Lake Titicaca & Surrounding Region Travel Guide

Although Puno yet looks like another unfinished city in Peru, it got character. Booming nightlife on Friday and Saturday and during the day you could visit some of the ruins or villages around Puno or go to the Islands on the Lake titicaca.. (floating islands and Isla Taquile are cool and easy to get to either independent or with a tour) 

A cute little town with a good nightlife, but not too much to keep the traveller there for a long time. The Islas Los Uros (aka Islas Flotantes) although very touristy, are well worth a visit as they are so unique. I have heard stories about the other islands we missed saying that the homestay situations can be awkward cause they try to get you to dress in traditional clothes, in a dress like Snow White in Disney land sort of thing and is detrimental to the culture. We did go to Isla Del Sol off Copacabana and it was absolutely amazing. Hiked the whole island and definitly reccomend it. If you want a splurge you can get to Cuzco via several ruins with a guide on a plushy tour bus for $25. Colectur takes you quite reasonably to Copacabana through the border. You have to pay 1 Boliviano to get into Copacabana, but nothing to the border gaurds when you are crossing.

Poor Puno. I met some travelers who had taken to calling it "Poo? No!" It is an ugly duckling that might never outgrow the "ugly," but it was somehow endearing. The Calle Lima is packed with touts, the cityscape itself leaves much to be desired, but still, I didn't completely hate it here as so many seem to do. Maybe that's because on the bus ride there, we stopped in Juliaca, and I thought that it might be Puno. And once you've been to Juliaca, Puno is a definite improvement. Check out the labyrinthine mercado central for a bit of fun, and of course, go down to the lake (like you'd do anything else in Puno...that's the whole reason to go, anyway). Hop a ride in one of the thousands of trici-taxis for a fun, bumpy ride down to the dock. The small Museo Carlos Dreyer is a nice little diversion on a rainy day, too. Give Puno a fair shake!