By road, Juliaca and Maras are about 239 miles (385 km) apart, or roughly 6 h 16 min of driving.
Full advisory: Peru. Advisory issued: Peru September 04, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Peru: “Due to road safety risks, U.S. government employees working in Peru are prohibited from nighttime driving.”
| Distance | 239 mi (385 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 6 h 16 min |
| Main roads, in order | PE-3S → PE-28F |
| Regions on the route | Puno, Cusco |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 9.6 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 7 |
What the drive from Juliaca to Maras is like
PE-3S (211 mi) and PE-28F (7 mi) carry about 91% of the 239 miles. It runs through 2 regions: Puno, Cusco. Of the 7 stops listed below, 7 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Juliaca to Maras
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Puno |
| PE-3S | 1–205 | 204 | Puno, Cusco |
| local roads | 205–213 | 8 | Cusco |
| connecting roads | 213–215 | 2 | Cusco |
| PE-3S | 215–222 | 7 | Cusco |
| PE-28F | 222–229 | 7 | Cusco |
| local roads | 229–239 | 10 | Cusco |
- Mile 104 of this route: Puno → Cusco (region line)
What to see on the way from Juliaca to Maras
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Pucará (mile 39), Pukara Lithic Museum (mile 40), Templo de San Francisco de Asís (mile 60), Raqch'i (mile 140), Rumicolca (mile 193), Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, Cusco (mile 214), Museo de Arte Religioso del Cusco (mile 214)
- Museums and history: Pucará (mile 39), Pukara Lithic Museum (mile 40), Templo de San Francisco de Asís (mile 60), Raqch'i (mile 140), Rumicolca (mile 193), Museo de Arte Religioso del Cusco (mile 214)
Pucará
Above the highland town of Pucará, this pre-Inca complex of the Pucará culture centers on Kalasaya, a pyramid of stone monoliths with carved human heads jutting from its walls. The Museo Lítico Pucará stands on the main plaza.
Pukara Lithic Museum
Run by Peru's Ministry of Culture office in Puno, the Pukara Lithic Museum (Museo Lítico de Pukara) in the town of Pucará displays monoliths and stone sculptures of the ancient Pukara culture.
Templo de San Francisco de Asís
Facing Ayaviri's main square, the Templo de San Francisco de Asís is an Andean Baroque church more than three centuries old. Look for its columned facade and 18th-century religious paintings by Isidoro Francisco de Moncada.
Raqch'i
Raqch'i, in the Vilcanota valley of Cusco's Canchis province, preserves the Inca temple of Wiracocha, about 92 meters long, along with ceremonial spaces and 156 qolqas, or storehouses, built partly of volcanic stone.
Rumicolca
Rumicolca is an archaeological site in Peru's Cusco Region, found in Lucre District of Quispicanchi Province.
Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, Cusco
Built on the foundations of the Inca temple of Coricancha, the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo is a 17th-century colonial monastery in the historic center of Cusco.
Museo de Arte Religioso del Cusco
Set in the Archbishop's Palace in Cusco, this museum holds colonial religious art of the Cusco School, and the famous Twelve-Angled Stone sits in its outer foundations.
When you get to Maras
Moray
About 50 km northwest of Cusco and just west of Maras, Moray sits on a plateau at roughly 3,500 meters. Its Inca ruins are mainly terraced circular depressions, the largest about 30 meters deep.
Quispiguanca
Quispiguanca, also written Q'espihuanca or Q'espiwanka, was a royal estate of the Inca emperor Huayna Capac.
Ayawayq'u
Ayawayq'u, also known as Yukay or Kapillayuq, is an archaeological site with rock paintings in the Yucay District of Urubamba Province, in Peru's Cusco Region.
More drives to Maras
- Abancay to Maras
- Andahuaylas to Maras
- Ayacucho, Peru to Maras
- Nazca to Maras
- Huancavelica to Maras
- Ica to Maras
From Juliaca to other places in Peru
- Juliaca to Písac
- Juliaca to Chinchero
- Juliaca to Yucay
- Juliaca to Urubamba
- Juliaca to Mollepata
- Juliaca to Cachora
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Juliaca to Maras?
About 6 h 16 min of driving without stops, over 239 miles.
How far is Maras from Juliaca by car?
About 239 miles (385 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Juliaca to Maras drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Peru Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Juliaca to Maras use?
In order: PE-3S and PE-28F. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Juliaca and Maras?
Closest to the road: Pukara Lithic Museum (museum, mile 40, 0.2 mi from the route); Raqch'i (archaeological site, mile 140, 0.4 mi from the route); Rumicolca (archaeological site, mile 193, 0.2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.