Travelling by bus from Cusco to La Paz takes a full twenty-four hours. The Peru Hop bus to La Paz leaves Cusco in the evening and travels through the night to Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca. From there it continues to Copacabana in Bolivia, before finally heading onwards to La Paz. Along the way, passengers have the opportunity to stop for a few hours at the worlds highest navigable lake and in the border town of Copacabana in Bolivia.

For a truly memorable Bolivian adventure, selecting the right base in La Paz is key. Each of these locations has its own unique appeal, blending vibrant energy with local character, making them ideal starting points for exploring the very best of the city.

 
Our journey also includes some quite unexpected experiences that give it an entirely new dimension. On our journey from Cusco to Lake Titicaca, Copacabana and La Paz, we suddenly and quite miraculously find ourselves high in the Peruvian Andes among herds of alpacas and llamas due to unforeseen events. The sight of these animals high up in the Andes becomes truly breathtaking and an exceptional experience, the icing on the cake!

1. Stop at Puno at the Lake Titicaca Floating Islands

We board the Peru Hop bus late in the evening in Cusco and travel through the night towards the Bolivian border. Before arriving in the small lakeside town of Copacabana, Bolivia, we make a scheduled stop at Lake Titicaca in Puno, which gives us a straightforward chance to visit the floating islands, a truly unique experience! Discover more about our morning visit here: Visiting the Uros Floating Islands on Lake Titicaca.

Photo: Travel In Culture

After a stunning visit to the floating reed islands, we are ready to continue by bus to the border town of Copacabana, Bolivia.

2. Unexpected Detour in the Peruvian Andes from Cusco to La Paz

Once back on the bus, we receive the shocking news that a strike has blocked the usual road to Copacabana in Bolivia, meaning we will not be able to continue as planned. Strikes and roadblocks on this main route are apparently quite common. Since 2011, when the idea of a bridge was first proposed, the local population has consistently opposed its construction.

The Peruvian government seems heavily affected by corruption and in recent months strikes have become almost routine. Our guide in the Sacred Valley told us just a few days ago that nearly all of the last four presidents have been deeply involved in corruption scandals and are either in jail or on their way there. Reading about mining strikes, teachers’ strikes, transportation strikes and clashes with armed groups beyond the anti-government protests, we realise that riots and disruptions affect the entire country.

The locals rely on the life of the lake to make a living | Photo: Travel In Culture

Around 200 families living by the lake depend on the crossing for their livelihood. They earn their income transporting people on boats and even barges across the strait, yet they often ignore the poor condition of some vessels and the risks this poses to passengers. Occasionally, when political initiatives become too threatening, the shore residents simply block the road to La Paz. For Bolivians, Peruvians and tourists travelling from Cusco to La Paz, this can be a real nuisance, but for us it becomes part of the adventure, a reminder of how unpredictable life in the Andes can be.

Peru Hop and Bolivia Hop decide to do their utmost to get all passengers to their final destinations in Bolivia. This means taking a four-hour detour up through the Peruvian Andes to reach the Bolivian border from that side.

Photo: Travel In Culture

Surprisingly, the detour turns out to be one of our most outstanding experiences in Peru. The Andes are awe-inspiring, and we are taken to heights and landscapes we could only have dreamt of. The bus passes through local villages and tiny communities of indigenous Andean people, who go about their everyday chores such as buying and selling at small outdoor markets.

On our further journey, we reach a farm and can hardly believe our eyes. All of a sudden, in the middle of yellowish and brownish scenery, a tall and well-proportioned snowman appears. Not the faintest sign of snow is visible as far as the eye can see. Obviously, there must have been snowy days here recently. At this altitude, however, the sun is powerful, and a day or two of piercing sunlight may well have melted a fresh layer of snow. Puzzled, we continue along the mountain road, and little by little, snow steadily begins to cover the bare surfaces without vegetation.

We drive through the impressive scenery of the Peruvian Andes | Photo: Travel In Culture

We encounter very few vehicles. If you are not an Andean resident or an explorer, there is no immediate reason to make a winding journey in the thin air, where the landscape sometimes resembles a remote, infertile planet without civilisation. When we approach the highest point on the route, the bus stops, and everyone rushes out to take photos of the breathtaking views.

As we reach the high altitudes, the plains and mountains are scattered with patches of snow.

