DestinationPuno, Peru8 min read
Lake Titicaca from Both Shores
Floating islands, island homestays and the road to Bolivia
Average rating 5.0 out of 5
5.01 review
The highest navigable lake in the world straddles Peru and Bolivia. How to see the Uros, sleep on Amantaní and cross to Copacabana and Isla del Sol.
A sea in the sky
At 3,812 m and more than 8,000 km² in area, Titicaca feels less like a lake than an inland sea. In the dry season the light is so clear that the Cordillera Real in Bolivia appears to float on the far shore, 100 km away.
On the Peruvian side, Puno is the base. A short boat ride takes you to the Uros, islands built from layers of totora reed that the Uru people re-lay every few weeks as the bottom rots away. Yes, they are visited by every tour boat, and yes, the families who live there still depend on reeds for houses, boats and food. Go early, buy something, and stay longer than the twenty minutes most boats allow.
Further out, Taquile and Amantaní are real islands of stone terraces and Quechua-speaking farming communities. We arrange homestays on Amantaní, where you eat with the family, climb to the Pachatata temple at sunset and often end up at a village dance in borrowed clothes.
Crossing into Bolivia at Kasani brings you to Copacabana and the boat to Isla del Sol, the mythical birthplace of the first Inca.
How long to stay
- One night in Puno: Uros and Taquile as a day trip
- Two nights: add an Amantaní homestay
- Three nights or more: cross to Copacabana and sleep on Isla del Sol
Sun and cold
Puno harbour
About this story
Camila MamaniAuthor
Andes TrailsPublisher
Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 5.0 out of 5
1 review- JRJoaquín Ruiz5 out of 5 stars28 Sept
Realistic daily distances and great tips on where to refill water. Exactly what you need up here.
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