Our Peruvian bus guide gives instructions on how to proceed before he leaves us to the authorities in Copacabana, Bolivia. All passengers travelling from Cusco to La Paz must leave the Peru Hop bus and pass immigration on foot, walking the distance between official Peruvian and Bolivian grounds. We get stamped out of Peru, exchange our remaining Peruvian soles for bolivianos and follow the stream to the Bolivian immigration.

The immigration procedure, with lots of paperwork, is slow for a bus full of people. Finally, with the necessary stamps obtained in our passports, we rush to get seats together on one of the waiting buses – or at least on the same bus. It seems to be in vain. The buses are filling up. We will have to split between two buses until we reach Copacabana, Bolivia – which is actually not that far.

 
Despite a road blockade between Puno in Peru and Copacabana in Bolivia, our bus company (in charge of the Bolivia Hop / Peru Hop buses) provides an excellent service to get all passengers going from Cusco to La Paz through to their destinations with a detour over the mountains, although with a 4-hour delay.

Breathtaking scenery in the Andes Mountains | Photo: Travel In Culture

Our stay in Copacabana is shortened accordingly due to the changed route. We spend an intense hour in Copacabana buying snacks for the onward trip, having a long-awaited meal, taking photos at dusk and withdrawing Bolivian currency. Relieved, we get on the next bus scheduled at the fall of darkness.

Winding upwards in the twilight with a flaming sunset in the background, we enjoy the most panoramic views. The scalloped bay and the surroundings with all the lights reveal where people live up the hillside. We are looking forward to getting to La Paz. The seats are obviously of a different and lower standard on the Bolivian bus than on the bus on the first leg of the journey in Peru.

Enjoying the beautiful Bolivian Copacabana sunset while waiting for our Bolivia Hop bus | Photo: Travel In Culture

Anyway, before putting ourselves too comfortably in the seats, we remind ourselves that, in a short time, we will have to get out again. The Strait of Tiquina is the narrow passage between the two parts of the Lake Titicaca where we will be crossing. As entertainment the guide puts a movie on, although with mixed success. The road in Bolivia is not particularly well maintained, and every time there is a bump, the screen goes black.

It seems somewhat surprising that no bridge connects the peninsula with mainland Bolivia at San Pedro. The stretches of road on both sides are part of an important route from Peru to La Paz on the other side. We do not believe our eyes when we realise that our Bolivia Hop bus will be ferried over on kind of a flat barge. All passengers will, however, be transported in small motorboats, assumingly for security reasons.

It is both spectacular and stunning to watch. Speechless, we follow that the cargo, our bus, is being loaded on the barge and, minutes later, leaves the dock. Seeing our bus with the passengers’ belongings left inside, floating off on a barge in the darkness, leaves us with a weird feeling inside. It looks a bit dangerous and worrying that this tall and heavy vehicle is being transported on a flat raft-like board of a size not much bigger than the bus itself.

The barge is slower than our boat, and it takes time to load and unload it. Having crossed the Strait of Tiquina, we wait on the other side in the cold for our bus to turn up. Even if pretty warm during the day, temperatures at night get down to the freezing point. That is the typical alpine climate of the Andes Mountains. Locals sell food and hot drinks in plastic containers to the arriving passengers from a stall nearby.

Later on, we comprehend that we are perhaps luckier than we are aware of in the situation. Apparently, there are frequent strikes and blockades of the main road in Bolivia around Copacabana. Since 2011, when the idea of a bridge came up, the local population has opposed the commencement of the construction.

About 200 lake families depend on and make a living out of the crossing. They count on the income from transporting people on boats and even barges across the strait. However, they ignore the poor condition of some of the vessels and the danger they may expose the passengers to. Now and then, when the political initiative has been too threatening, the shore residents have responded by simply blocking the road to La Paz. At times, it is a real nuisance to both Bolivians and Peruvians – as well as tourists going from Cusco to La Paz.

The locals are dependent on the life on the lake | Photo: Travel In Culture

Fortunately, today, our course has not been affected. However, as we understand it, other days, things do not run that smoothly. Those days, you cannot rely on getting through to your destination due to such road blockades occurring for some reason or another.

From our experience, we realise it is always a good idea to check Peruvian and Bolivian road authority websites before going! Strikes and blockades on the roads from Cusco to La Paz often occur at ultra-short notice. So it is wise to count on an extra day before the continued journey from La Paz – particularly if you have a flight!

Photo: Travel In Culture

Our days in Peru and Bolivia have been pretty packed. We have wanted to make the most of our trip, including our journey to La Paz. Going by bus from Cusco to La Paz is a full 24-hour trip. Before arriving in the small lakeshore town of Copacabana, Bolivia, we had a scheduled stop at Lake Titicaca in Puno, which is a straightforward way to include a visit to the Lake Titicaca floating islands. In this way, the bus journey has outperformed the alternative: flying into Bolivia.

Read about the stop in Puno, including time to visit the floating islands: Lake Titicaca floating islands

A further advantage of choosing Bolivia Hop / Peru Hop has been that this bus company takes the passengers right to their accommodation if you choose a hostel on their ‘list’. The bus goes to several hostels in central La Paz. We have checked that the Bolivia Hop bus has guaranteed drop-off at our chosen accommodation! So we promptly made a booking there! It has then been reassuring to know that even if we arrive at 11 p.m. in central La Paz, we will not need to worry about finding our way from the bus station to our accommodation at this hour!

We are taken right to our hostel and are definitely not disappointed. Even at this time of night, we are received by a doorman, a porter and two receptionists. Our two pre-booked rooms are perhaps not the most spacious and modern, but the employees are highly service-minded!

Photo: Poswiecie / Pixabay

In the morning, we get an excellent breakfast. The staff behind the bar desk prepares a plate of fruit and an omelette for everyone, according to individual preferences. That there are freshly squeezed juices of exotic fruits ad libitum is just the icing on the cake! We have the most gorgeous view of the Mi Teleférico cable car from the top-floor restaurant!

Read next: At 4,800 m in the Andes Peru among Llamas and Alpacas

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