Blueprint Travelers - Travel Site
  • Destinations

    Latin America

    Argentina
    Bolivia
    Brazil
    Chile
    Colombia
    Ecuador
    Mexico
    Paraguay
    Peru
    Uruguay

    Oceania

    Australia
    New Zealand
    All Destinations
  • Resources
    • Itineraries
    • Travel + Hiking Gear Staples
  • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • Work With Us
    • Our Travel Journal
  • Contact Us
Need help planning your next vacation? Reach out to us and we can help you with your future adventure
Font ResizerAa
Blueprint Travelers - Travel SiteBlueprint Travelers - Travel Site
Search your destination or topic...
  • Latin America
    • Argentina
    • Bolivia
    • Brazil
    • Chile
    • Colombia
    • Ecuador
    • Mexico
    • Paraguay
    • Peru
  • Oceania
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
  • Resources
    • All Our Itineraries
    • Contact Us
    • Travel + Hiking Gear Staples
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Work With Us
    • Our Travel Journal
Follow US
Blueprint Travelers - Travel Site > Peru > The Best of Lake Titicaca: A Peru and Bolivia Itinerary
BoliviaItineraryLake TiticacaLatin AmericaPeru

The Best of Lake Titicaca: A Peru and Bolivia Itinerary

How to best spend time on Lake Titicaca in both Peru and Bolivia. This includes how to visit islands and cross the border between Bolivia and Peru.

Last updated: July 11, 2025
10 Min Read
This post may contain affiliate links. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The pre-Incan farming terraces that are still used today by the inhabitants around Lake Titicaca
Jump to
Day 0: Getting to Copacabana, Bolivia on Lake TiticacaDay 1: Exploring Copacabana, Bolivia on Lake TiticacaDays 2 + 3: From Puno, Peru: Amantani Island HomestayOther Tours from Puno, Peru

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.

The view of a dock and a ferry carrying a bus on Lake Titicaca
Using Bolivia Hop to get to Copacabana from La Paz, Bolivia, which includes a ferry crossing on Lake Titicaca

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. 

The view from the top of a mountain of a town, beach, and dock on Lake Titicaca
View of Copacabana from Cerro El Calvario

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. 

Buildings at the base of an island in Lake Titicaca
Arriving to Isla del Sol

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. 

A fountain with two spouts of water on an island on Lake Titicaca
The fountain of youth on Isla del Sol

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. 

The view of water from a stone window in Lake Titicaca
The view out of Isla de Sol towards Isla de la Luna from the Sun Temple of the island

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. 

Our walk across the Bolivia-Peru border

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. 

The docks of Amantani Island with host families waiting

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)
Share This Article
Facebook LinkedIn Copy Link
Contents
Day 0: Getting to Copacabana, Bolivia on Lake TiticacaDay 1: Exploring Copacabana, Bolivia on Lake TiticacaDays 2 + 3: From Puno, Peru: Amantani Island HomestayOther Tours from Puno, Peru

You Might Also Like

Travel Blog

Update 29: World Class Dining and Much More in Lima, Peru

A turquoise and orange pond with steam rising from it in a Rotorua itinerary
New Zealand

The Ultimate Rotorua Itinerary: 3-Days of Culture, Volcanos and More

Peru

Your Guide to Transportation to Huacachina and Paracas from Lima

Travel Blog

Update 16: Traversing Los Lagos Chile to Reach Chiloé

About Blueprint Travelers

Blueprint Travelers was founded in 2023 by Kevin and Melina, avid travelers who decided to pack up their home and travel the world. They created this travel website to help and inspire others to make the most of their world travels, focusing on comfortable and cultural travel in South America, Australia and New Zealand.

All of the content that you will find on this website comes from first hand experience to make sure that the information is valuable and accurate. It includes destination itineraries, logistical explanations, and cultural observations. Overall, the goal of this website is to give you the blueprint to travel to the fullest! 

Read More About Who We Are

Join our newsletter

Once a week, we will send you an update on our travels along with some travel tips.

Wellington is both the political and culture capit Wellington is both the political and culture capital of New Zealand. It’s also the port city for the ferry that goes to the South Island, making it a hub for travelers going between the two islands. So what is there to do here?

🖼️ Museum Of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa @te_papa is the best place to go to get an understanding of New Zealand, including exhibits celebrating Māori history and culture

🎭 Cuba Street and the surrounding area is known for its bohemian and artistic flair. It is full of boutiques, restaurants, bars, cafes, and street performers. 

🦜 Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne @visit_zealandia is a native wildlife sanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand, focused on restoring the ecosystem of plants, birds, fish, reptiles, insects, etc that are native to New Zealand. 

🎥 Weta Workshop @wetaworkshop is a creative company that was used for the Lord of the Rings movies, developing the prosthetics, costumes, weapons, and creatures for the movies. They have daily tours to explain their creative process. 

⚖️ For those who are interested in how other countries operate, you can visit New Zealand’s parliament building in a free guided tour for anyone. 

And there’s even more on our website. 🔗 Link is in the bio. 

📍Wellington, North Island, New Zealand

#wellington #wellingtonnz #newzealandguide #newzealandtravelguide #newzealandtourism #newzealandtraveltips
The beautiful landscapes of the South Island of Ne The beautiful landscapes of the South Island of New Zealand: from the mountains 🏔️ to tropical beaches 🏝️

📍South Island, New Zealand

#southislandnewzealand #newzealandlandscape #newzealandlandscapephotography #newzealandtravel #newzealandtourism #visitnewzealand #tourismnewzealand #newsealandtravelguide #newzealandnature #southislandtourism
🏝️ Can you believe that this is New Zealand? 🏝️ Can you believe that this is New Zealand?

✅ Tropical rainforest
✅ Secluded white sand beaches that you can hike to
✅ Gatorade cool blue colored water

In Abel Tasman National Park, you can hike to different beaches like this and indulge in a secluded paradise. You can read more about visiting the idyllic location on our website. 🔗 Link is in the bio. 

📍Abel Tasman National Park, South Island, New Zealand

#abeltasmannationalpark #abeltasmancoasttrack #newzealandbeaches #newzealandtravelguide #newzealandtrip #abeltasmanbeach #newzealandvacations #underrateddestinations #newzealandtravelblogger #travelphotography #newzealandfinds
Follow on Instagram

Search This Website:

Destinations:

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Ecuador
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Uruguay
Travel Article Archive

About Us:

About Us
Work With Us
Our Travel Journal
  • Social Media Links

Some links on our website are affiliate partners. If you choose to purchase through these links, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. By using them, you are directly supporting Blueprint Travelers to continue to provide resources that help you make the most of your travel adventure.

Copyright © 2025 Blueprint Travelers LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?