Puno to Arequipa – Our Peru Cross-Country Road Trip Continues

We left Puno at 8am, without stopping for breakfast, as we wanted to get on the road to ensure we arrived in Arequipa before nightfall. The trip is about 300 kilometers, but takes between four and six hours.

After stopping in Juliaca for a quick breakfast – lamb soup for Nando and bread and jam for the less adventurous among us – we got on the highway towards Arequipa. The first sign read “Santa Lucia 53 km.” so we knew we were on the right road. The road to Arequipa from Juliaca is well-maintained, and, for the first 100 kilometers, the route is flat and straight, meaning you can travel at 100 km/hr. However, once you are close to the beautiful lagoon called Lagunillas, the road begins to twist and turn, and you have to slow down. The scenery includes golden hills dotted with boulders, clear blue skies, and the occasional lagoon.

Mucho of the trip is alongside the railway lines

Lots of golden fields and hills

We stopped at the overlook for Lagunillas, where there were two alpacas and a llama grazing, in addition to several people selling handicrafts. We purchased a colorful alpaca blanket that I think will look nice in our living room. Just after that lagoon, we saw a smaller lagoon filled with flamingos. Kind of crazy to see flamingos at over 4000 meters above sea level. The indicators on the side of the road told us we were about 200 kilometers from Arequipa. As it was 11:15 am, it was clear we wouldn’t make it to Arequipa in time for lunch.

Alto Lagunillas and a llama

Alto Lagunilla

4413 meters above sea level

The road continued to twist and turn, and go up and down mountains, bordered by snow-capped peaks in the distance. We saw lots of llamas and alpacas, the occasional vicuna, but few people or houses. There were some villages where the alpaca and llama herders live, but not many. At 4528 meters above sea level, and Kilometer 190, for example, we came across the town of Crucero Alto. We were still on the altiplano, with no sign of going down the mountain. In Peru, at about 5000 meters above sea level, you are in nevado territory – where ice and snow persist year-round. We weren’t quite there, but it was clear from the ice on the side of the road that it dips below freezing at night. During the day, however, the sun warms everything up and I could get out of the car without my fleece jacket.

Shortly after passing the town Imata, at Kilometer 148, we saw a sign that said “Mirador” next to huge rock formations. We turned off the road and went to check them out. The rock formations were amazing. We couldn’t figure out how the rock formations developed, especially since, in some cases, larger rocks sat on top of smaller ones. There wasn’t a name that indicated what the place was called, but a few kilometers after the rocks, we saw a small village called Pillones.

Huge rock formations in the middle of the high desert

A valley of boulders

We continued our way across the altiplano, wondering when we would begin our descent towards Arequipa. Around Kilometer 125, we found our answer, and began to go down the mountain towards Arequipa. Around the same time, we also caught a glimpse of Misti – a huge volcano close to Arequipa. It was past noon, and we were getting hungry, but there were no restaurants in sight, just mountains and more mountains.

A Volcano - we must be close to Arequipa!

We came upon a toll booth about 100 kilometers outside of Arequipa, but the only thing they had for lunch there was chicharron de alpaca – fried alpaca. We decided to keep going and the kids were content with some jello cups we were able to buy on the side of the road.

When we made it to Arequipa, it was 2:30pm, which means that most places no longer serve lunch. We decided to go to a shopping mall, as I figured they would have a food court. They did, and we were able to get a meal. Nando and the kids had Chinese food, but I went for pollo a la brasa, as I try to eat only Peruvian food while in Peru, since Peruvian food is so good.

We made it to our hotel – Hotel el Peral – and were pleased to find that the hotel is clean, sunny, and pleasant. I had made the booking online so wasn’t sure how nice it would be. Nando and I left the kids in the hotel room, as they wanted to hang out there, and went to walk around the Plaza before nightfall. Arequipa is a beautiful city, with a massive cathedral, a gorgeous plaza, and several historic buildings. Unlike Cusco, the Spanish influence is much more evident than the Incan influence. Nevertheless, the city is quite beautiful.

We had dinner at a small restaurant near the hotel serving cena for 4 soles, and it was tasty. As Arequipa is a nice city and we need to do laundry, we will hang out here in the morning before continuing our journey towards Lima. We are not sure where we will spend the night, as Camana is too close at 2 and a half hours away, and Ica is too far at 7 hours away. If we don’t find anything between Camana and Ica, we will spend the night in Nazca, which is about 5 and a half hours from Arequipa.

