February 2012 I was hanging out in Sucre and took a day trip north of town to see the Maragua crater, a geological phenomena caused by erosion. From space it looks like a shell; you can pretty much see it mountain ridge if you approach from the north. I got a taste of Route 6 on this day trip.

What you should know is that Route 6 on the outskirts of Sucre quickly turns to gravel. A friend and Sucre resident that conducted tours for years did not recommend this route for long distance travel, but take that advise with a grain of salt if you enjoy extended riding off the tarmac.

Your post spoke to the route appearing to be more direct. I will go out on a sturdy limb and say that the trip will be considerably longer in time due to the speed restriction of traveling on gravel and number of switch backs. Route 5 in comparison is straight as an arrow. If in doubt zoom into Google maps, then zoom in some more to get a sense of the twisties ahead.

Route 6 looks like a serious mountain road with limited services. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, just get a good idea of what you are taking on.

If you do decide to ride Route 6, be prepared to ask at each village who is selling gas. There will likely be few gas stations on this route and as you likely know at this point they don't always have gas or won't sell it to tourists. I bought gas on the side of the road and in a little store (not a gas station) when there wasn't a gas station to be found and unknown miles ahead to the next opportunity. Think about carrying soda bottles filled up as a spare. My friend pulled two out of his saddle bag for me on a ride in northern Bolivia when we couldn't find a gas station for my bike.

I wish I could advise you on the altitude that Route 6 reaches. If you take the "easy road" (Route 5 to Potosi, then PanAm 1 to north to Oruro) the road climbs fairly high north of Potosi where I encountered hail three times and snow twice out of the three times I rode the PanAm between Potosi and La Paz (Feb/March 2012.)

__________________
Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride