Exploring Lake Titicaca & Puno, Peru
With Quechua women on Amantani Island - Lake Titicaca
LAKE TITICACA / PUNO:
Puno, the gateway to Lake Titicaca, is a vibrant city in southern Peru. With a strong local presence, many tourists use it as a base for a day or two. I opted for slow travel and spent 4 nights here (which was more than sufficient). At over 12,500 ft (3,810 m) above sea level, Lake Titicaca is recognized as the highest navigable lake in the world. It is the largest freshwater lake in South America, with borders in Peru and Bolivia. Puno itself is culturally rich with frequent festivals with music and dancing. While I was there in June, it happened to be the winter equinox and there were several days of dancing and music and parades in the streets and indoors as well.
Trip BACKGROUND:
Peru… A bucket list trip for many - self included! Peru is an extremely culturally rich and colorful country. Tourism is a pillar of the Peruvian economy; there was no shortage of ‘goods’ for sale to visitors, particularly throughout the Sacred Valley, and in Puno and Lake Titicaca. The people overall were very friendly and kind. My limited Spanish served to support me in connecting with Peruvians - which is always one of my intentions with travel. However, hotels and tours are accommodating to English speakers.
I spent 3 weeks in total in Peru. It was a mix of my own planning and using a travel agency for logistics, transfers and entrances. However, I booked my own accommodations.
I used Machu Picchu Center for creating an itinerary to travel from Arequipa through the Colca Canyon to Puno and Lake Titicaca, and ultimately to Cusco. They were easy to work with, all planned via email and WhatsApp; they also were easy going with some last minute changes. While you can piece together tours and transfers from other places like Viator, I liked that I had access to all plans in 1 place. The only consideration is that its with a general group, not an intimate group.
My itinerary:
Lima: 2 days (definitely could have spent 3-4 days taking it slow)
Arequipa: 2 days (definitely could have stayed longer)
Puno / Lake Titicaca: 4 days (sufficient)
Cusco: 2 days (definitely could have stayed/gone back, but chose not to)
Pisac: 4 days (took a pause here; nice to see, but could skip)
Sacred Valley / Ollantaytambo: 1 week (a mix of solo retreats, ease & Machu Picchu).
In June it was FREEZING (40s F) and while I had layers, I couldn’t resist supporting the locals and buying some alpaca sweaters and scarves. All tours and experiences I went on were organized and large group. Not always my favorite travel style, but in this situation, being solo and wanting to see and experience, group tours were the logical way.
Do
The most popular activity is visiting Lake Titicaca. Tours are necessary; many visit daily and can be arranged through the Machu Picchu Center (who also helped accommodate and adjust some of my travel plans); they’re also readily available in Puno and through other sources. As the boats were packed full, it seems like many tours are aggregated together so unless you’re doing a private tour, you’ll be with a big group of people.
Floating Uros Island - Lake Titicaca
The tour I experienced consisted of a long boat ride to one of the Floating Uros Islands, which are a marvel - completely manmade from totora roots and reeds. We met several families (there were about 20 people total living on this island, including small children) and learned about how they make the islands and keep them strong. They also had a variety of handmade goods for sale. Photos captured don’t do it justice.
Uros women with their handmade textiles
We then continued on to Amantani Island which is the 2nd largest natural island in Lake Titicaca (the largest island on the Peruvian side; the largest Island is Isla del Sol on the Bolivian side). There, we hiked up a considerable hill while being guided and learning about the history of island and the Quechua people of the island. We had lunch before visiting their market with local goods made from alpaca. We also experienced a performance and joined in the dancing. You can sense their pride in what they achieve, and how they continue to live minimally. I bought a cute hat as a both a souvenir and my way of supporting them.
Quechua men on Amantani Island
For reference, the boat rides are calm yet long. It took over an hour to get to the Uros island then another hour + to Amantani; returning was well over 2 hours. It was an all day adventure.
The Quechua men wear the satchels, typically a gift from a loved one, to store their coca leaves. Their head pieces are representative of their marital status; the colors and positioning to the left indicate they're married/not available.
Muna tea - straight from the plant! Traditionally served after meals to aid digestion. Muna is an Andean mint tea with a lovely aroma and taste.
There are many optional experiences including staying overnight on the islands with a local family. There also are several accommodations positioned on the water as well. I chose to stay in town for ease and to be able to explore as well through walking.
From Puno, many also explore other archeological sites. I took a guided tour to Sillustani which is a pre-Inca cemetery on the shores of Lake Umayo. The main 'attraction’ is the tombs, which are built above ground in tower-like structures
Walking around the town of Puno offers a peek into local life, with an abundance of stores, small restaurants and then my favorite, several long blocks closed off for the market - where an abundance of fruits and vegetables were available. There was also a section with clothes and other homegoods.
EAT
I visited Cafe Bar de la Casa del Corregidor twice, once for lunch and another time I went for a slow morning to write and have coffee. I love the layout, both the courtyard and cozy yet decorative interior. They have an extensive coffee menu, which was great to try a mokapot for the first time! The music is also a vibe.
With the cool temperatures, I naturally craved comfort foods and warm, heartier dishes Fortunately, I was in the right place, as there were an abundance of options in the various restaurants.
I ate at Mojsa Restaurante, which is a super popular place with both tourists and Peruvians alike. Homey, cozy and energized with a buzz from the chatter, it provided a lovely backdrop as I enjoyed my tender lomo (steak).
Two other evenings I ventured to La Casona Restaurant (situated on the 2nd floor) as I enjoyed both the ambiance and the food; the menu was quite expansive as well. Shown below, one night I dined on trout (trucha) which is a very popular fish throughout Peru (and in Argentina too); the other night alpaca. The chimichurri was the perfect complement to both the trout and alpaca steak. Oh and the America’s Cup was on in the background ;)
Misc:
~ Water throughout Peru is not safe for drinking consumption. It is ok for brushing your teeth and showering though.
~ The markets are abundant with goods, typically sweaters, ponchos, bags and home goods. You’ll see a lot of the same items over and over. Prices will vary too. I was surprised, that prices for a lot of things were better in Cusco, Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Everything is negotiable.
~ Language: Spanish, Quechua (native) and English in tourist spots
~ The altitude can be a doozy. Apart from Lima, every place I visited was substantially above sea level. Puno and Lake Titicaca are over 12,500 ft (3,810 m). I had already been considerably above sea level with my prior destinations. However, it was still important to drink lots of water, electrolytes are worth packing and also if you’re in to the natural alternatives, there’s herbal tablets available in the local pharmacies that have turmeric and coca candies and leaves are readily available that can help.
How I stayed connected to myself/ how I stayed grounded/ how I stayed healthy
~ Drink a lot of water and electrolytes (that I brought from the U.S.) I took snacks with me on the tours as it also helped to have small bites to eat throughout the day.
~ Taking a few minutes before getting out of bed to mediate, thank God and check in with myself and my body before getting up.
Intention for the trip: To be open and present to the energy, and learn more about the Uros .
WHAT SPARKED JOY ON THIS JOURNEY?
~ I met 2 lovely women (separately). We struck up conversations - one at dinner and another at the cute coffee shop/restaurant pictured above. The one was a Peruvian from Lima; we spoke Spanish which is always my intention when in Spanish speaking countries to speak it as much as possible (and she was complimentary, which is always a win!). The other woman was from Australia, also traveling solo. Our paths crossed again on our way to Cusco, we met up in Cusco and then randomly saw each other in Ollantaytambo, which was nice to see a familiar face.
