Lima Cruise Port - Advice on best way to get transfer from cruise Port to Lima airport

[swkrupa78]

We are sailing on the Azamara Journey from Miami Jan 7 to Lima Jan 23. We will be overnight on the ship on Jan 22. We booked a return flight to the US early on Jan 23 using AA points so our flight is at 8:00 am.  Can anyone give advice on the most reliable and reasonable costs to transfer from the cruise port to the airport?  Azamara charges a rate of $60 pp.  Not sure if we should try to find a tour shuttle or van using Viator or if we should bite the bullet and pay Azamara.  It seems you have to take a cruise shuttle to a location and catch a transfer from that area, Wonder how safe and dependable that is.

 

Your recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

 Steve

[GeorgeCharlie]

We were in Lima the fall of 2022 and would strongly recommend you consider taking the ship supplied shuttle to the airport.

 

The port used by cruise ships is located in Callao (14km west of Lima) and is a industrial port, which has large transport trucks operating 24 hours per day. This means most taxi and tour buses are not allowed into the port area.

 

The immediate area round the docks is known to be very dangerous. If you are taking a private arranged transportation, you will most likely be picked up at the port gates, which are fair distance from where the ship docks. We had to take a ship supplied shuttle just to get to the gates. When they drop you off at the gates, you are essentially in a large slum area!!

[swkrupa78]

George Charlie, Thank you so much for this quick response! Having said that, do you think the will the ship provide us with transportation very early in the morning for us to make the 8:00 am flight say at 5:00 - 5:30am? I booked the flight with points so I can change it to be safe.

 

Many thanks. 

Steve

[GeorgeCharlie]

It is difficult for me to say - likely a 50/50 chance they would have a shuttle going to the airport that early in the day. Fortunately, the airport is also located in Callao, so it's not that far from the docks.

 

Azamara is likely you best source.

 

Hopefully you will soon have the opportunity to pre-purchase the departure airport shuttle and they may tell you what times it is running. 

[PhD-iva]

On 4/19/2024 at 10:09 PM, GeorgeCharlie said:

We were in Lima the fall of 2022 and would strongly recommend you consider taking the ship supplied shuttle to the airport.

 

The port used by cruise ships is located in Callao (14km west of Lima) and is a industrial port, which has large transport trucks operating 24 hours per day. This means most taxi and tour buses are not allowed into the port area.

 

The immediate area round the docks is known to be very dangerous. If you are taking a private arranged transportation, you will most likely be picked up at the port gates, which are fair distance from where the ship docks. We had to take a ship supplied shuttle just to get to the gates. When they drop you off at the gates, you are essentially in a large slum area!!

I agree with the advice in this post absolutely. About 18 months ago I disembarked from a cruise ship and was being picked up by a private tour guide. All passengers not using cruise transfers had to take the cruise ship provided bus from the cruise dock to a staging area outside of the port gates. This area is so dangerous that the lima tourist police had a three person presence there, although this was during the day. I’m not sure if it’s a 24 hour police presence or not.

In the past, cruise ship tourists would debark and be left in this staging area. Thieves would drive by on a motorbike or in a car and rip their suitcases/bags out of their hands and drive off. I was accompanied by experienced male residents, so I felt safe (along w the police presence).