Peru-Bolivia-Chile: route questions...

Hello,

Departure is getting closer (September 4th), and the itinerary is now more or less set.

In two and a half months, I plan to cover:

TRUJILLO-HUARAZ - CERRO DE PASCO - HUANCAYO - AYACUCHO - CUSCO - LA PAZ Bus: LA PAZ - PUTRE Then: PUTRE - COLCHANE - UYUNI - SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

If I'm a bit short on time, which part of the route would you skip? Northern Chile or between Cerro de Pasco and Cusco?

If, on the other hand, I’m ahead of schedule, I might consider going from San Pedro to Salta.

That’s it—thanks for your wise advice!

Vincent

hi You can go from Cusco to La Paz, apart from Lake Titicaca. From San Pedro to Salta would be more interesting.

see ya, Pierre

Thanks for the perspective.

But I don’t think I’ll have time to do San Pedro - Salta. I might have to skip part of the original route—maybe, based on your suggestion, CUSCO-LA PAZ (by bus) and then LA PAZ - PUTRE by bus too... just to see the lake anyway.

Hi Vincent,

Based on my calculations, you should take about 34 days of cycling to get to Cusco if you take a bus between Ayacucho and Abancay.

I say TAKE A BUS between Ayacucho and Abancay because it was during the bad road season.

Quick summary:

Trujillo - Caraz = 4 days

Caraz - Huaraz (doing the loop Laguna Llanganuco - Yanama - Chacas - Punta Olimpica) = 8 days (Without the loop, it's only two days of cycling, but you'd really miss out on the best part) To climb Punta Olimpica, you can do what we did: take a bus from Chacas to the summit and only do the downhill by bike (just the descent took us 8 hours of cycling)

Huaraz - Ayacucho (via Huascarán National Park, Huancavelica, and Santa Inés) = 18 days

Ayacucho - Abancay (1 day by bus)

Abancay - Cusco = 4 days

- --

Cusco - La Paz = 8 days

Then, in La Paz, you can TAKE A BUS to Sajama National Park because it's really just a highway.

Putre to Colchane = 6 days (you'll see, it's magical)... You should plan two extra days to descend to Putre for supplies and go back up because, just a reminder, you can't cross the border with certain food items.

Colchane to Uyuni = 5 days

Uyuni - San Pedro by 4x4 (you put the bike on the roof)... by bike, it's 15 days

From San Pedro de Atacama to Salta via Paso Sico, plan between 8 and 10 days.

If you add one "rest" day per week, that should more or less add up.

Best,

Enzo

Hi Vincent, to add to Enzo and Corine’s tips, it’s definitely worth cycling the stretch between the Bolivian border and Putre. Lauca Park, with Lake Chungará and the surrounding volcanoes (Parinacota, Guaillatiri, etc.), is truly magical too. And heading to Putre from La Paz is all downhill. (Check your bike’s brakes before you go!) Just watch out for traffic—it’s the road between La Paz and Arica (Bolivia’s access to the sea). On the Bolivian side, I don’t know it yet—I’ll be discovering it this fall. I’m actually planning to go through there from Arica.

Depending on your departure date, we might cross paths—not necessarily there, but somewhere else in Peru. Let’s stay in touch. Make sure you’ve got a way to access the internet! I’ve got three months ahead of me. But given the distances, I’ve given up on going through Salta, Uyuni, etc. I wouldn’t have time to get back to Lima if I went that way. And I’ve got a place to store my gear near Lima for when I return in a year or two. Pierre.

Hi there, it's true you have to make choices when time is limited. Without questioning the vast experience of Vélocosmos in South America, I just want to say that for me, the Ayacucho to Abancay stretch—whether in 4 or 6 days (I don’t remember exactly)—remains one of my best memories. The route changes fast, but there’s no single truth, and you definitely have to make choices. You’ll find the account of the Ayacucho to Abancay crossing in the write-up I did about my Peru crossing in my travel journal.

Best, cylorando to everyone—Luc

Thanks for all your different opinions!

In reply:

PVIRLO: Cool if we can cross paths on the road—I’m blond with a blue bike, and I sent you my email address via PM.

EVERYONE: Thanks Enzo for the breakdown. I think I’ll do what you just described, but the only question is about the part I’ll do by bus or train. Time-wise, it works even if I do SAN PEDRO - SALTA. BUT I’d like to bike UYUNI - SAN PEDRO (15 days, maybe a little more...). AND I’d love to do a trek in the Huayhuash Cordillera (about 5 days). So: Trujillo - Cusco with the loop + short trek = 40 days Cusco - La Paz = 8 days La Paz - Sajama (where does the bus stop?) - by bus = 1 day PUTRE - COLCHANE: 6 days COLCHANE - UYUNI: 5 days UYUNI - SAN PEDRO: 18 days Then back to Santiago by bus to catch the flight = 78 days total for 75 days on the ground. So it’s a bit tight—just a week to spare...

I’ll figure it out on the spot... Maybe I’ll be too tired to ride through the desert between UYUNI and SAN PEDRO, a stretch that really means a lot to me given the feedback I’ve gotten about it.

Warm regards,

Vincent

For La Paz to Putre, it's worth getting off the bus in Bolivia, heading to Sajama National Park, and continuing by bike to Putre. It's a stunning place.

Hi there,

Do you already know where you plan to start your Huayhuash Trek from?

Regarding the bus between La Paz and Sajama, it’ll stop wherever you ask it to (just let the driver know when you board).

As for cycling the Sud Lipez, I can assure you you’ll have way more fun doing it by 4x4 and tackling the Paso Sico by bike instead (though those who’ve done both will tell you it’s a long debate).

When you say: Trujillo–Cusco with the loop + short trek = 40 days—I can guarantee that once you’ve done that loop, you won’t see the point of adding a "short trek" on top.

Cheers,

Enzo

Good morning

I’m thinking of stopping by bus at the park entrance and then biking to PUTRE, then PUTRE - COLCHANE. That seems like a good plan to me.

For the Sud Lípez, I’ll decide once I’m there.

In the Huayhuash Cordillera, I was thinking of doing a short trek, mainly because in the two guidebooks I bought, a 5-day trek in this area is in the MUST-DO category. I was planning to check it out with an agency in HUARAZ, so after the loop, and I’ll see about it then.

Thanks for your input! / vincent

After all that, it's pretty personal. I have an unforgettable memory of the Lipez. It's tough, and sometimes you have to push your bike, but the landscapes are absolutely insane—nothing like seeing them in a 4x4...

Happy travels!

Hi Onbaik, biking through South America—already a few years back now, almost 8 months in total, but the memories are still so vivid. The Sud Lipez makes you wonder if you didn’t just dream it all. The entire Atacama Desert is like a trip to Mars. If you’re interested, check out the book by the great French astrobiologist Cabrol on the search for extraterrestrial life. She’s the project lead for the Martian module at NASA and has studied life in the most unlikely places, like the lake on Licancabur volcano at nearly 6,000 m, or her experience at the summit of Lascar during a strong earthquake when the volcano suddenly became active.