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Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor · See sourceCusco to Puno: Route of the Sun
Make the one-way highland journey through Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, La Raya and Pucará to Lake Titicaca over two days.
- Allow
- 2 days
- Route
- 391 km
- Drive time
- 6 hr 32 min
- Stops
- 6
The road from Cusco to Puno crosses a cultural and geographic threshold. Andahuaylillas gives the first painted interior, Raqchi centers the journey on the great Temple of Wiracocha, and La Raya marks the high divide before Pucará introduces the deep archaeology of the northern altiplano.
At more than 4,300 meters, La Raya is a brief stop, not an endurance test. Use an established tourist coach or private driver, travel after acclimatization, keep luggage secure and build an overnight or generous breaks into the long day. The route ends in Puno; it is not a same-day return to Cusco.
The road, in one glance
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Drawing the route…
The route earns
its distance
Each pin is selected as a place to do something—not merely proof that you passed through.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceCusco
Start rested and acclimatized, with the Puno accommodation confirmed.
Cusco or Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range, and the Huatanay and Urubamba rivers. It is the capital and largest city of the eponymous Cusco Province and Cusco Department. It has historically been one of the largest cultural, economic and political centers of Peru.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceAndahuaylillas
Painted colonial art makes a compact first cultural stop south of Cusco.
The Andahuaylillas District is one of the twelve districts in the Quispicanchi Province in Peru. Created on January 2, 1857, its capital is the town of Andahuaylillas. It is located 45 km South of Cusco.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceRaqchi
The towering remains of the Wiracocha temple dominate an Inca administrative complex.
Raqch'i (Quechua) is an Inca archaeological site in Peru located in the Cusco Region, Canchis Province, San Pedro District, near the populated place Raqch'i. It is 3480 meters above sea level and 110 kilometers from the city of Cuzco. It also known as the Temple of Wiracocha, one of its constituents.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor · See sourceLa Raya Pass
The road crosses its highest divide among wide grasslands and snow-streaked peaks.
La Raya is the high Andean divide between the Cusco and Puno regions, at roughly 4,335 metres above sea level. The broad pass opens views toward the Vilcanota range and marks a sharp shift from cultivated valleys to altiplano.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourcePucará
A museum and archaeological tradition introduce the northern Lake Titicaca basin.
Pucará, Puno (Aymara and Quechua: Pukara, which means fortress; Hispanicized spellings Pucará, Pucara, also Pukará) is a town in the Puno Region, Lampa Province, Pucará District, Peru. It is located to the north-west of Lake Titicaca. The ancient archaeological site of Pucará, dated as early as 1,800 BC, is located to the west of the town.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourcePuno
The high lakeside city ends the overland journey and opens Titicaca excursions.
Puno (Aymara and Quechua: Punu) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the eponymous Puno Province and Puno Region; in 2017, it had a population of 135,288 (2017 census). The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of Paucarcolla with the name San Juan Bautista de Puno.
Drive the conditions,
not the itinerary.
Use a reputable tourist coach or professional driver, never travel the high road at night and keep the La Raya stop brief. Check official disruption and weather notices.
Checked against
the people who run it
Distances and driving times are planning estimates. Conditions, closures, ferries, permits and park rules can change, so check the linked official guidance before setting out.