Colca Canyon Trek 3 Days: Two Nights in the Canyon and the Climb on Rested Legs
$160 Full Day
Overview
5 stops
Church, temple, lunch, pass, museum
10 h
Cusco to Puno, by day
4,335 m
La Raya, the high point
$55
Per person, with lunch
Most people treat Cusco to Puno as a problem to solve. Fly, take the night bus, get it over with. The Route of the Sun is the other answer. It treats the 386 kilometres as a day out. A guide rides with you and the bus pulls in at the places worth pulling in for. If the road is going to cost you a day anyway, this version gives the day back.
The stops are the point, so here they are. The church of San Pedro at Andahuaylillas, plain outside and painted on every surface inside. The Temple of Wiracocha at Raqchi, the biggest single Inca building still standing. A buffet lunch in Sicuani. The La Raya pass at 4,335 metres, where the Cusco region ends and the altiplano begins. And the museum at Pucara, home of the stone bulls you will see on every roof in Puno. Our post on the Torito de Pucara explains the bulls before you get there.
The honest part is that ten hours is a long time on a bus, even a good one. You get about forty minutes at each site and an hour at lunch. The seats recline, the windows are big and the guide talks in English and Spanish. But you are in your seat for six of the ten hours. The second half of the afternoon is flat altiplano. People who love the day are the ones who wanted to see the country change. People who resent it wanted to be in Puno by lunch.
The altitude runs the other way from what you might expect. Cusco is 3,400 metres. La Raya is 4,335, and Puno is 3,827. So the day climbs nine hundred metres and then gives most of it back. Nobody is at the pass long enough to feel it. Puno is the height you sleep at, and that is the one that counts. Our post on whether to do Cusco or Puno first covers the order of the trip. Still choosing between bus, train, car and plane? Our Cusco to Puno options post lays out all five.
Forty minutes a stop, and a bus you cannot hold.
The bus keeps a timetable for forty passengers, so the stops are fixed. Forty minutes at Andahuaylillas is enough for the church. Forty minutes at Raqchi is not enough for the whole site. You will have to choose the temple over the storehouses. An hour at Raqchi, or a proper walk at La Raya, is not on offer here. Our two day Lake Titicaca tour from Cusco rides this bus and follows it with the lake. If ten hours is the problem rather than the price, our private car, direct to Puno does the same road in seven to eight hours without the stops, at 350 dollars for the vehicle.
Tour Highlights
- ✓ Three hundred and eighty six kilometres of valley, pass and altiplano, seen from a big window with someone explaining it.
- ✓ A painted church and the largest Inca building still standing. Both sit on this road and almost nobody visits them any other way.
- ✓ Not a driver with a microphone. A guide who walks you round each site and answers questions between them.
- ✓ A buffet in Sicuani and an hour off the bus. No hunting for food in a strange town.
- ✓ The highest point of most people's whole trip, reached in a seat, with twenty minutes to stand in it.
- ✓ Your cases travel under you all day and come out in Puno. Book a lake tour with us and the guide confirms tomorrow's pickup on the bus.
What to Expect
The bus leaves Cusco at seven, which means a six thirty meeting. Bags go in the hold and stay there until Puno. Keep a day bag with a jacket, water, sunglasses and about 40 soles in cash for the entrance fees. The guide introduces the day as the bus climbs out of the city. By the straight road past Saylla most people have stopped looking at their phones. Andahuaylillas comes first, about forty minutes out.
The church is small and the queue is short at this hour. Inside, the ceiling and every wall are painted. The guide will show you the two doors and the murals of heaven and hell. No photographs inside. Then an hour on the road to Raqchi, past the lagoon at Urcos and up the Vilcanota valley. Raqchi is the biggest stop. A wall of adobe on a stone base, twelve metres high and ninety long.
A line of round storehouses stands behind it. Forty minutes goes quickly here. Lunch is a buffet in Sicuani. Soups, rice, a trout dish, chicken, vegetables, quinoa, and a dessert table. It is decent, not memorable, and it is included. An hour, then back on the bus for the climb to La Raya. The pass is a stop for photographs and the cold. Snow on the peaks to the west and the source of the Vilcanota below. Stalls sell alpaca knitwear at prices that beat Cusco.