A Trip to the Floating Islands of Urus in Lake Titicaca

Around 9am on Tuesday morning, we set out from our hotel in the center of Puno towards the pier, where you can take a boat ride to visit one of the islands of Lago Titicaca, also spelled Lago Titiqaqa.

My daughters were happy to be able to take a tricycle taxi to the pier. It is hard to imagine the shape you have to be in to be able to drive one of these taxis, especially since Puno is at 3,860 meters above sea level.

Raymi, Soraya, and Tatiana on a tricycle taxi in Puno

On the Peruvian side of Lago Titicaca, you can visit the Urus floating islands, the island of Taquile, and Amantani island. From the Bolivian side, you can visit the Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. The visit to the Urus islands can be completed in a morning or an afternoon, whereas the visit to the other islands takes longer. The best way to visit Taquile and Amantani is to take a boat ride to Taquile, where you spend the night, and then to Amantani for lunch. The overnight trip is very affordable if you buy your tickets on the pier, where it costs just 30 soles per person for lodging and food. We have done that trip before, so decided to just take the girls to see the floating Urus Islands.

Me - on the way to Urus

The boat ride to the Urus Islands lasts less than 30 minutes, so I was sure the kids wouldn’t get bored on the boat ride. They didn’t and were happy to be on the lake and especially to ride on the upper portion of the motorboat.

Once we got to the islands, one of the people there explained a bit to us about his customs, traditions, and lifestyle. He told us that his ancestors decided to build these floating islands to escape the Spanish conquest. Nearly five centuries ago, an Aymaran couple went out to Lake Titicaca and built an island for themselves to live on, made out of reeds. Since then, people have lived on these islands, carrying on their traditions of living in houses made of reeds, wearing typical clothes, and speaking Aymara. Over the years, they have become somewhat modernized, changing the style of their houses, learning to speak Spanish, and wearing shoes. In addition, the Peruvian government has installed a medical clinic and an elementary school to serve the island. Today, their primary source of income is tourism. However, some islanders prefer not to receive tourists on their islands and continue to live as their ancestors did.

Traditional reed house on a small floating island

The Aymara women and girl who received us on their island

We all listened attentively as our guide explained their lifestyle. It is somewhat hard to believe that people would prefer to live on floating islands made of reeds, but I suppose there are many reasons why they would continue to live there – the livelihood they can earn from tourism being one and the maintenance of their culture and traditions being another. The guide did mention that rheumatism is a problem in the elderly because the islands are fairly damp. After our introduction to the island, the people who lived on the small island we visited took us to their homes and showed us their handicrafts. The kids wanted to take home a souvenir, so we bought a few items to take with us.

Raymi posing with the girls who sell handicraft

The next item on our agenda was a boat ride in a reed boat to the capital of the Urus Islands – Hatun Pacha – where we had the opportunity to have a tasty lunch of fried trout and check out some more of the reed islands. After lunch, we got back onto the motorboat and headed back to Puno.

Raymi, Soraya, and Tatiana on the reed boat

Nando, on the reed boat

An Aymara woman pulling a boat to shore

Admiring Lago Titicaca

Tatiana - on Urus Island

Our motorboat

Once we were back on the mainland, my daughters saw paddleboats in the shape of dragons and swans and couldn’t resist the opportunity to get back on the water again. As the boat rides were only six soles for three of them, we relented and let them take a ride on the lake. When they were finished, of course, everyone was ready for a snack, so we found a bakery where I had a chicken empanada and a leche asada and the kids had some sort of filled donut that was loaded with sugar.

Our next stop was the Plaza, where the kids could engage in their favorite city pastime - pigeon-catching. They entertained themselves with that while Nando and I watched people walking through the Plaza. I noticed that in Puno more women wear traditional clothing than in other Peruvian cities. However, this seems to be a dying tradition, as I saw many families where the grandmother wore her traditional garb, while her daughter and granddaughter wore jeans or slacks. On the Urus Islands, on the other hand, people young and old wore traditional clothing and spoke more Aymara than Spanish.

