On our third weekend in Cusco we decided to take a weekend trip to the nearby city of Puno, which lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We took a short overnight bus (only six hours) to Puno and spent three nights there in total. Lake Titicaca is a massive lake that borders Bolivia and Peru, and it’s famous for being the highest navigable lake in the world (Puno is even higher than Cusco and sits at 12,556 feet of elevation). Puno is most famous for Lake Titicaca, but there are also some other nearby ruins and points of interest, and it’s a lively town with frequent parades and festivals (we learned that every weekend a different school puts on a parade).
We arrived early in the morning after our overnight bus, and after taking a quick nap we decided to do a tour of the Uros Floating Islands. The Uros Floating Islands are a series of 87 islands fairly close to Puno that are built entirely of reeds called totora reeds. The islands are arguably the lake’s most famous attraction, which was quickly made clear by the masses of tourists and tourist boats. Although in theory this is a very interesting place with a rich history, it has unfortunately become a place that is completely curated for tourists in a somewhat uncomfortable and inauthentic way. It appears that the islanders are putting on a show for tourists and don’t actually live on the islands we toured. They tried to get the tourists to wear their traditional clothing and were extremely persistent in convincing visitors to buy their goods. Although we like to support the local people and tourism, this felt overly pushy and uncomfortable.
In the afternoon we ventured to some nearby ruins called Sillustani. The ruins consist of above-ground tombs that are shaped like towers and were used by the Aymara people (who predate the Incans). The ruins were also scenically located on the shores of another (much smaller) lake and were quite beautiful and interesting.
The following day we did an all day tour to an island called Taquile. We were initially thinking of doing a home-stay but after our experience on the floating islands decided not to. Unfortunately we somehow got roped into a tour that did yet another stop at the floating islands, so we saw nearly the same presentation as the day before. We then continued on to Taquile via boat. Although Taquile is not very far away in terms of distance (only 45 kilometers), the boats on Lake Titicaca are extremely slow so it took about two and a half hours to get there. Once we got to Taquile we climbed to the top and walked around the island until we got to a spot for lunch. Taquile is famous for its textiles and knitting (which is only done by men) and beautiful views of the lake.
Taquile 
View of the lake from the top of Taquile 
There was a very nice pathway that went around the island 
Buckling up for the journey home!
On our last day in Puno we had our hotel arrange for a driver to take us to the nearby city of Juli and the surrounding sites. We visited some other towns along the lake, churches, and a strange and mystical site called Aramu Muru. The site has a mystical doorway, and according to our driver people appear and disappear in this doorway. Although it was interesting to hear about the local legends, the main attraction for us was the beautiful setting and rock formations.
The mystical doorway at Aramu Muru 
Beautiful area surrounding Aramu Muru
The following day it was time to say goodbye to Puno and take the bus back to Cusco!
SPICY BONUS PICS
These delicious-looking gelatinous orbs were this bar’s version of “mojitos” 
View of Puno from the lake
Looks amazing! No sandwich? 🙂
The sandwich eating pictures were too powerful this time. We didn’t want to move our whole audience to tears quite yet.
What’s up with only men knitters? Also, I am cancelling my trip to the Uros Floating Islands.
Wonderful rock formations at Aramu Muru! Looking forward to your next post! And I am with Michael wondering why only men knit.