My Husband and I (late 60's) are planning a trip to Peru in September. We want to take the bus from Puno to Arequipa. Unfortunately our travel agency says this is not safe for a variety of reasons. From my research I see there are 2 tourist bus companies offering the trip. The times might not be ideal. In addition, I am not sure if I should go against my travel agency's advice, they suggest flying. Taking a cab to Juliaca, having to be there two hours before the flight, seems like a lot of time we could spend sitting comfortably in a bus and enjoying the landscape. If anybody has been there lately and could provide some input, I would greatly appreciate it.

Your agent is wrong. And in fact I would question either their expertise or their ethics.

The 4 M Express bus is great. If you were planning on going to Colca Canyon, you can also take the bus there, inst

http://www.4m-express.com/

We took the bus from Puno to Arequipa a few years ago and it was fine. In fact the journey has some spectacular views along the way which you would miss if flying. Very comfortable bus and I would have no hesitation in recommending it. Juliaca on the other hand is a dump and not the safest place in Peru. I would only go directly to the airport and make sure you get a decent taxi driver.

I too would doubt the expertise or ethics of your agent, most likely the latter as the commission on air tickets is likely to be a lot higher than a couple of bus tickets.

I wonder if the company stands to make a chunk with the transfer to Juliaca. Sometimes they even send a "guide" with the tourists to airports to make sure they get on the plane.

I too was thinking how much the travel agency is gaining by pushing the flight.
Also wondering how much has changed since Peru got to be "the" travel destination.
mlgb when did you do the bus trip from Puno to Arequipa? And is there anything else we should know or be aware of for our trip?
crellston - did you take the 4M or a different company's bus? Juliaca does sound terrible, but the travel agency would arrange/transport.
We are planning two days in Arequipa, two days in Colca canyon with tours of the valley and the flight of the condors (flight of the condors sounds very touristy, but then I don't want to miss the chance of seeing a condor, even if they have to put out carrion to get the birds up in the air).

Born2 - sorry, I just checked my blog bit did not make a note of the company. It was six years ago and probably either 4M or Cruz del Sur. It was a very nice bus however, full reclining seats etc.all very comfortable.

Good luck with the Colca Trip. We stayed in Arequipa for two weeks last year with the intention of hiking in the canyon. Unfortunately, they closed the canyon due to a 7.1 earthquake so no trips were leaving for quite some time ( and those operators that did leave we didn't want to go with!!)

As mlgb points out you could take the bus direct to Colca en route from Puno. Don't miss out on Arequipa though. It really is a lovely city. Santa Catalina convent, in particular, should not be missed.

Hi b2e, I did the trip between Arequipa, Chivay and Puno in Nov/Dec 2011. I am not sure if 4M was yet operating at that time. The road between Puno/Chivay/Arequipa had been recently improved and paved at the time, and I believe 4M was started when the improvements were complete, specifically as a tourist service. They had safe drivers, a guide and made touristy stops along the way. It is not a regular long distance bus used by the locals.

I started in Arequipa, from there I went to Chivay with Giardino Tours, using their van. They booked me on the 4M Express from Chivay to Puno. When I returned to Puno, my hotel called 4M and booked me back from Puno directly to Arequipa using a voucher. In Arequipa I enjoyed staying in Casa de Melgar, but there are many other choices.

I would really like to know the reasons your travel agency is claiming this service is unsafe.

If you are taking this route, I think it is worth stopping in Chivay for a few nights in Colca Canyon.

I didn't post a trip report but you can look at my photos from 2011.

The first and last bits of this album have shots of the scenery between Puno and Arequipa
https://picasaweb.google.com/kiwifann/ColcaCanyon

I first traveled to Peru before the 100th "anniversary" of MP, and it has changed immensely in that short time, many more tourists and a more developed tourism infrastructure (as well as higher prices). But still a great place to visit and I have returned each year since, there is so much to see other than the obvious sights, and the Peruvians are nearly all friendly and relaxed (not counting those ladies of a certain age crellston encountered in Lima).

One thing I did not in the area of Puno/Chivay is that the older ladies do not like their photos taken, so be careful of doing that without permission.

Correction. I did take 4M in 2011, what I meant was that I was not sure if 4M was operating when crellston visited 6 years ago.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness.