Cusco to Puno Tourist Bus with Cultural Stops and Lunch
Description
Make the most of your travel time by combining transportation and sightseeing in one unforgettable journey. Travel during the day while visiting some of the most remarkable historical landmarks along the way. This incredible route, known as Peru's Route of the Sun, connects two of the country's most iconic destinations: Cusco, home to the world-famous Machu Picchu, and Puno, gateway to the breathtaking Lake Titicaca. Along the journey, you'll travel aboard a comfortable tourist bus and enjoy three fascinating cultural stops: the Andahuaylillas Chapel, the Raqchi Archaeological Complex, and the Pucará Lithic Museum. Experience this scenic journey from Cusco to Puno—or the reverse route—and discover the rich history, culture, and landscapes of southern Peru.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After boarding the tourist bus located at the bus station in the city of Cusco, we will begin a 1-hour journey towards the beautiful south valley in order to make the first stop in Andahuaylillas situated at 3,093 meters above sea level. This lovely Andean town has an incredible jewel of the architecture dating back to the seventeenth century known as the Sistine Chapel, with an impressive work covered in gold leaf and paintings of the art school of Cusco. There is a fascinating artwork inside the Church of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, ceilings and walls decorated in a Baroque style, many of them belong to the Peruvian painter Luis de Reaño. Definitely, it should be a must in your travel bucket list.
The bus ride continues, for one hour and a half, until reach the archaeological site of Raqchi, our second stop located at 3,450 meters above sea level. The temple of Wiracocha was built next to the Vilcanota River during the fifteenth century and, currently, it has huge walls that belonged to temples, as well as aqueducts and tombs. In this place, there are circular storehouses known as Colcas. Them were used to hold different kind of grains such as quinoa, potato, corn, among others. Another interesting fact is that Raqchi is part of the incredible Inca Trail.
The tour to Puno by bus continues until we reach the city of Sicuani to enjoy a buffet lunch in a local restaurant, that offers local and regional dishes, vegetables, desserts and hot drinks like mate de coca.
After lunch and a travel of 40 minutes by bus, we are going to reach the highest point of the tour called La Raya Pass, situated at 4,335 meters above sea level. This is the border of the cities of Cusco and Puno, and here, we are going to make a short stop to admire the snow-capped Chimboya and take pictures of beautiful landscapes.
The next and the last visit will be at Museum of Pucara, after a trip of more than an hour from La Raya pass. This museum has an excellent collection of monoliths, stone sculptures and ceramics belonging to the culture of Pucara, a civilization developed in the highlands of Peru and Bolivia. At the end, we will take the tourist bus to travel for two more hours towards the city of Puno. Along the way you will be able to admire landscapes of the heart of the Andes, passing through the city of Juliaca, until we arrive at the bus station of Puno at 05:00 p.m.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- You should bring hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, money for personal expenses and camera
- If you select the option without ticket entrances, you can get them directly in each stop
- It is not allowed to take photos and videos inside the Chapel of Andahuaylillas and Museum of Pucara
- Take note that the route from Puno to Cusco is the same, the order of the tour is the opposite.
- Boarding time 06:30 AM
Reviews(6)
We thought this was a wonderful unique way to see the smaller towns and learn more about the indigenous Incan culture, support local people's in rural areas, and see some urban areas uncommon for visiting. We were lucky enough to get the front seats on the top deck, which was amazing views of the Andes. Our guide was great at keeping such a large group on time while answering all of our questions about the sites. We didn't feel rushed but having quick stops along the way really made the day fly by! They serve c*ca and Muna tea while approaching higher altitudes and then cool beverages later in the day, we loved the guide and the attendant serving on the bus. The buffet lunch was incredible. Seats were amazing on the bus and good air flow from the vents. It took a bit to connect to wifi but eventually it did connect and the USB chargers were very handy to keep electronics charged up for our arrival to Puno
Getting from Cusco to Puno was just so easy on this one way day tour. Pick-up from the hotel and the staff at Puno helped organise transport to your hotel. All the stops were worthwhile, the pick of them was the Church of Saint Peter the Apostle in Andahuaylillas. An excellent buffet lunch was provided in a nice location. As usual beautiful scenery was everywhere. Marita was terrific as a guide and allowed us plenty of time at the different places. The coach was large and comfortable. This tour provides good value all things considered compared to a normal bus, especially an overnight one.
The trip from Cusco to Cusco was worthwhile. The guides were knowledgeable about the places we visited and managed the schedule so everyone had time to see what they wanted. The food at the midway point was excellent. My only complaints is that the air conditioning was intermittent.
The stops were so-so and overall it is a very long journey to Puno. They stopped multiple times and sometimes for an unnecessary amount of time for what it was. We were sitting at the back of the bus and it got very hot at some point (the AC was not working properly). However the guide was really nice and tried his best to please us.
Dear Caroline_C, Thank you for sharing your comments about the excursion. We are sorry to hear that the trip to Puno seemed long and that some of the stops did not meet your expectations. We would like to remind you that Puno is 7 hours from Cusco and, due to the distance and the scheduled stops to visit small places of interest, the duration of the trip is as expected and detailed in the booking information. The service you booked is a regular transfer, which means that other passengers are also on the vehicle, and therefore the pick-up and stops are planned to fit the overall itinerary. Regarding your comment about the air conditioning, we are sorry to hear that you experienced discomfort and we will be taking actions to review the air conditioning system in our vehicles. We are glad to hear that the guide made every effort to provide you with a pleasant experience, and we assure you that our entire team is highly trained to provide the best possible service. We thank you again for your comments, as they help us to continue to improve. Yours sincerely, Tangol Tours
Our guide was informative and we enjoyd the trip.Unfortunatelly there was a strike,and we couldn’t visit archeological site in Racchi.
