Lake Titicaca Islands

The classic islands: Uros, Amantani & Taquile

Titicaca’s vast expanse is itself a wonder, but even more fascinating are its islands, including the Floating Uros, where generations have chosen to live on squishy, manmade islands; and Amantaní and Taquile, beautiful outposts where inhabitants are master weavers.

In reality, the majority of those “living” on the Uros islands are Quechuas who in fact live at the lake’s edge, as they have for several decades, living off of tourism. There are some 50 islands in the Uros open to tourism; families sell handicrafts and souvenirs, and offer opportunities to go out in decorative boats made of reeds and even spend the night in rustic lodges. On both Amantaní and Taquile island dwellers run home-stays. Taquile is slightly more developed than Amantaní, although both still possess very rural and remote areas. Amantaní has become a low-key destination for backpackers.

The remote private island: Suasi

Uninhabited, privately owned Suasi Island, home to Casa Andina’s sophisticated solar-powered ecolodge, is a wholly unique island experience. It is not visited as part of island tours but rather as a destination unto itself (though for almost all visitors part of the visit is a stop en route to the Uros Islands and Taquile, with a private weaving demonstration and community visit at the latter.

For additional information about Suasi and how to stay at the ecolodge there, see the Isla Suasi section within this Destination Guide or visit the Casa Andina Private Collection – Suasi hotel section.

Puno
Visitors to Puno inevitably congregate on its main thoroughfare, Jr. Lima, which is lined with restaurants and bars, and the Plaza de Armas, home to the 18th-century Cathedral. Among the standout visits of Puno is the Dreyer Museum, which possesses a collection of pre-Inca and Inca ceramics, gold, textiles and stone sculptures, as well as artifacts and documents dating to the founding of Puno and Spanish colonial days. The museum is open daily from 9am to 6pm (entrance S/5, or USD 1.5).

Sillustani Archaeolgical Site
These pre-Inca chullpas (funeral towers) were left behind by the Colla people, who buried their elite in tall cylindrical tombs. If you think Inca stonemasonry is spectacular, wait until you see these examples of perfect engineering. The community social project Atuncolla, on the way to Sillustani, is well worth a visit, for a lunch stop and organized visit to the Sillustani chullpas along with community members.