Land border crossing from Peru to Ecuador

Our bus is at 5pm to Cuenca and we have the entire day to get lazy. The hotel is so very nice, the family managing it have been really accommodating. We could leave our luggage in a secure room and when we came back from lunch after our check-out. They offered to give us the key back if if we needed the shower or to freshen up in the bathroom. 

We hang out until a little after 4 pm in the rooftop – and with the nice breeze, it’s quite pleasant.

The border crossing between Peru and Ecuador is one we have been quite worried about. First, because of the current state of emergency has been still in place we had to prepare more paperwork in advance for this one.  ( proof that we had no criminal records, certified and translated… ). Online the warnings are everywhere and you read a lot of horror stories even when the situation in Ecuador was normal. Plus everyone always recommends to cross borders during day time – this was not an option for us. With the border being more troublesome to cross, it’s clear that many bus companies have temporarily suspended their services. We had only one option: Azuay international from Chiclayo to Cuenca ( via Piura, Mancora and Tumbes ).

In Plaza Norte bus station, the counter for Azuay international and Super Semeria is the same. But in Chiclayo it’s the brand Semeria that shows on the booth. The company you will be taking is the one written on the ticket receipt they will be handing over to you. Outside of Ecuador the two companies have centralized their booking counters. Inside Ecuador, they are two separate companies. Super Semeria was operating the route to Guayaquil and Azuay the one to Cuenca. 

First the bus is truly a 160degree reclining, I was not being fair in my last comment. It’s just that they are not as wide as the ones we had with Cruz Del Sur. We were a grand total of 4 people in the bus leaving Chiclayo and since everyone was there early, we actually left early too. A little advice, book the first level because it’s quieter. The driver’s cabin connects to the second floor of the bus. We could hear his music through the stairs and our closed door – I can’t imagine the noise level for upstairs.

A few more people boarded in the next stops, but there must not have been more than 15 or 20 of us total when we arrived at the border. We were at the immigration counter at 1h45 am along with probably another 4 different buses mostly going to Guayaquil. There wasn’t a crowd at all and we got through both immigration in about 1 hour. They didn’t ask for any additional documents, were very friendly and in Ecuador even smiled and told us welcome. Absolutely not the nightmare described online. It went by easily and professionally, what a relief.

The rest of the bus journey to Cuenca is uneventful but with so many sleeps interruption we are going to be dead tomorrow. It’s as if we stayed awake the whole night and we are not in our 20’s anymore…