Lake Titicaca is shared by Peru and Bolivia and this massive body of water is considered sacred by Andean cultures in both countries. At 12,507 feet (3,812 meters), Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and a top travel destination offering natural beauty and living culture that attracts travelers from around the world. Here’s how to explore Lake Titicaca from Puno, Peru.

How to explore Lake Titicaca from Puno, Peru

Titicaca means gray (caca) puma (titi) in the Indigenous Quechua language and stone (caca) puma (titi) in the Indigenous Aymara language. This UNESCO World Heritage Site covers 3,200 square miles (8,300 square km) and sprawls into Bolivia, where Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna are popular attractions. In Peru the lake is protected as part of the Lake Titicaca National Reserve. More than once we heard Peruvians joke that it’s Lake Titi in Peru and Lake Caca in Bolivia.

We visited Lake Titicaca in Bolvia and in Peru. Here’s how to explore Lake Titicaca in Peru, including island visits, boat tours, and where to sleep including an extraordinary Lake Titicaca island hotel.

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Island visits and boat tours on Lake Titicaca in Peru

Though a severe and ongoing drought continues to threaten Lake Titicaca (do your part and conserve water during your visit), explorations on Lake Titicaca are still the top draw. Here’s what to expect during island visits and boat tours on Lake Titicaca.

Visiting the Uros Islands in Lake Titicaca

The most famous islands on the Peru side of Lake Titicaca are the floating islands of Uros. We visited this collection of manmade islands twice, including a memorable outrigger journey while we were staying at the GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca (more on that below) and while transferring from Puno to the Isla Suasi Hotel.

At the start of our half-day outrigger tour to the Uros Islands, we scrambled into a narrow but stable outrigger (called a Polynesian canoe in Peru), our guide handed us wooden paddles to row with, and we headed out across the lake, shadowed by a motor boat for safety. The slow and steady journey to the Uros Islands–about 3 miles (5 km) away–took us through a scenic narrow channel and across open stretches of the lake.

The Uros Islands are a patchwork of more than 100 small floating islands created by Indigenous Uros people by lashing together naturally buoyant, thick, root-filled sections of reed beds that are then covered with cut totoro reeds that grow on and around the lake. The cut reeds on top need to be replaced every 15 days.

Island living started in the 1500s when the Incas were busy enslaving the Uros people. To escape capture, they construct reed boats with small houses built into them so that they could flee their vulnerable communities on dry land and hide from the Inca on the vast lake. When they realized that the reed beds would reliably float, these settlers began making islands and inhabiting them.

Today, about 2,500 people live on the Uros flotilla of islands and the community has adapted over the years. It now includes solar panels, schools (though when we were there, older students had to travel back and forth to Puno for classes), some outhouses (though it seems that all refuse goes straight into the lake), and a few drinking water purification systems. And community members still build and use reed boats in the style of the original settlers, but now they’re called Mercedes-Benz.

We stopped at one of the reed houses built on a floating island topped with a layer of cut totoro reeds and as we stepped onto the island homestead, the surface gently sank and rolled. It was like walking on a trampoline or a waterbed.

This particular household included a cat and two dogs, and the inhabitants had crafted a way to make a fire for cooking even though they were basically living on a pile of kindling. The residents were also selling handicrafts (bring small bills if you plan to buy something). To ensure that the entire community benefits evenly from tourist entry fees and souvenir sales, which make up a big part of the economy of the Uros Islands, a community co-op rotates where visiting boats can stop.

During the return paddle back to the hotel port, we encountered a few motor boat tours and we were grateful for the peace and quiet of the outrigger that allowed us to slowly and serenely appreciate the beauty of Lake Titicaca.

Visiting Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca

Many tour companies in Puno offer guided excursions to Taquile Island located on the lake about 28 miles (45 km) from Puno. The Indigenous Quechua people named the island Intika. However, during colonial times, a Spaniard named Taquile claimed ownership of the island (although he’d never been there). Of course, his name stuck.

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At just over 2 square miles (5.7 square km), Taquile Island is one of the largest islands on the Peru side of Lake Titicaca and it’s home to six Quechua communities with about 2,200 Taquileño residents. The island is scenic and peaceful and there are a number of homestay and restaurant options.

But what Taquile Island is most famous for are the high-quality traditional textiles created there. In 2008, UNESCO declared Taquile textiles to be an Intangible  Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and when you visit Taquile Island, you’ll see textile production everywhere.

Traditionally, knitting is exclusively performed by men who begin knitting as children. Women on Taquile Island spin wool and use natural pigments to dye it. Women also weave the wide belts, called chumpis, which are worn by almost everyone on Taquile.

We were told that both men and women must pass a textile proficiency test before they can marry. The man has to knit a traditional hat that’s tight enough to hold water. The woman has to weave a chumpis with an intricate design representing the couple’s dreams. Her future mother-in-law can demand that she replicate the most complicated design in front of her.

