Route of the Sun (Cusco - Puno) 1 Day

Description

Enjoy the tourist attractions offered by the famous “Ruta del Sol”. The trip starts from Cusco City to Puno or vice versa, almost 400 km between both cities. The service includes stops to visit tourist attractions.

Itinerary

6:50 am — Departure (Cusco) — 3400 meters altitude.

8:00 am — Andahuaylillas (25 min. guided tour) “Sistine Chapel of America” — 3122 meters altitude.

There, you’ll find the church of San Pedro Apostol de Andahuaylillas, built by the Jesuits in the 16th century. Like other Spanish and religious constructions of the time, it was built on top of a huaca, or sacred place for the Incas. Made out of adobe and brick, the church is a small structure consisting of one nave, apse and bell tower. But there’s a reason why it’s known as the Sistine Chapel of America.

9:30 am — Checacupe (15 min. guided tour) Coffered Ceiling — 3135 meters altitude.

The temple of Checacupe will offer the nicest surprise to the visitor. By the quality of its Mudejar coffered ceiling, it is only compared to the church of Andahuyalillas.

10:40 am — Raqchi (40 min. guided tour) “Temple of Wiracocha” — 3450 meters altitude.

The most important building inside the complex is the “Wiracocha temple” that according to the old chroniclers was built by the Inca Wiracocha in honour to the Superior God invisible for the Andean people: “Apu Kon Titi Wiracocha”. The “temple of Wiracocha” is a great construction for that age. Architectonically it is classified as “Kallanka”, that is, a high building completely covered with straw (wood and “ichu”). Externally it is 92 meters long (302 feet) and 25.25 meter wide (83 feet).

12:00 am — Sicuani Buffet Lunch — 3552 meters altitude.

Sicuani is a relatively large highland town. The town is a major intersection, with the road to Puno/Arequipa passing through here. This town is surrounded by some very pretty hills. Afterwards, you have a buffet lunch in our exclusive restaurant with family atmosphere.

1:40 pm — La Raya Pass (Pictures & souvenirs) — 4335 meters altitude.

Abra La Raya (La Raya Pass) is the watershed between the valley that drains into Lake Titicaca and the valley that leads down to Cusco and to the Sacred Valley. The altitude is 4338 m (14,232 feet).

3:00 pm — Pukara Museum — 3900 meters altitude.

Pukara was the first regional population center in the northern Lake Titicaca Basin during the Late Formative Period (500 BC- AD 200), providing valuable insights into the origins of Andean civilization in the highlands. During its peak it covered over a square kilometer and housed thousands of bureaucrats, priests, artisans, farmers, herders, and possibly warriors. The Pukara style is identified by impressive monolithic sculptures with a variety of geometric, zoomorphic, and anthropomorphic images plus intricate, multi-colored pottery in a variety of ritual and domestic forms.