adminThe floating islands of Lake Titicaca in Puno are worth floating by if you are heading to either Bolivia, Cuzco or Arequipa in Peru.
Puno is probably the ugliest and most depressing place I have ever spent a night in but the islands do make up for it. Also, you shouldn’t miss out on the opportunity of seeing South America’s largest lake. It’s quite impressive if you don’t live in a country full of them, such as Canada.
In fact, Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake to large vessels and is located 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) above sea level.
Due to its high altitude and if you want to avoid getting altitude sickness, plan on spending time in Arequipa or Cuzco to acclimatize yourself.
We stopped by in Puno during our 2 weeks backpacking family adventure through Peru over the Christmas Holidays. This was our third stop on our journey.
Getting there
The least expensive way to get to Puno is by bus. There is no reason to pay more since this city is really not interesting. Puno is a convenient stop between Cuzco and La Paz (Bolivia).
From Arequipa its about a 6hr bus ride. Discover the enchanting town of Arequipa HERE.
From Cuzco, we are not exactly sure how long it takes as we did some sightseeing on our way to Puno. The tour was booked directly through our hostel. It took us well over 8 hours (possibly 11hr) to get there which was worth it since we visited some places along the way. I slept a good chunk of the way as I was recovering from altitude sickness and too much fun in Cuzco.
I highly recommend taking the scenic route with the touristic stops, especially if you are traveling with kids. It’s a good way to break down the long journey up to Puno from Cuzco and makes it a lot more interesting. Of course, it will cost you more money.
As a reference, a direct bus to Puno from Cuzco costs around $18USD and takes about 7hrs.
Sightseeing from Cuzco to Puno
On our way to Puno and the floating islands on Lake Titicaca we visited:
- Iglesia de San Pedro;
It’s considered the Sistine Chapel of the Americas and located roughly 45km outside Cuzco. You aren’t allowed to take pictures inside. Don’t be fooled by its exterior. The interior will impress you. Hint: it’s quite shiny.
- saw the Inca ruins of Raqui;
This archeological complex is said to be the largest one to be discovered. Our 5 kids enjoyed running around the ruins.
- swung by the town of Pukara;
Pukara is known for its ceramics and you can visit a stone museum. That didn’t interest the kids much. To the West of the town, you’ll find an ancient archaeological site, dated as early as 1,800 BC.
- and stopped at La Raya, the highest point in Peru.
There isn’t anything specific to see, but while we were there, a small market was set up, and the kids got to pet some llamas.
All these stops made the day more manageable.
Lunch was included in our fare. We even tried out some coca tea which was quite good as its taste is similar to green tea. Coca tea is believed to help with the change of altitude and is a sacred plant in Peru.
Entry fees to the sights were not included in the fare but they aren’t expensive, around $5. Bring cash!
Helpful advice to enjoy your bus ride
When riding the bus in Peru, always keep an eye on all your belongings. This means that you have to keep watch when they are loading your luggage or backpacks in the trunk until they close it.
Ride with all your valuables and don’t leave them unattended. As mentioned in our article Guide to Peru, don’t travel flaunting expensive jewelry, etc… While we didn’t experience any petty theft as we were careful, it could happen. So why risk it?
Bring water and snacks, especially if traveling with kids. The lunch stop might be later than you tend to eat and since the ride is long, you might not want them to arrive in Puno starving. Also, in case the bus breaks down (you never know), having extra food might come in handy.
Just in case, bring a plastic bag or two if your child tends to get car sick. It happened with Blondie Bear apparently on this bus ride. My brother took care of it since I was passed out. Yep, I slept through it because he was sitting with his cousin and not with me.
Have an extra sweater on hand as you might feel a temperature drop compared to what you grew accustomed to in Cuzco.
What to wear while visiting the Floating Islands of Puno
While visiting the floating islands of Puno, make sure to bring warm clothing in case of wind and rain.
Due to its high altitude, Puno can experience extreme weather. Nights get cold from June to August which is the high tourist season. The days can be hot and getting sunburn is a common problem. Bring sunscreen!
Even though we were there late December and it wasn’t too sunny nor hot, I still managed to get a sunburn. Actually, the weather and temperatures varied all day. They couldn’t seem to make up their minds.
Where to sleep and eat
There are plenty of inexpensive hotels and restaurants to pick from in Puno. Although we “splurged” a little as we stayed in a hotel rather than a hostel, the private bathroom was a nice touch, I’d recommend saving your money for places that are actually worth the cost.
Blondie Bear (5) thought the hotel was the appropriate place to parade around naked. Luckily, only my sister-in-law got to see the show.
carlota’s web
On Jiron Lima, the main pedestrian street, you’ll find restaurants, banks and ATM machines. We had dinner on a side street and ate once again chicken soup. To be honest, we ate quite a lot of chicken soup in Peru. It’s the most affordable meal, made with actual chicken and quite filling.
The floatings islands of Lake Titicaca in Puno
Visiting the floatings island in Puno was a real treat and well worth seeing. There are about 44 or so of them. Some you can’t visit because people actually live there and want to preserve their way of life.
A good portion of this communauty that live on these floating islands are called the Uros. They have been living there for hundreds of years, originally to protect themselves from the Incas. These islands could easily be moved if a threat arose. Some still maintain watchtowers, constructed of reeds.
Nowadays, they make a living from fishing and selling their handicrafts made of reed. These islands are a peaceful beauty and are remarkable in preserving traditional agrarian cultures.
Walking on reeds
It was a really strange squishy sensation to walk on reeds, mostly because you are afraid they will break under your weight, you’ll fall in the water and drown. Ok that sounds a bit dramatic. But when it’s your first experience, that’s what you might think. Just mind the places where they might seem rotten and you will be fine.
The reeds that are used to build these islands grow abundantly in the shallows of the lake. They are actually edible and taste like hearts of palm. They are interwoven and also used to build homes, tightly bundled boats and crafts.
To make the islands they have to use many layers of reeds which are replenished at the top as they rot from the bottom. Once you start walking on them and get accustomed to this new sensation, you’ll find that they are quite soft to walk on and springy. Kids will love it!
When you visit the islands, you’ll learn all about the traditional way of life, the customs and culture. It’s quite fascinating.
How to get to the floatings islands of Puno
The least expensive way to get to these islands is on your own. You can hop on a ferry from the port of Puno for Uros. It leaves every hour and costs about $15 round trip.
You’ll visit 2 islands that are actually on rotation so that no two visits will be alike. This is also so that tourists don’t keep going to the same spot and the Uros get their faire share of tourists. For an extra cost, you can take a ride on a reed boat.
Guided tours are also available but they are not only more expensive but prices and quality vary between competitors.
Since we came to Puno just to see the islands, we only spent one full day there and did not see anything else except the main street. Perhaps there is more to this city that meets the eye but we didn’t stay long enough to find out and we don’t regret it.
Where will you go to next?
[…] We took a scenic bus from Cuzco to Puno so that we could then visit the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. Read about it HERE. […]