Tacna to Yucay Road Trip: Route & Stops

By admin, 13 October, 2026

Tacna to Yucay is about 531 road miles (854 km): roughly 14 h 17 min at the wheel if you don't stop.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Peru — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution

Full advisory: Peru. Advisory issued: Peru September 04, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.

On the roads, the State Department says:

  • Peru: “Road travel at night is particularly dangerous.”
Santuario del Señor de LocumbaSoro Mik'aya PatjxaInca UyoConvento Franciscano de JuliacaTemplo de San Francisco de AsísRaqch'iIglesia de la RecoletaUrcoInkariy MuseumTacnaYucay
Route from Tacna to Yucay with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance by road531 mi (854 km)
Drive time without stops14 h 17 min
Main roads, in orderPE-1S → TA-515 → TA-517 → TA-524 → TA-103 → PE-36A → PE-38A → PE-3S → PE-28B
Regions on the routeTacna, Moquegua, Puno, Cusco
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 21.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

Driving Tacna to Yucay: the shape of the trip

PE-3S (256 mi) and PE-38A (51 mi) carry about 58% of the 531 miles. It runs through 4 regions: Tacna, Moquegua, Puno, Cusco. Of the 9 stops listed below, 7 are within a mile of the road.

Tacna to Yucay: the road sequence

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miRegion
local roads0–11Tacna
PE-1S1–5049Tacna
TA-51550–9545Tacna
local roads95–994Tacna
TA-51799–1045Tacna
connecting roads104–1062Tacna
TA-524106–1115Tacna
TA-103111–13928Tacna, Moquegua
PE-36A139–18344Moquegua, Puno
PE-38A183–23451Puno
PE-3S234–490256Puno, Cusco
PE-28B490–53141Cusco
  • Mile 137 of this route: Tacna → Moquegua (region line)
  • Mile 147 of this route: Moquegua → Puno (region line)
  • Mile 399 of this route: Puno → Cusco (region line)

Breaking up the drive: stops between Tacna and Yucay

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Santuario del Señor de Locumba (mile 58), Inca Uyo (mile 257), Convento Franciscano de Juliaca (mile 296), Templo de San Francisco de Asís (mile 354), Raqch'i (mile 435), Urco (mile 522), Inkariy Museum (mile 523)
  • Museums and history: Soro Mik'aya Patjxa (mile 223), Inca Uyo (mile 257), Templo de San Francisco de Asís (mile 354), Raqch'i (mile 435), Urco (mile 522), Inkariy Museum (mile 523)

Santuario del Señor de Locumba

Mile 58 · Sanctuary · 0.1 mi from the route

Also known as the minor basilica of the Señor de los Pies Quemados, this church in Locumba venerates the Señor de Locumba, an effigy of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth.

Soro Mik'aya Patjxa

Mile 223 · Archaeological site · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Soro Mik'aya Patjxa is a high-altitude archaeological site in the Ilave Basin, about 30 km west of Lake Titicaca's shore, used seasonally by hunter-gatherers for more than a thousand years.

Inca Uyo

Mile 257 · Archaeological site · 0.2 mi from the route

Near the Church of Santo Domingo in lakeside Chucuito, Inca Uyo is a rectangular walled enclosure of cut stone holding carved, mushroom-shaped stones. Its original purpose is still debated; Peru declared it national cultural heritage in 2001.

Convento Franciscano de Juliaca

Mile 296 · Convent · 0.2 mi from the route

Juliaca's Franciscan convent, also called the Convent of Santa Bárbara, sits on Santa Bárbara hill (Hatun Rumi) about 40 meters from the Plaza de Armas. Its architecture is essentially Romanesque in style.

Templo de San Francisco de Asís

Mile 354 · Cathedral · 0.9 mi from the route

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

Mile 435 · Archaeological site · 0.4 mi from the route

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.

Iglesia de la Recoleta

Mile 511 · Temple · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

A Catholic church in Cusco, the Iglesia de la Recoleta has been part of the city's Monumental Zone, declared a Historical Monument of Peru, since 1972.

Urco

Mile 522 · Archaeological site · 0.3 mi from the route

Within the Vilcanota River valley, about 4.8 km from Calca in the Sacred Valley, Urco is an archaeological site occupied from the Late Intermediate Period through the Late Horizon.

Inkariy Museum

Mile 523 · Museum · 0.1 mi from the route

A private history museum in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Inkariy Museum lies in Calca district, in Peru's Cusco region.

When you get to Yucay

Yanacocha

Lake · in Yucay

Sitting at about 3,951 meters in the Urubamba Province of Cusco, Yanacocha is a lake roughly 240 meters long and 14 meters deep.

Kellococha

Lake · in Yucay

Kellococha is a lake in the Huayllabamba District of Urubamba Province, Cusco Region, known for its polylepis woods, which also grow at neighboring Yanacocha lake.

Machu Colca

Archaeological site · in Yucay

A few minutes outside Chinchero, Machu Colca (Machu Qollqa) is an archaeological site in Huayllabamba District, Urubamba Province, Cusco Region.

More drives to Yucay

From Tacna to other places in Peru

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Tacna to Yucay?

About 14 h 17 min of driving without stops, over 531 miles.

What is the driving distance from Tacna to Yucay?

About 531 miles (854 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.

Is it safe to drive from Tacna to Yucay?

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 Tacna to Yucay use?

In order: PE-1S, TA-515, TA-517, TA-524, TA-103, PE-36A, PE-38A, PE-3S and PE-28B. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Tacna and Yucay?

Closest to the road: Santuario del Señor de Locumba (sanctuary, mile 58, 0.1 mi from the route); Inca Uyo (archaeological site, mile 257, 0.2 mi from the route); Inkariy Museum (museum, mile 523, 0.1 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.