Ica to Arequipa with Cial Bus Company

Via taxi from Huacachina we made our way to the city of Ica where we spent about 5 hours before catching our bus. We walked around for a bit, ate late lunch and found a local supermarket where we bought snacks for our bus trip. I’m really glad we stayed in Huacachina and not Ica. We aren’t big fans of busy cities.

We decided to travel with a cheaper option this time, Cial Bus Company. It was 55 soles cheaper per person than Cruz del Sur’s rate. In rands that’s like a R200 saving per person. (We used Cruz del Sur for our last trip.) The travel agent said the rates are cheaper because Cial is a new bus company. (But you are never quite sure what to believe.)

The bus arrived on time and we got to Arequipa safely so I suppose we got what we paid for. We don’t have any major complaints about Cial. The bus was a bit dirty and there was always a musky urine odour in the air but it was bearable. I didn’t use the toilet because Marc went and he said it was very, very unpleasant and I should avoid it if possible. They are a lot cheaper than Cruz del Sur so I suppose you can’t really compare.

Our bus left at 8:30pm from Ica and we arrived in Arequipa about 12 hours later. I was so thankful when Marc got me his jacket out of the luggage compartment of the bus at the Nazca station. I was getting so cold. We thought we were going to be given blankets to use on the bus. We thought wrong. I almost got a heart-attack when the bus started driving away while Marc was still outside getting that jacket for me. He was almost left alone in Nazca.

I slept most of the way because it’s easier for me to curl up and sleep in a confined space. Marc was awake the whole night! In his state of insomnia he even wrote an amusing article about moon-bags. I’ll post it later.