A family in Puno - only the grandmother wears the traditional attire

Plaza de Armas, Puno, Peru

After all that walking and riding around, we were ready for dinner. The kids wanted pizza, so we went to one of the many pizzerias – Ukuku’s. The pizza was not very good, but my aji de gallina (peppered chicken stew) was tasty. We went back to our cheap, but reasonably comfortable hotel – Presidente Inn – and went to sleep.

We wanted to get plenty of rest in preparation for our drive to Arequipa the following day. At this point, we are heading back to Lima, via Arequipa.

It has been good to travel around different cities, towns, and villages of the Andes, both as experiences for the kids, as well as for me to think about my current and future research. At some point, once I finish up all my other ongoing projects, I think it would be useful to do a comparative study on racism within Peru – looking at the Andean, mestizo, and Afro-Peruvian populations.

Driving from Cusco to Puno – 400 kilometers across the Altiplano

The drive from Cusco to Puno took us all day, with two stops along the way at Sicuani and the Hot Springs of Occobamba. We left Cusco at 9:45am and didn’t arrive in Puno until 6pm. It probably took us about six hours of driving.

The first part of the drive is in a valley along the Rio Vilcanota. This part of drive is flat – you stay at about 3000 meters above sea level for most of the way. The Vilcanota River affords a scenic view for most of the way.

Vilacanota River

Going up towards the altiplano

We stopped in Sicuani for lunch, to buy a few provisions, and to fill up our gas tank. The market in Sicuani is colorful, and we had a tasty lunch just across the street from the market with minestrone soup and a small piece of fried trout for S/3.50 – less than US$2. Although in Sicuani for just a short time, we left with the impression that it is a friendly place.

Fruit market at Sicuani

Shortly after leaving Sicuani, we began to go up to higher elevation. About 15 minutes outside of Sicuani, we came upon a site with hot springs. None of us really wanted to get wet, as it was quite cold, but we stopped to have a look. I was intrigued by the sign “Smallest Volcano in the World,” and we paid the S/2 to get in and see it. The hot springs turned out to be quite nice and were full of local visitors, even on a Monday afternoon. The hot springs have a eucalyptus sauna, mud baths, hot springs showers, and communal and private hot tubs. Although tempted, we did not get in, but did have a look at the “volcano” as well as the bridge made of ropes.

The smallest volcano in the world

Aguas Calientes de Occobamba - 15 km after Sicuani

Enjoying the smallest volcano in the world

The kids enjoyed watching the bubbling water come out of the volcano and sliding back down the rock sides. They also liked going over the rope bridge, which leads to a small tunnel on the other side. I decided to get on the bridge, after the girls there assured me that no one had ever fallen off. I have to admit I was pretty scared to cross, especially as it started to swing.

Tatiana in the tunnel on the other side of the rope bridge

Bridge made of ropes at Occobamba

Girls playing on rope bridge

The girls enjoying the rope bridge

After the hot springs, we drove on towards Juliaca. After passing the Abra la Raya at 4338 meters above sea level, we were clearly on the altiplano. The good thing about being on the altiplano is that the road is largely flat, with golden fields; snow-capped peaks; red, gray, and brown mountains; and huge blue skies all the way.

The road gets flat on the altiplano

After driving and driving, we finally came to Juliaca, which is 40 kilometers from Puno. As it was getting late, we drove right through Juliaca, hoping to get to Puno before nightfall. It was a busy and colorful city, with plenty of moto taxis as well as bicycle taxis.

Juliaca at rush hour - bikes and carts everywhere

When we finally made it to Puno, the sun had just set and we began to look for a hotel. The first two we checked were full, but we were able to get a room at the Plaza Mayor. It’s more expensive than the hotels we usually stay in, so were treated to the luxury of heating, carpet, and a for-real hot shower where the water doesn’t run out after the first person takes a shower. Raymi begged for us to stay here for two nights, but it is outside of our budget at $80 a night, so we will move tomorrow to a hotel that is half the price, and likely doesn’t have all the comforts.

For now, however, we will enjoy the buffet breakfast full of juices, yogurt, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and all sorts of luxuries we don’t usually have. After a good breakfast, we will make our way to Lake Titicaca, where we will do a tour of the islands on the highest navigable lake in the world.