Puno, Peru
After a couple days of amazing adventures and climb in Cusco, my friend and I headed to Puno, Peru to see Lake Titicaca. I love the name of the lake and had to see it for myself. Puno was the most relaxing vacation spot!
Day October 10
We arrived in Puno after riding the overnight bus (Transzela) from Cusco. The overnight bus was better than expected. I'm going to be completely honest, the bus station was not the best...it gave me doubts on the kind of bus I would be getting on. However, the Transzela bus was 2 levels and had seats that reclined way back ( almost like a bed). If you are looking for an inexpensive way to travel, this is it. Total cost for the 1 way bus ride was roughly $16. But be mindful that you will not get the best sleep.
We got on our boat to Isla Suasi Hotel in the main harbor which departs the harbor at 6:45am daily (only time you can catch it). We then got a great tour of the Uros Floating Island. It was really interesting to see how the Uros people built the island using all natural products from the Earth. It takes the local Quechuan people about 12-15 months to build the island and they live on it for about 20-25 years! We then took a boat ride on a boat the local Quechuan people made by hand to the next Uros Island. I found it completely amazing how people use natural resources and live off of the basic needs! They just recently began using technology like lamps and cellphones. It's times like this that I thank my parents for giving me the opportunity to live the life I have.
Next we took a tour of the Taquille Island. This island is biggest and most developed island in Lake Titicaca. We watched the local Quechuan people dance and learned how they made their traditional clothes. I loved seeing how they knit the beautiful textiles! The total tour was roughly 3.5 hours.
TIP: Dress warm because the temperatures in Puno are much colder! It was about 40 degrees farenheit in the middle of October.
TIP: Take sunscreen if you have sensitive skin. The sun on the island is very powerful! It gets really warm during the day.
TIP: Take your passport so you can get it stamped at Taquille Island for 1 sol!
TIP: If you are prone to sea sickness, take motion sickness medication. The waves got pretty choppy a few times.
After our amazing tour, we arrived at Island Suasi where our hotel was located. We walked up the hill and I saw the gates of the hotel followed by a lovely stone building with colorful flowers and greenery surrounding the building. I couldn't believe that was the hotel! I had to pinch myself and just soak it all up.
It's dead drop gorgeous!! The views are amazing and you can see many many miles of Lake Titicaca as well as other islands! The hotel was decorated perfectly, making you feel cozy and right at home. The hotel staff members were all really delightful and were available whenever we needed anything, even something as little as a hair dryer.
The best part of staying at Isla Suasi Hotel is that the tour is provided for you! There is no need to plan other tours (which can get really confusing when traveling abroad). They also have tons of other activities such as walking up to the peak to watch the sunset, bird watching, kayaking, and spa treatments.
Thank you so much for the amazing tour and stay Isla Suasi! I will never forget my time there!
Day 11 October 11
Woke up with an amazing view! I had to pinch myself again just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. My hotel room looked out to Lake Titicaca.
We started the stay off with a delicious breakfast buffet- mini pancake, bacon, cereal, yogurt, coffee, omelet with spinach ham cheese onion mushroom. Yuuuummmmmmm
After breakfast, we went to explore the island a little. We laid outside in the hammocks and read magazines while soaking up the sun. It was amazing!! I've never felt more relaxed like I did on this island!!
The hotel package includes two 3 course meals and breakfast during your stay. Talk about a lot of food!!! I don't eat 3 course meals on a daily basis so this was something totally new to my body. For lunch we enjoyed, chicken noodle soup, salmon with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, wine was also included. For dessert, I had custard.
To work off all the food we just ate, we decided to go canoeing on Lake Titicaca. We couldn't avoid the bushes so we paddled our way through ( I wish I caught that on camera- it was a good laugh). Best part about vacations are moments like that, laughing so hard to the point you cry.
After that we took a lovely walk up to the highest point of Island Isla Suasi to look at the sunset. It was a bit cloudy so we only caught a glimpse but it was still beautiful. On the way down we ran into a heard of cute alpacas! They even posed for us!
We relaxed in the lobby by the fire warming up after the walk. It felt so good to relax and do absolutely nothing but at the same time it felt a little weird. The hotel has such a relaxing vibe! I felt so calm and at ease the whole time.
For dinner we had another 3 course meal! One thing about Isla Suasi Hotel is that you will not go hungry! The food is absolutely amazing and presented/ served so well! We started off dinner with tomato soup, main dish was penne pasta with tomato sauce, desert was the traditional fruit of Peru, the passion fruit.
Day 12 October 12
Sad knowing this was our last day on the island, we relaxed in the hammocks again. We had another amazing breakfast then took a boat back to Puno. The hotel gave us a paper bag lunch- so cute!
Read more about Peru from my visit to Lima, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, and Cusco!
Photography by Ashley Gallerani