Whether you travel by land or by plane, the trip from Uyuni to Cusco must be divided in at least two segments, or three, depending on your plans and preferences. You will need to travel from Uyuni to La Paz, either directly or with a stop in Oruro, and from there you can take a direct bus or flight to Cusco. Keep on reading to find out all you need to know.

The fastest option

There aren’t direct flights between Uyuni and Cusco but the fastest way to get there would still be flying with one stop and change of plane in La Paz. Amaszonas, a Bolivian airline, has direct flights from Cusco to La Paz and then from La Paz to Uyuni. This journey would take the whole day and costs about 200-260 us$ depending on the time of year but it is the fastest way.

Stop in La Paz

Uyuni to La Paz

The distance between Uyuni and La Paz is 731 km. La Paz is located at 3,600 meters above sea level and a necessary . You can travel from Uyuni to La Paz either by direct bus, or by a combination of train and bus. All buses headed for La Paz leave Uyuni at night, from the bus stop located on Cabrera Street, on the corner of Arce Av. The trip takes around 9 hours. In La Paz, the buses arrive at the main bus terminal, located on Uruguay Street on the corner of Peru Av.

Uyuni Salt Flat

To go by train and bus, you have to take the train from Uyuni to Oruro and then continue by bus to La Paz. The train companies offering this service are: Expreso del Sur, which leaves on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Wara Wara del Sur, which leaves on Mondays and Thursdays. The trains offer Salon class and Executive class services, where Executive class is more expensive and has more comfortable seats, and amenities such as blankets and snack on board. All passengers have access to the dining car on the train.

The train leaves Uyuni from the station located arrives at the train station on Ferroviaria Av. on the corner of Arce Av. They arrive in Oruro at the train station located on Velasco Galvarro St. From there you can take a taxi to the bus station in Oruro in order to take a bus to La Paz. Buses leave every half an hour and the trip takes around four hours.

La Paz to Cusco

The journey takes about 12 hours, covering a distance of 640 km. In order to travel from La Paz to Cusco by bus you have two alternatives: you can go through the Bolivia-Peru border in Desaguadero, or you can go though Copacabana, crossing the border in Kasani. Desaguadero is a more direct route, while Copacabana is the more scenic route, taking your to the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Direct buses from La Paz to Cusco  

Trip with multiple stops

Tips

You should know that in Bolivia, lie-flat buses have seats that recline to 160-170 degrees, not 180. Semi lie-flat buses recline to between 150 and 160 degrees, depending on the bus. This is important to keep in mind in order to keep your expectations realistic. The services on board don’t usually include foods or drinks on board, so you should make sure you take something to drink, blankets and more food on board, just to make sure your trip will be comfortable.