Cusco to Titicaca or Arequipa?

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bluebearee
bluebearee

Hello folks,
I'm off to Peru next month. After finishing up the Inca Trail on January 24, my friend & I are planning a few more days sightseeing with a long day trip to Rainbow Mountain. She'll be leaving on the 29th for further SA travels. I am thinking I could leave Cusco around the 28th and have four days before flying out of Lima at 2:30 am on Feb 1st. I had already booked a RT return flight to Lima on the 31st from Cusco before considering I might have had time to visit Titicaca or another area in the south. If need be, I'll give up that return if I can work out a reasonable itinerary that gets me to Lima from elsewhere.

The problem seems to be bus schedules and flight prices from Juliaca. The OW flight back to Lima is more than my RT to Cusco so that's unhappy. It seems I should take a daytime bus to Puno on the 28th, giving me three nights in this area to see the lake and islands and possibly stay out there. But seems silly to spend all day bussing back to Cusco to make a late afternoon flight to Lima.

LP Peru indicates way more buses than I thought on this route. Or any route really. True?

Or... should I go to Arequipa from Cusco and forget about the Lake? It's not the time of year for condors though I'd love to hike Colca anyhow. I would have time for an overnight trek but not two nights - is that feasible or worth it? I'm in my 50s but very adventurous. What else can I do there? I will have had my fill of ruins at this point. The OW back to Lima by plane is much cheaper from here than Juliaca with more favorable times too.

Can I just wing it after I get there? There will be buses and open accommodations in January right?

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richman
richman

Long ago, I visited lake Titicaca (from Copacabana, on the Bolivian side) and Arequipa. I liked both, but if I was to choose between the two I would go back to Arequipa, for architecture and for food.
Condors are overrated, IMHO.

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soniaberode
soniaberode

We had 30 days in Peru and decided to skip Lake Titicaca. We did go to Arequipa and the Colca Canyon and loved it. You can take a night bus from Cusco to Arequipa. The 28th you could explore Arequipa. To go hiking in the Colca Canyon you can take a tour from Arequipa (there are 2 day treks but you would even have time for the 3 day trek). We didn't take a tour. We went on our own. You could take an early bus from Arequipa to Cabanaconde. Any hostel there can help you plan. This website helped us a lot:

http://www.pachamamahome.com/cabanaconde.htm

We did see two condors up close in January. They were juveniles but it was still great!
The drive to Cabanaconde is very scenic. The canyon is majestic. We loved it there.

Flights from Arequipa to Lima with LC Peru are around $85. There is a flight at 9 pm.

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hermosajoe
hermosajoe

I'll give up that return

If you decide to cancel your airline ticket back to Limon make sure you call the airline and cancel that one flight.
If you don't the Airline will cancel your flight out of Lima without contacting you, just FYI.

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bluebearee
bluebearee
In response to #3

It's not the same airline or ticket hermosajoe? Delta RT from the states to Lima. In country airline RT from Lima to Cusco. Booked separate times by me, can't imagine Delta would know I hadn't come in from Cusco at the appointed time. Anyone know why the OW from Juliaca is so high? Just curious. I will alert them however.

Thanks for some suggestions soniaberode.

While the night bus saves time will I be missing great scenery by going at night? And you are correct there are late flights from Arequipa that would minimize my waiting til 2am in the Lima airport.

I keep thinking I'd be missing out on the lake given I'm so close but there could be a next time.

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willemspie
willemspie

Actually Lake Titicaca is almost on the way between Cusco and Arequipa. You could spend one night on the laleside, in Llachon. Take a Cusco Juliaca night or early morning bus, in Juliaca a taxi to the Capachica busstop, a minibus to Capachica, then another minibus or a taxi to Llachon. The next day return to Juliaca, where busses leave to Arequipa every 30 minutes.

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soniaberode
soniaberode

I don't know how scenic the trip from Arequipa to Cusco is (lots of buses seem to go overnight) but what I do know is that if you take the overnight bus you have more time for the Colca valley and the Colca Canyon and the scenery there is amazing.

As for Lake Titicaca: we will probably see it when we go to Bolivia.

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bluebearee
bluebearee
In response to #6

Thanks for the feedback. I'm thinking the same thing as I know I want to go to Bolivia. I'd rather not give it short shrift.

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bluebearee
bluebearee

I have decided after all to take a bus from Cusco to Puno and back, thus saving my return flight to Lima. It's closer and I can use public buses instead of a tourist bus to Chivay. Are there more options besides Cruz Del Sur? I can't get anywhere with that Ormeño bus website. I'll have three nights in the area. But that fourth morning I'll need to be on a bus asap back to Cusco.

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