’t come they had lost the room for that night. So I explained what happened with the taxi driver. They understood me and warned me about that. These guys will always try to get you to another hostel to get commissions.

So choose your taxi, and don’t let you be influenced by the driver. If you’ve got a reservation in a hostel, go there, no matter what the taxi driver may say.

Bast (Switzerland)

Very common in Peru. A good hotel warns for this when they confirm your reservation. At least Casa Ana in Lima does this. (http://people.zeelandnet.nl/vaneijs/

HEJ, THIS IS TRUE, SPECIALLY IN PERU, SO BETTER BOOK THE TRANSPORTATION IN A TRAVEL AGENCY PAY HALF AND THE OTHER HALF WHEN THEY PICK YOU UP, SPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARRIVE LATE NIGHT, OF COURSE WILL BE MORE, BUT FOR SURE, THEY WILL GIVE THE PERSONS NAME THAT PICK YOU UP IN THE AIRPORT (LUFTHAVN), BUS TERMINAL OR TRAIN STATION. TRY WITH WASI TOUR OR TOUR WASI IN AREQUIPA, TO LIMA OR COMING FROM CUSCO, I READ ON WHAT PEOPLE WRITE ABOUT THIS COMPANY, I HOPE IS NOT THE SAME COMPANY BECAUSE, WITHOUT KNOWING THAT, I DID WITH THEM THE COLCA CANYOON, IT REALLY WENT FINE, SOO MAYBE IS NOT THE SAME, IN ANY CASE, I CAN RECOMEND NOT TO TAKE ANY TAXI, REALLY DANGEROUS. NOW I AM IN PANAMA, I RECOMEND TRY TO SHARE THE TAXIS EXPENSES, FROM KOSUMEL TO PANAMA CITY THEY ARE SOOOOOOO EXPENSIVE.... REALLY. HILSE SABRINA