How to get there 

 

From Cusco | The bus journey takes around eight hours overnight with quite a few companies servicing the route. Prices start at £16. 

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From Bolivia | If you are coming from Bolivia it is a four hour journey from Copacabana where you can cross the land border and get your stamp. 

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Where to stay 

 

Everything is central in Puno and most accommodations are situated in the centre with around a fifteen minute walk to the Harbour. 

 

Kantaya Hostel | We stayed at the Kantaya Hostel which seemed to be where most backpackers stay. It also goes by the names of Iguana and Koala. We never figured out why. They have a tour desk with helpful staff, luggage storage whilst your away and breakfast is included in the price. We had a twin room with private bathroom for 90 soles (£19) a night.

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What to do 

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Taquile Homestay

Lake Titicaca is one of South Americas largest lakes with the border of Peru and Bolivia slicing it almost in half. You can take day tours to see the lake and stop at the floating islands of Uros as well as Amantani Island. These tours last a couple of hours. You can opt for a homestay on one of the islands. There are a few luxury lodges and cabins to chose from.

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It's simple to arrange your stay yourself though expect a language barrier. Most hosts first language is Quechua rather than Spanish. We stayed on Isla Taquile, further out than Amantani but with a stunning coastline and collective economy. There are no roads, no police, no dogs and you can explore the whole place on foot. 

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You can buy your boat ticket at the harbour for 30 soles (£6.27) each for a return, they are collectivo boats - so don’t expect them to leave on time. They'll depart when full. They are supposed to depart around 8am every morning. 

They return at 2:30pm each afternoon, ours again didn’t leave until an hour later. The return journey was horrific, when the locals go quiet you know it's not going to plan.

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The lake is notoriously rough in the afternoon. The boat in was in disrepair and over capacity. The waves were higher than the craft, with seemingly contagious seasickness and a setting sun saw the captain divert to the nearest shore when he was blinded by a broken sunshade and lack of wipers. It was about fourteen miles outside of Puno, getting dark and we stuck our thumbs out until one kind motorist picked us up. 

 

Isla Taquile is a collective island which means that all the money from tourism and businesses goes to every resident. If someone needs help building a house or needs help on their land then everyone will get involved. 

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We stayed with Mario and his wife in their home for three nights. They have private rooms with breakfast included but not dinner, which is 15 soles (£3.20) each. There are not many places to eat on the island so the only option is to have dinner with them which is nice although we had the same plate of omelette, rice and chips every night but you can't expect a lot when they have to bring everything in off the mainland. Mario will come and meet you off the boat and walk you to their home which is a steep uphill climb and difficult at altitude.

 

We did enjoy our stay especially in the evenings when all the tours went home it was serene and peaceful but after visiting Isla Del Sol on the Bolivian side we wished we had stayed there instead. 

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