Cusco to Puno ‘Route of the Sun’ Review: Is It Worth It?

Thinking of zipping from Cusco to Puno, perhaps? You might’ve bumped into something known as the “Route of the Sun.” So, that’s a touristy bus experience that pitches itself as way better than, you know, just hopping on a regular old bus. It mixes travel with stops at places like Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, La Raya, and Pukara. Let’s explore what you get, if the lunch is decent, and figure out if that supposed convenience is genuinely worth your money.

What’s the ‘Route of the Sun’ All About, Anyway?

Basically, the Route of the Sun, so it’s sold as a guided tourist trip going from Cusco to Puno (or the reverse, of course). Forget the boring eight hours on a direct bus, is that it promises to be a whole-day adventure, peppered with historically significant pit stops and, well, just general sightseeing along the way. Very different from those buses where all you see outside is pretty much just endless highway, you see.

This so-called luxury ride will usually tout included entrance tickets to spots along the route. There’s typically a buffet lunch somewhere in the middle, plus tour guidance – a person who offers info on everything you’re looking at. The draw? Convenience, kinda; you won’t need to try planning separate excursions to those attractions along the way because someone’s handled it. That could seem very convenient for some travelers. It’s almost like they did all the work for you!

The Stops: Highlights (and Maybe Some Lowlights)

Right then, the Route of the Sun includes a few stops. How about we quickly talk about each to paint a more complete view, so?

• Andahuaylillas: Expect a visit to what’s known as the “Sistine Chapel of the Americas” due to, maybe, that grand colonial church packed with murals. This baroque architecture thing? It can be impressive, so it’s possibly one of those attractions that lives up to how people talk about it.
• Raqchi: This place? A great Incan temple that seemingly venerated Wiracocha, their creator god thing. Pretty important historically. The remains show that what existed was large and interesting.
• La Raya: The highest point on the road that can hit you hard with a combination of altitude and photo opportunities, is that the scenery here includes mountains (of course!), and it’s often strikingly cold, and winds may be fierce, so do think about what you wear.
• Pukara: Last stop, it gives you a peek at pre-Inca cultures. You can see some museum artifacts, so it is typically an abbreviated look into local history before you carry on the drive into Puno.

Experiences can seem different based on crowds that day, what the guide does, and, too, the general weather situation. Think about your patience with the selfie stick brigade too.

Is That Lunch Any Good, or What?

What about the crucial stuff – what’s the food like, is that? Lunch is, after all, always an area of concern when you get into group travel setups. More often than not, this “included lunch” takes on the buffet sort. This may, of course, seem to suggest there are choices galore, so it also might suggest slightly warmed-over stuff that sits out far too long.

Look for stuff seemingly moving rapidly if, of course, you like fresher tastes; or choose what’s just come out if it fits what you are interested in eating. Drinks don’t seem to come included, very often, so put away extra cash for soda, bottled water, or maybe a beer if that’s your kind of thing.

Creature Comforts: What’s the Bus Ride Really Like?

This portion could sway you a fair bit, is that most operators seemingly promise comfy seats. Air conditioning also comes as pretty much expected. Reality can be very different, I think: A/C blasting hard at just the incorrect times, seats not reclining very well, or just the guy right behind you determined that he’ll kick your seat throughout. This type of tour mainly stands or falls on who the operator is. What travelers suggest: See feedback or go through opinions before deciding who to select.

Another crucial element is often the onboard lavatory. It makes a big impact when driving across all that open country. You may or may not feel better realizing toilet paper plus “cleanliness” tend to vary.

The Guide: Your Best Friend, or Just a Voice?

Guides can make or break any guided tour like this one. How about we spend some time on it? A killer guide possibly spices up all those ruins with amazing facts and humorous stories and adjusts things in a way so folks from different places still all “get it”. Now, that guide going by rote? It can take out all joy in a heartbeat.

Often they switch off to talking in both English plus Spanish; give some thought to whether their style matches the way that you like getting information. And how willing will they be to manage individuals on the bus, in addition to attempting keeping to the timing? Read through opinions, so perhaps you can get a sense for any one business’s regular guiding benchmarks.

Is ‘Route of the Sun’ Worth the Money, Huh?

OK, is spending your hard-earned money on this transfer service worth the comfort it offers, maybe? Let’s check the positives plus negatives to allow you make up your mind.

Reasons to Do It:

• Convenience: In particular, good if short on vacation time but want a couple of the highlights between both spots.
• Guidance: Excellent if background plus anecdotes enrich your adventure significantly, anyway.
• Social Aspect: Fine in the event you enjoy fulfilling and visiting different tourists throughout your transport.

Reasons to Skip It:

• Price Point: These seats do sell for noticeably above regular bus seats.
• Timetable Tension: Should you hate rigid timelines along with hurried picture breaks.
• Genuine Immersion: This kind of arranged pit stop seldom grants genuine interaction beyond something touristy, right.

Weigh that against your tastes; maybe in this instance, shelling out more will purchase you that suitable midway ground; it might very well be best opting from a conventional trip while allocating further vacation days for looking through specific destinations much more fully, and really soaking in this specific thing.

Other Ways to Get Between Cusco and Puno, Is That True?

What are the possibilities apart from The Sun’s Route to visit the lake, by any chance? Definitely other options do happen, such as:

• Direct Buses: Countless bus firms undertake straight directs; at times more economical. They can, surely, miss out about people’s touring prospects.
• Train: PeruRail works some elegant trains involving Cusco alongside Puno, so I heard. Such tends to go well above normal fare rates and is best considered concerning its upscale ride element and experience.
• Private Car or Shuttle: More personalized, naturally dearer: You lay things out independently, choose pauses, plus control that day’s rhythm a great deal much more directly.

Assess how budget and your tolerance regarding freedom work for choosing from amongst the others. It all comes down, that seems the only factor to matter.

Things to Keep In Mind If You Decide to Go

Ok, say that after thinking on all of this you do choose The Sun’s Route, eh? How about some quick tips before you decide, hmmm? These will probably assist:

• Book early: Most times the most highly regarded operators, they fill, just as you could anticipate.
• Layer clothes: In those highlands climate goes all over just fairly briskly.
• Carry tiny change: Even regarding tickets paid upfront, smaller restroom costs might occur plus sellers of street things at particular stops will happily accept those coins!
• Altitude aids: Get familiar to elevation ahead; have pills and, similarly, chew on coca, where acceptable.

‘Route of the Sun’ FAQs

Therefore, planning that experience requires determining the proper concerns from many moving pieces; what seems great regarding any individual visitor could completely disenchant some alternative!

By considering carefully; those features in question plus your private journey objectives, your “Route Of Sunlight” journey potentially evolves as each terrific time investment plus wise usage involving Peruvian vacation moment. You make that selection according toward being in the recognize that may possibly guarantee not any regrets afterward during a bus driving throughout individuals’ beautiful South American sites at most, okay!