Full day
A one-day journey across the Andean high plateau with guided stops, from Cusco to Lake Titicaca
Departure from Cusco: arrive at the boarding point in Cusco from 6:30 a.m. to check in and drop off your luggage. The Flamenco Travel tourist bus leaves promptly at 7:00 a.m., heading south along the route that links Cusco with Lake Titicaca.
Andahuaylillas: the "Sistine Chapel of the Americas": about 36 km from Cusco we'll visit the Church of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, a colonial church that looks simple from outside. Inside it holds murals, gold-leaf work and paintings from the Cusco School, which is why it's called the "Sistine Chapel of the Americas." The visit lasts about 25 minutes. Photos and video are not allowed inside.
Raqchi: Temple of Wiracocha: we'll continue to the Raqchi archaeological complex. Its main building is the temple dedicated to Wiracocha, the Incas' supreme god, with walls about 12 meters high. We'll also see the largest group of colcas (Inca storehouses) and buildings of stone and adobe. The visit lasts about 40 minutes.
Buffet lunch in Sicuani: on the outskirts of Sicuani we'll stop for about 40 minutes for a buffet lunch with a variety of Peruvian and regional dishes.
La Raya Pass: then we'll climb to La Raya Pass, at 4,325 m a.s.l., the highest point of the route and the border between Cusco and Puno. From here you can see Chimboya snow-capped mountain. We'll make a short stop for photos of the high Andean landscape.
Pukará: Lithic Museum: once on the Puno high plateau, we'll visit the Pukará Lithic Museum. It holds pottery and sculptures from the Pukará culture, which arose more than two thousand years ago in the Titicaca basin. A highlight is the sculpture known as the Hatun Ñaqaq, "the beheader." The visit lasts about 30 minutes. Photos and video are not allowed inside.
Arrival in Puno: after the last stretch across the high plateau, we'll arrive in Puno around 5:00 p.m.
