Puno is located at the Titicaca Lake on the Peruvian side and a bus ride takes about 7 hours from Cusco. There are buses during the day and at night. The night buses are very comfortable if you choose ‘cama’ with a seat that reclines 180 degrees. In Puno itself there’s not much to see, but it’s a great starting point to visit the floating islands on the highest navigable lake in the world! One weekend is enough to go and come back to Cusco. The altitude is at almost 4,000 meters and it’s pretty cold there, so don’t do this during your first weekend in Cusco!
Uros – one day
In one day you can visit the Uros floating islands completely built from the lake’s reeds and see the typical houses where people live. The tour takes about 3 hours in total to get to the island and get back to Puno, and you can choose to go in the morning or in the afternoon. The lake gives an incredible calm feeling and you’ll get the chance to take beautiful pictures. You can also choose to take a small trip on the reed boats called ‘Kontiki’ for 10 soles extra.
Included:
- Bus ‘cama’ back and forth to Puno
- Boat trips to and from the island
- Entrance fee to the island
- Bilingual guide
Price: 50 USD
Uros – Taquile – one day
If you want to visit two very different islands, then a day tour to Uros and Taquile is a very good option. You’ll be picked up at 7 am to go to the first island of the Uros by boat. Here you’ll see the typical houses and how the people live on this floating island. At 11 am you’ll arrive to the second island of Taquile and walk up to the center of the village. In the afternoon you will walk to the other side of the island for about an hour to see the beautiful nature, and then you’ll have your boat back to Puno and your bus back to Cusco in the evening.
Included:
- Bus ‘cama’ back and forth to Puno
- Boat trips to and from the islands
- Entrance fee to the islands
- Bilingual guide
Price: 65 USD
Uros – Taquile – Amantaní – 2 days (1 night)
If you have the time, I would recommend you to do this longer tour and stay one night with a local family on the Amantaní Island, where there’s no light pollution so you can see the stars very brightly and you’ll experience the basic life that people have there with no electricity and no hot water.
The tour starts at 7:30 am by boat and the first stop is the Uros floating islands. You can take a look inside the houses and see the traditional reed boats. In the afternoon you’ll arrive at the island of Amantaní where you’ll get lunch with the local families. The group will be split up to stay with different families. After lunch you can walk around the beautiful island and participate in cultural activities. You’ll have dinner with your host family and after that you’ll see a typical show of the local people.
The next day on your way back to Puno you’ll visit the island of Taquile, where you’ll walk from one side to the other and see the beautiful nature and local weavings. You’ll be back in Puno at around 4 pm on the second day and in the evening you’ll have your bus back to Cusco.
Included:
- Bus ‘cama’ to and from Puno
- Bilingual guide
- Boat trips from island to island
- Entrance fee for the islands
- 2 lunches, 1 breakfast, 1 dinner
- Accommodation with local family
