Making an impromptu decision of leaving Sucre and spending my last 10 days in Peru (before I go back to Brazil), crossing borders was one of my concerns. My first ever border crossing in South America wasn’t as complicated as I thought it would be and here’s how I did it:
Sucre – Cusco
- Coming from Sucre, I booked my ticket to La Paz.
- ETD: 7:30pm
- Cost – 100bs (full cama)
- Bus company – Trans Copacabana M.E.M. (highly recommended)
- Travel time to La Paz was approximately 12 hours (ETA: 7:30am). From La Paz, I booked another bus ticket that would supposedly take me direct to Cusco with only one bus change.
- ETD: 8:00am
- Cost – 140bs (full cama)
- Bus company – Vicuña Travel (look for other options)
- The bus had a stopover in Copacabana and from there I had to change buses. Travel time from La Paz to Copacabana was approximately 4 hours.
- Upon changing buses, the bus took me to the Migracion offices to get my Bolivia exit stamp and Peru entry stamp (both offices were a mere walking distance from each other). It was around 1:45pm when we reached the border and luckily, there weren’t a lot of tourists so I had my stamps done quickly and went back to the bus after.
- From the border, next destination was Puno and travel time was approximately 3 hours.
- Upon arriving in Puno, I was advised that I had to change buses again and I had to wait for an hour before it leaves. I was too tired to argue, and as long as I don’t have to pay for anything, I’m good.
- It took another 8-9 hours before I finally reached Cusco, arriving at 1 in the morning.
Total travel time – 30hours
Cost – 240bolivianos (US$ 35)
Cusco – Sucre
- From Cusco, I booked my ticket direct to La Paz. I was a bit hesitant because of my previous experience but I still went for it.
- ETD: 10:30pm
- Cost – 80soles (full cama)
- Bus company – Inter Continente (highly recommended)
- The bus company was good with its word because it only took us 12hours travel time from Cusco to La Paz plus 1 hour in the Migracion offices.
- We crossed the border at around 9:00am and got my Peru exit stamp and Bolivia entry stamp. (Migracion offices at the border open at 8:30am until 9pm). It took more time getting entry stamps because there were a lot of tourists.
- Upon arriving in La Paz at 1pm, I immediately booked my ticket to Sucre.
- ETD: 7:00pm
- Cost – 100bs (full cama)
- Bus company – Trans Copacabana M.E.M. (highly recommended)
- With more than 5 hours to spare, I met up with a friend and spent time eating and drinking beer at the Adventure Brew Hostel, which was just 5 minutes away from the bus station.
- And since I booked with the same company, my travel time to Sucre was the same (12 hours).
Total travel time – 25hours
Cost – US$ 40
My trip from Cusco to Sucre was so much better given that I had to change buses only twice and it took shorter travel time plus I had full cama on both buses, which made it more relaxing.
Never have I imagined myself going on 30-hour bus rides but I’m glad I did because everything I saw, all the breathtaking views and amazing landscape, made it all worth it. Living a life on the road can truly make you do things far away from your comfort zones and with this I tell you, just let it and be surprised at the wondrous things it brings.