From Peru to Bolivia and back again – Andes adventure takes in Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca
Ancient Incan architecture, Spanish colonial splendour, protests, pan pipes and, if you’re lucky, panoramas excite the senses in two South American countries
A staff member films each passenger as we board the deluxe bus from Arequipa to Puno, and again once we’re in our seats. “Por seguridad,” he grunts, without saying what we need to be safe and secure from.
Next, an announcement informs us that if the driver exceeds 90km/h, an alarm will warn him to slow down. The problem, we soon discover, is that our man overtakes on blind corners at that speed. Perhaps the video clips will be shown on the evening news to identify the victims of yet another Peruvian clifftop bus tragedy.
I don’t really want to leave Arequipa. The Spanish colonial city, surrounded by three photogenic volcanoes, is an architectural gem. Peru’s largest cathedral dominates picturesque Plaza de Armas, a lively public space that everyone gravitates to sooner or later. Santa Catalina Monastery provides a slice of serenity in the heart of the old quarter while San Camilo market offers a raucous contrast. You could eat in a different restaurant every day for a year – although that would mean an awful lot of quinoa.
The bus races into the altiplano, a high, dry plateau of salt flats, stringy grass and inquisitive alpacas.