3. Among Spectacular Herds of Llamas and Alpacas at 4,800 Metres

On the plains, we occasionally catch a glimpse of a herd of llamas or alpacas calmly grazing, undisturbed. They drink from lakes fed by melted snow.

The plains of Peru are dotted with llamas and alpacas grazing peacefully.

The alpacas of Peru are true herd animals. In contrast, llamas can often be seen individually, and in some contexts they are even used as guard animals for alpacas and sheep. Both llamas and alpacas belong, along with vicuñas and guanacos, to the camelid family of the Andes Mountains, much like the camels of Asia and Africa. They are all herbivores and are found in the grasslands and on the plains, though each species inhabits zones at specific altitudes. Distinguishing between llamas and alpacas is not difficult, as llamas are taller and have longer, banana-shaped ears.

Photo: Travel In Culture

During the next few hours through the Peruvian Andes, we spot thousands of llamas and alpacas searching for food in the sparse vegetation, some of it partly snow-covered. Later, when we look at a contour-lined map, we see that we have actually reached an elevation of nearly 4,800 metres (15,700 feet), far beyond the limit we would ever have dared to reach on our own for fear of altitude sickness. Nevertheless, none of us are noticeably affected by the thin air.

Photo: Travel In Culture

As herds of llamas and alpacas appear, we are thrilled to discover the breathtaking grandeur of the Andes and encounter the region’s captivating wildlife up close.

4. From Cusco to Copacabana, Bolivia with Peru Hop Bus

After this exceptional service, which ensures all passengers travelling from Cusco to La Paz reach their destination via a remarkable four-hour detour over the mountains, we continue our journey. The Peru Hop bus, later operating as Bolivia Hop, takes us to Copacabana at the border between Peru and Bolivia. Our Peruvian bus guide gives clear 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 through immigration on foot, walking the distance between official Peruvian and Bolivian territory. We are stamped out of Peru, exchange our remaining Peruvian soles for bolivianos and follow the stream of travellers to the Bolivian immigration.

Our stay in Copacabana is shortened accordingly due to the changed route. Usually, there is time to visit the legendary Isla del Sol, and there may even be an opportunity to visit and stay overnight with a local family on Amantani Island out on Lake Titicaca, provided that you can spare an extra day between Puno and Copacabana. However, as we have planned to continue directly towards La Paz, we have limited time and are now in a hurry to be ready for the anticipated bus departure.

Enjoying the beautiful Copacabana sunset in Bolivia while waiting for our Bolivia Hop bus

We spend an intense hour in Copacabana buying snacks for the onward journey, enjoying a long-awaited meal, taking photos at dusk and withdrawing Bolivian currency. Relieved, we board the next bus just in time, scheduled to depart at nightfall.

Winding upwards in the twilight with a flaming sunset in the background, we enjoy the most panoramic views. The scalloped bay and the surrounding hillsides dotted with lights reveal where people live along the slopes. We are now looking forward to reaching La Paz. The seats on the Bolivian bus are clearly, and perhaps expectedly, of a different and lower standard compared with those on the first leg of the journey in Peru.

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

5. How to Cross the Strait of Tiquina on a Barge?

It seems rather surprising that no bridge connects the peninsula with mainland Bolivia at San Pedro. The stretches of road on both sides form part of an important route from Peru to La Paz on the far side. We can hardly believe our eyes when we realise that our Bolivia Hop bus will be ferried across on a kind of flat barge. All passengers are transported separately in small motorboats, presumably for security reasons.

It is both spectacular and startling to watch. Speechless, we observe how the cargo, our bus, is loaded onto the barge and, minutes later, leaves the dock. Seeing our bus, with all the passengers’ belongings left inside, floating away on a barge in the darkness gives us a strange feeling. It looks somewhat dangerous and worrying that this tall and heavy vehicle is being transported on a flat, raft-like board that appears not much larger than the bus itself.

The barge is slower than our boat, and it takes time to load and unload it. After crossing the Strait of Tiquina, we wait on the other side in the cold for our bus to appear. Even if the days are fairly warm, temperatures at night drop to freezing. This is the typical alpine climate of the Andes Mountains. Locals sell food and hot drinks in plastic containers to the arriving passengers from a small stall nearby. This is most welcome before we climb back into the bus and complete the journey from Cusco to La Paz.

Read next: La Paz, Bolivia – At the Top of the World and in the Heart of the Witches’ Market

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