We are not shoppers. However, we were tempted by Taquile textiles and ultimately purchased an extremely soft blue and white woven hat. If you think you might want to purchase something, bring small bills with you.

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What to do in Puno, Peru

The lakeside city of Puno, which sits at 12,555 feet (3,827 meters), was larger than we expected and quite hectic–especially in the maze of narrow and crowded streets that make up the center of Puno. While Puno doesn’t charm, this is where most hostels, mid-range hotels, and restaurants are located along with a few non-lake things to do and see.

We visited the Catedral Basílica San Carlos Borromeo (aka the Puno Cathedral) to see the Andean Baroque structure built in 1757.

We also visited Casa del Corregador. We thought this was a museum in one of the oldest homes in Puno, but it turned out to be a café, restaurant, and handicrafts store in a brightly painted and well-restored home that dates back to the 17th century.

Museo de la Coca y Costumbres is a museum (10 soles/US$2.65 per person, closed Sundays). After watching two videos (in English), we toured the three-level museum focused on coca culture and the region’s rich traditional dances and costumes (many of which are on the top floor, where you can try some on). Allow an hour, including the two 20-minute videos. All displays are in English as well as Spanish. We know there is NOTHING funny about addiction, but don’t miss the hysterical “heroin addict” on the second floor. You can also enjoy a free coca tea (helpful at this altitude).

Travelers looking for even more Andean culture should add a few days for these day trips around Lake Titicaca, including mysterious archaeological sites, a surprising church, cave art, and much more.

Puno and Lake Titicaca Hotels

As noted, most hostels and mid-range hotels are located in Puno. Higher-end accommodation can be found on the lakeshore and there’s also a remarkable hotel on an island in Lake Titicaca.

Amantica Lodge

Amantica Lodge is much more than a hotel.

Yes, this lodge delivers a romantic rustic vibe in an environment that feels handmade in a chic lake cabin way with surprisingly opulent touches (a lush bed, a private chef, a privileged private lakeside location). However, this remote and intimate place also gives guests a window into Titicaca island life and culture.

Amantica Lodge has no reception area, no lobby, no dining room, and just two spacious lakefront suites that share a bathroom. At the moment, guests reserve the whole Amantica Lodge property. However, three more en suite rooms are in the works which allow for a mixed group of guests. Expect epic lake views, ample outdoor space, and the feeling of being perched over Lake Titicaca. The large shared bathroom features a bathtub crafted to incorporate a wall of rocks and positioned to make the most of the lake views. Breakfast is included and a private chef is on hand to provide other meals.

In addition to comfort, style, and hospitality, Amantica Lodge guests can explore the culture and scenery of Amantica Island–which is the largest Lake Titicaca island on the Peru side of the lake and is home to 10 communities and about 4,000 people who grow potatoes, wheat, barley, corn, and beans.

The 9.2 square mile (3.5 square km) island, located about 3 hours by boat from Puno, has two distinct peaks. One peak is topped by a female Pachamama pre-Incan temple. The other is topped with a male Pachatata pre-Incan temple. Trails lead to both peaks with lake views along the way. It took us about an hour to reach the Pachamama temple which is an octagonal stone structure with a weathered wood door. This temple is the site of offerings and rituals to ensure good harvests on the island.

We were told to walk around the temple counter-clockwise three times while holding hands. The first lap is for health, the second is for work, and the third is for love. Then we put three pebbles into the stonework of the temple to seal the deal.

Back at the lodge, a shaman from the island read our coca leaves in our room. Later, we scrambled into a small wooden boat with a local fisherman for a short tour of the coastline and a small trout farm. Then we settled into comfortable chairs on our patio overlooking the lake. Gulls flew overhead and Andean coots scooted through the water which, suddenly, became wind-whipped and churned until it almost looked like an ocean. No other hotel around Lake Titicaca can deliver that kind of intimacy with this massive and sacred body of water.

Isla Suasi Lodge

We also visited another Lake Titicaca hotel. Isla Suasi Hotel is located on the island of the same name and was reached via a five-hour boat trip from Puno, including stops at Uros Islands and Tequile Island.

 At the hotel, we enjoyed good food, clever architecture using building materials found on the island, and attentive service from staff members who live in lakeshore communities and commuted to work in Zodaics. We recently learned of this hotel’s closure and we hope it’s able to reopen soon. Learn more in our full review of Isla Suasi Hotel for Luxury Latin America.

GHL Hotel Lago

Back on the mainland just outside of hectic Puno on the lakeshore, we stayed at the GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca (formerly the Libertador Lago Titicaca) which has a privileged location on a private peninsula in the lake and offers solid service and amenities and some distinct ways to explore Lake Titicaca.

See more in our full review of the GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca for Luxury Latin America.

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Casa Don Jose

In Puno, we stayed at Casa Don Jose–located in a residential area about a five minute walk from center–where about 110 soles (about US$30) got us a small but clean and warm room with a heater and a decent bed plus breakfast, Wi-Fi, helpful staff members, use of a shared kitchen, and a parking area.

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