Departamento de Arequipa Travel Forum

Hi there!
I was planning to travel from Lima straight to Puno but have been advised not to due to altitude sickness.
If I fly to Arequipa and catch the bus to Puno, will this reduce this problem dramatically? If is Go2Peru the best website to book a bus in advance?
Cheers x

Anytime you are going a little by little into the altitude gives you a better chance to avoid soroche, altitude sickness, plus dont forget to chew on your coca leaves :-)
There is no need to book a bus in advance, there is plenty of companies and many of them dont pop up on Go2Peru, plus they charge booking fees. However, if you want to book in advance, other than going to the individual websites, I dont know of other webpage that lets you buy in advance.
Enjoy Puno!!!

personally, I would take the plane to Julianca (sp.) every time. That route of Arequipa to Puno is long and windy and for sure will have higher percentage of wear and tear and sickness vs. the possibility of altitude sickness. coca leaves should also be used but better if you chew or drink the tea days before the high alt.

I would recommend you fly to Arequipa and spend 2 or 3 days there to accustom yourself to the altitude there, then travel by road up to Puno. I found this trip by road really easy and fairly comfortable and the scenery will just knock you out.

Drink plenty of coca tea, drink as much water as you can and lay off alcohol and heavy meals, particularly at night. If you remember not to rush about like a crazy tourist but take things slowly, you should be fine.

Hi,

we are planning the same route, spending a few days in Arequipa then going by bus to Puno for a few days. I read somewhere that most buses go from Arequipa to Puno by night, but then see people talking about the scenery and how great it is. Any advice on doing this bus trip (Arequipa-Puno) day or night?