First Class bus service from Cusco to Puno

by Sharon

The first class bus service is a longer ride from Cusco to Puno but the sights along the way are well worth the extra time.

The First Class tourist bus runs between Cusco and Puno, a distance of 388 km. The bus service offered an English speaking guide, tourist stops, and lunch. The brochure stated the trip would take 9 hours. In my mind, the only stops on this in-transit route would be market stalls pushing woolly hats and alpaca scarves on foreigners. It was going to be a long day, or so I thought. What, I discovered was little treasures enroute a well trodden journey.

Our first stop was the church of San Pedro in Andahuaylillas, otherwise known as the Sistine Chapel of the Andes. Built on the site of an Inca temple, this humble looking church houses an assortment of Baroque art and frescoes encased in gaudy gold.

From the church, we drove passed the occasional run down house along the barren mountainside to Raqchi. We were greeted by local Raqchi woman wearing the traditional dress of black skirts, hand woven burgundy sweaters and wide-brimmed circular black hats. With gentle smiles, these women sat before their souvenir trinkets hoping for a buyer.

A mark of Inca construction, the Wiracocha temple in Raqchi has trapezoid doorways and a foundation made of polished quadrangle shaped stones. Trapezoid shaped cutouts are found through out the walls and are used to store sacred objects.

After Raqchi, it was time for lunch. The large tour bus entered the town of Sicuani and made its way through the narrow streets. Lunch was served buffet style under a white canopy as llamas and alpacas roamed nearby. We ate fresh salads of corn and cabbage and alpaca stew listening to the highland sounds of the Andean Amigos. Three guys dressed in colourful ponchos played traditional wind instruments of panpipes and the quena (a notch-end flute) to the hungry crowd.

We were told to disembark for a photo stop at La Raya, where a view of the glacier capped Andes beckoned to be photographed. At 4,335 metres about sea level, La Raya is the highest point between Cusco and Puno.

The last destination before Puno is the Pucara stone museum. This museum situated in Pucara's main square houses a small collection of original and replica pieces from the pre-Inca Pucara culture.

The first class bus service is a longer ride from Cusco to Puno compared to the direct bus route or direct train route. However, the sights along the way are well worth the extra time.