Scenes from Lake Titicaca

After the highs of visiting Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, my next stop was to Lake Titicaca. The massive lake spans the borders of Peru and Bolivia, making it one of South America’s largest lakes. It’s also an important part of Inca legend.

I took an all day bus from Cusco to Puno, the city that serves as the gateway to the lake’s towns on the Peruvian side. Many travelers arrive by bus, but there’s also an airport nearby.

As my guide on the Inka Express bus mentioned, it’s known for a few things including smuggling, fishing, and tourism. The city itself didn’t look like much, mostly made up of residential buildings and stores, apart from one touristy walking street where I had dinner of local fish at a funky bar. It reminded me a lot of Panajachel in Guatemala, a place where people spend little time on their way out to the lake’s villages.

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Like so many travelers do, I booked a full day trip to explore Lake Titicaca, this time through Peru Hop for $20 USD with Kollasuyo Travel. There are options for two hour tours and multi-day trips where you stay with a local family, but I was short on time. I am glad I didn’t do the two hour tour since it takes so long to traverse the lake. It’s also possible to book when you arrive, but I wanted to make sure I had a spot.

The group was picked up from our hotels starting around 7 am and we made our way to the docks where we boarded a small boat. We were immediately told that the bathroom on board was for emergencies only.

A local musician played before coming around for tips. I pulled out the pastries I’d bought in advance as well as coffee taken from my hotel, put in my headphones, and listened to music as we made our way across the lake to our first stop, Uros.

Uros is what’s known as the “floating islands,” or small villages set not on land, but surfaces made by totora reeds tied together. These are the images most commonly associated with the lakes, showcasing the colorful clothing of the residents and the boats also made out of reeds.

We were told about their native language, which is neither Quechua nor Spanish, and told about what they traditionally ate, including small fish, eggs, and birds.

After getting a tour of the villages and huts they live in, we were strongly encouraged to buy items from them, including tapestries, artwork, and items made from reeds. I decided against it, but we were then told about a boat ride we would take, for an added fee.

Everyone else in my group was going so I didn’t want to be the only one that didn’t. Assuming the boat would actually take us somewhere, instead we all boarded the reed boat and went in a circle while some local children sang for tips. I wished I had stood my ground, but didn’t.

I felt weird about giving them money not because I don’t want to support this community, but because I didn’t know about the full circumstances. I wish I had more information about how to responsibly support these communities.

Following one quick stop at another floating village, with a store and coffee shop where you could pay for a passport stamp, we got back into our boats bound for Taquile. This large island was two hours away by boat and was used as a prison during Spanish occupation.

It was on the journey here that I started to feel the motion of the (not) ocean. I never get motion sickness, but this section nearly did me in. Did I mention there was little to no access to bathrooms?

Upon arriving on this island, we climbed a steep hill from the dock to get to the house we’d be having lunch at. Despite my predicament, Taquile immediately felt like a more “authentic” version of Lake Titicaca, whatever that means. The people had a traditional dress different from those in Uros.

The men knit belts for themselves using the hair of women and single men wear different types of hats than married ones. We were shown traditional dances and songs. I had trout that was caught locally.

After our lunch, we walked up another hill to see the town square, where the school and church are located. Here, local men had gathered to hang out as they do in just about every corner of the globe. I picked up a woven bag from the craft school, one of many that has earned this region UNESCO honors. I was content just watching village life pass by, admiring the terraced landscapes that would be perfectly in place in Italy.

We traversed the island by foot and joined our boat on the other side to make the journey back to Puno. I was back at my hotel around 6 pm, content with the day’s events. Perhaps next time I’d stay in Taquile, but remember to take Dramamine before the trip.

Tips for Visiting Lake Titicaca

I stayed at Pacha Suite, a simple hotel and hostel near the restaurants in town. The rooms were basic, but had comfy beds, a bathroom, and a television. There was coffee and breakfast served in the mornings, but I was never there to enjoy it. I got a discount for traveling with Peru Hop so my single room was only 40 soles or $12 USD.

Most of the tourist-friendly restaurants are located on Jr. Lima street. I ate at Urban Kitchen and Bar, which was pretty good and didn’t have someone out front with an English language menu. I’d heard there were some great cevicherias but never had time to find them.

After my day trip, I ended up at the mall to purchase night bus supplies (wine TBH) and ate at Bembos, a Latin American McDonald’s alternative, for fairly cheap.

Because of my short time, I didn’t visit any of Puno’s attractions, but I know there are plenty if you stick around longer. Catedral de Puno, the Condor Hill lookout, the Chucuito archaeological site, Museo Carlos Dreyer, and the Aramu Muru Inca site are a few to choose from.

I packed a daypack for my trip with a bottle of water, a few snacks, sunscreen, a baseball hat, my camera, toilet paper, medicine, cash, headphones, and my Kindle. I was very glad to have the distractions but wished I’d brought more medicine for motion sickness.

If you have a sensitive stomach, I recommend saving this trip for another day because the only bathrooms are very simple ones not conducive to anything beyond peeing.

I arrived by Inka Express bus and departed by Peru Hop bus, which took me onward to Arequipa. I had originally booked a pass that didn’t make the stop in Arequipa, but I was confused and booked a night there. Thankfully the Peru Hop team was able to make the switch for me, which I just paid on the bus.

Have you been to Lake Titicaca? Share your tips.