Twenty minutes, and you will feel the height when you walk back to the bus. From the pass the road drops onto the altiplano and stays there. Flat, wide, grazing land, with the light going gold in the afternoon. Pucara is the last stop. A small museum of the pre Inca Pukara culture. Carved monoliths, and the ceramic bulls the town is known for. Then an hour and a half to Puno with the lake appearing on the descent. We finish at about half past five.
If you have booked a lake tour with us for the morning, the guide confirms your pickup before Puno. The last flat hour is a good time to read our Puno and Lake Titicaca guide.
Best Time to Go on Sun Route
Green is the season we recommend Red is Candelaria in early February, when seats and Puno hotels sell out
May to October
Best
What to expect
Dry, clear, cold at La Raya, snow on the peaks
Our view
The best months. Blue skies at the pass and the best light on the altiplano. Bring a proper jacket for La Raya.
November to March
What to expect
Rain in the afternoons, green valleys, cloud on the pass
Our view
The mornings are usually fine and the stops still work. La Raya may be in cloud. Roads can be slow after heavy rain.
Early February
What to expect
Candelaria. Puno at capacity, seats gone early, beds scarce
Our view
Reserve well ahead. The bus runs but fills fast, and Puno has no spare rooms for two weeks.
i
Dry season for the view, any season for the stops
June and July give the clearest pass and the coldest. Candelaria is the thing to plan around.
The dry season is the easy answer for this road, because the whole point is the view. June and July give the clearest skies and the coldest pass, so pack for both. The wet months are greener and quieter, and the morning stops are rarely affected. What you risk is cloud at La Raya and a slower afternoon on the plain. At the Puno end, Candelaria in early February needs booking around. For the weather month by month, read our Puno climate guide. Our Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca budget guide shows what this day costs against the rest of a trip.
Tour Itinerary
1
Meeting in Cusco
Bags into the hold, day bag with you. The meeting point is confirmed when you book. We will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco. The bus leaves at 7:00 AM. The guide starts talking as it climbs out of the city.
Altitude 3,400 m
2
Andahuaylillas, the church of San Pedro
3
Raqchi, the Temple of Wiracocha
4
Sicuani, buffet lunch
5
La Raya pass
6
Pucara museum
7
Puno
✓
Inclusions
- ✓ Cusco to Puno tourist bus
- ✓ A professional bilingual guide who accompanies the group throughout the journey
- ✓ Visits to major attractions along the Route of the Sun, including:
- ✓ Entrance tickets to all included archaeological sites and churches
- ✓ Delicious buffet lunch in a scenic Andean setting
- ✓ Comfortable reclining seats and panoramic windows
- ✓ Climate-controlled bus cabin
- ✓ Luggage storage on board
X
Not Included
- X Snacks and beverages outside the included lunch
- X Personal expenses and souvenirs
- X Tips (optional)
- X Travel insurance
- X Any service not explicitly mentioned in the inclusions
Departure Information
Available: Daily departures
Group Size: Up to 25 people
Start Time: 7:00 AM
Pickup: Cusco
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Route of the Sun from Cusco to Puno?
The Route of the Sun (Ruta del Sol) is a scenic travel route between Cusco and Puno that includes cultural stops like Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, La Raya Pass, and Pucará, instead of traveling directly by bus.
How long does the Route of the Sun tour take?
Is the Route of the Sun better than a direct bus from Cusco to Puno?
What are the main stops on the Route of the Sun?
Where does the Route of the Sun start and end?
Does the Route of the Sun include a guide?
Does the Route of the Sun include lunch?
Is the Route of the Sun tour suitable for families?
Is the Route of the Sun difficult or physically demanding?
What altitude is La Raya Pass on the Route of the Sun?
What should I wear on the Route of the Sun?
What should I pack for the Route of the Sun?
Can I do the Route of the Sun from Puno to Cusco?
Is the Route of the Sun available every day?
Is the Route of the Sun safe?
Can I bring luggage on the Route of the Sun?
Are entrance fees included in the Route of the Sun?
What time does the Route of the Sun bus usually leave Cusco?
Gallery
