Lake Titicaca is a large lake at a high altitude. It straddles the border of Peru and Bolivia and both countries have a lot to offer on the lake. The following itinerary starts in Bolivia and ends in Peru. However, you can reverse the itinerary if you are going in the other direction.
The main two towns on Lake Titicaca are Copacabana, Bolivia, and Puno, Peru. These are the two main hubs from which all tours leave. We will talk about the main tours that you can find from each of these towns.
This guide will also go through the border crossing requirements from Bolivia to Peru. If you are from the United States and are looking to cross the border from Peru to Bolivia, you can read more about this experience and the requirements for the Bolivian visa here.
Day 0: Getting to Copacabana, Bolivia on Lake Titicaca
If you are trying to get to Copacabana, Bolivia, chances are, you are in La Paz or somewhere else in Bolivia already. The best way to get to Copacabana is via bus from La Paz. The best bus option that we found was using Bolivia Hop. They are a tourism company (started in Peru) that provides door-to-door bus services for tourists to different destinations in the country. Their buses run their routes once a day at the same time every day.
While there are bus routes that will take you to Puno, the time of the Bolivia Hop bus between Copacabana and Puno is not the best because it will not allow you to do a full-day tour of the lake on the day of your bus. The itinerary developed is for not using Bolivia Hop beyond Copacabana. However, we explain your options if you want to use Bolivia Hop for your entire transfer through the Lake Titicaca region.
Using Bolivia Hop
The Bolivia Hop company also provides tours at different destinations. This makes things very easy to plan things without doing additional research. However, if you have time to do additional bookings and research, there may be better tour options at these destinations.
The advantage of using Bolivia Hop is that it may allow you to combine Days 0 and 1 into a single, long day if you are shorter on time. You will get transferred early in the morning from La Paz to Copacabana, Bolivia. Then, you will visit Isla del Sol with the tour provided by Bolivia Hop. Finally, you will be transferred from Copacabana to Puno, Peru in the evening, arriving at your hotel in Puno around 9 PM.
Not Using Bolivia Hop
If you do not use Bolivia Hop’s tour and continued transportation to Puno, take the first day to relax and take in the town of Copacabana. You can hike up to Cerro El Calvario to get beautiful views of the lake and the town. It is a great spot to take in the sunset.
You will also want to set up your tour for the following day. You will have two tour options: one half-day tour of Isla del Sol and a full-day tour of Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. The advantage of having the second day at Copacabana is that you will have the time to do a full-day tour of the two islands.
Day 1: Exploring Copacabana, Bolivia on Lake Titicaca
The Half-Day Tour of Isla del Sol
The half-day tour of Isla del Sol, the largest island on Lake Titicaca, takes you from Copacabana to one dock on the Isla del Sol, allows you to hike up the island to see different archaeological sites including the Temple of the Sun, the Fountain of Youth, and the Incan Staircase, and finally picks you up from a different dock to take you back to Copacabana. The entire tour takes 4-4.5 hours and typically starts around 1 PM.
You can purchase a ticket for this tour at the docks or from the different tour agencies around the town of Copacabana. If using Bolivia Hop to get from La Paz-Copacabana-Puno in one day, you will want to purchase the tour directly with Bolivia Hop.
The tour that you purchase from the agencies or the docks may not include a tour guide. However, an Isla del Sol local typically sells a tour of the island on the boat. This tour is valuable if you do not know what you are looking at on the island and want someone to guide you from one dock to the next. We did the tour and found it to be valuable. You do need to bring cash to pay for this additional service.
At the end of the day, if you are not using Bolivia Hop (which leaves at 5 PM), you can take a bus around 6 PM to get to Puno. You can purchase these tickets at many tour agencies around town or online here.
The Full-Day Tour of Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna
The full-day tour out of Copacabana takes you to Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. It starts at 8:30 AM from the Copacabana docks and takes you first to Isla de la Luna. Here you will have an hour to tour the island. You can also spend the night on the island to explore more of the community. The next boat will arrive at the same time the next day.
After visiting Isla de la Luna, the boat will take you to Isla del Sol. Here you will have a couple of hours to tour the archeological sites of the island before returning to the boat. Later, some tours take you to white sand beaches of Yampupata on the lake where you can enjoy the views before returning to Copacabana.
At the end of the day, you can take a bus around 6 PM to get to Puno. You can purchase these tickets at many tour agencies around town or online here.
Bus Crossing the Bolivia-Peru Border to Puno, Peru
After your tour in Copacabana, you will take a bus between Bolivia and Peru, meaning you will cross a border. If you are going in the other direction, you will want to read about entering Bolivia and the Bolivia visa process for people from the United States here.
The buses that take people across the border know to stop at the different checkpoints. You will start by going through Bolivian customs where you will need to receive an exit stamp and fill out a customs declaration form.
Then, you will walk through the border to the Peruvian passport control and customs office. Here, you will receive an entry stamp for Peru. You want to ensure you get the exit stamp from Bolivia and the entry stamp from Peru! Then, you will hop back on your bus and continue until Puno, Peru.
Days 2 + 3: From Puno, Peru: Amantani Island Homestay
On these two days, you will be doing the Amantani Island Homestay (or other homestay option of your choosing). You can read more about Lake Titicaca’s homestays here.
If you are then continuing on to another town in Peru, you can take an overnight bus (via Peru Hop) to Cusco or Arequipa.
Other Tours from Puno, Peru
- Kayak to Uros Islands (Half Day)
- Visit Uros Islands (Half Day)
- Day trip to Amantani Island (Full Day)