South America | On My Canvas

Puno and Lago Titicaca: Peru’s Most Magical Places [2024]

a child on a reed island on Islas_flotantes_de_los_Uros Lago Titicaca Perú

Covid-Related Travel Update Jan 2024 – Peru is now open to international travelers. And as per Supreme Decree 130-2022-PCM in Peru’s official gazette El Peruano, Covid entry requirements and all other regulations and restrictions were lifted from November 2022. You can also look at the official website of the Peru government for more information. My Peru travel visa guide for Indians is a recommended read.

Traveling in Puno and Lago Titicaca, Peru

When I was doing the Colca Canyon trek near Arequipa, a traveler asked me where I would be going next in Peru. I had heard about Puno and Lago Titicaca. Maybe Puno, I blurted out. She said there weren’t many things to do in Puno, that I could also visit Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, and that she was skipping Puno to travel Cusco.

When she said most travelers skip Lake Titicaca in Peru, I was thrilled. Though I visit both offbeat and touristy places, Peru has some of the coolest and remotest places to see. I wanted to explore all of them. And what could be more remote and chilly than Lago Titicaca? A little intimidated by the idea of being in the big city of Cusco or crowding up to see Machu Picchu, I reserved a bus ticket to Puno.

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What can I say about backpacking Peru that hasn’t been said before?

Rugged Andes peaks, turquoise glaciers, deep canyons, thick Amazon rainforests, an arid coastline, giant vultures soaring high, thousands of ethnicities and beliefs, roasted guinea pigs as delicacies, myriad colors in a single piece of cloth, Catholics and indigenous together in a household, bright fruits and vegetables, vast reserves of silver and gold, a lake as giant as an ocean, penis temples, centuries-old ruins, simple people trying to make ends meet — these are the things Peru reminds me of.

During the entire five weeks I was traveling in Peru, I was trying to comprehend the stupendous landscape rolling in front of me.

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I traveled from Cusco to Bolivia on an overnight bus, and Copacabana was, first, just a rest stop before La Paz. While I slept in the bus on an almost full bed, I kept an eye open as travelers had told me that the buses in Bolivia are theft-prone. The bus didn’t stop anywhere, and nothing unpleasant happened. Our minivan crossed into Bolivia, and though the bus driver was reluctant to bring us to Copacabana, he left us in the town( thanks to some Chilean travelers who almost made the fraud driver cry.)

After getting down at Plaza Sucre, I strode straight towards the Casa del Sol homestay that my travel friend Alison had finalized for our Copacabana stay. Things to do in Copacabana Bolivia were many, and she wanted to stay rooted in one place in this lakeside village of Bolivia. That was my first time in Bolivia, and I didn’t know that the country would later surprise me with its indigenous culture, delicious salteñas, historical sites, and relics, imposing mountains that never leave you alone, high cities, and the consumption of an insane amount of coca leaves to keep it all going.

Recommended Read: My Comprehensive Bolivia Travel Guide

I trudged up the cobbled lanes with my rucksack, passed by the main market, crossed the Basilica of the Virgin of Copacabana, turned to the left, and descended a very steep lane to find the homestay nestled in the sunshine for the weather was pleasant at that time of the year (March). I had been used to the high altitude (almost 3900 meters above sea level) for by then I had done many things in Peru, including exploring Cusco and visiting the many islands of Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian side (I had been on a South America backpacking trip for almost seven months).

Covid-Related Travel Update Jan 2024 – Peru is now open to international travelers. And as per Supreme Decree 130-2022-PCM in Peru’s official gazette El Peruano, Covid entry requirements and all other regulations and restrictions were lifted from November 2022. You can also look at the official website of the Peru government for more information. My Peru Visa guide for Indian citizens would be helpful, too.

Daring Colca Canyon, Peru

I did not know about the Colca Canyon in Peru until I reached Arequipa. When everyone in Arequipa asked me if I was going to do the Colca Canyon trek, I nodded. As a lazy researcher, I believe in improvised navigation. I had no idea what to see in Peru and went with the flow.

When I decided to do the Colca Canyon hike, I didn’t know Colca is twice as deep as Arizona’s Grand Canyon. The travel company with whom I booked a two-day Colca Canyon tour asked if I had any trekking experience; I thought about my recent Villarrica Volcano endeavor. I nodded. Though the volcano had improved my confidence, trekking into the 3,300 meters deep Colca sounded ambitious.

But without hiking Colca Canyon, my Arequipa visit would have been incomplete. So I paid 120 soles for the two-day hike, ate a heavy dinner, and hit the bed early.

Climbing Villarrica Volcano: because a friend asked me nicely

The alarm rang at 3:30 at night. I peeked out of my blanket into the dark dorm room and wondered why I had decided to hike the 2,800-meter high volcano. Just then Alison, my Canadian friend, who was sleeping on the lowest bunk bed opposite me, snoozed the alarm on her iPhone, mumbled something, opened her eyes for a second, and then pulled the blanket over her head again. She was the one who made me signup for the Villarrica Volcano hike, the active volcano that had erupted a year ago.

I shut the alarm and got out of bed. Alison followed me. Though November is a summer month in Chile, Pucon, a city in the lake region, wasn’t that warm, especially at that early hour of the day. After barely washing our faces with the cold water, we walked to the cherry tree in the hostel where ten other hikers were following the directions of the Volcan Villarrica tour guides. We wore a pair of waterproof trousers over our track pants and strapped our rucksack in which we carried the rest of the gear on our backs. Then the twelve of us walked to the minivan that was to drive us to Villarrica 30 kilometers out of town.

I don’t know if I felt secured or alarmed when Alejandro, one of our three tour guides, told us that after the eruption in 2015 the government had mandated that there should be a guide accompanying every four trekkers.

After driving for an hour, we reached the base of Villarrica. Even at that wee hour, the area was flooded with minivans and travelers who wanted to climb the volcano. Until then I didn’t know that climbing volcano Villarrica is the sole reason for some of the tourists to visit Pucon, the city which Lonely Planet refers to as the mecca for adventure sports. And why wouldn’t it be? You can do river rafting, kayaking, hiking, skiing, horseback riding, and so much more in the bustling lake town of Pucon. (as if there weren’t already enough things to do while backpacking South America.)

Recommended Read: My experiential travel guide to Chile

I craned my neck to look up to the summit. The twilight was dissolving away the darkness of the night. A rotund moon watched us from above. From its base, Rucapillán, or the house of the Pillán, (the Mapuche name of Volcano Villarrica) indeed looked like a superpower, an undefeatable giant.

Samaipata is easily one of my favorite places in Bolivia. Why? Maybe this quaint village in east Bolivia showed me how to slow down. Or perhaps the Bohemian attitude of Samaipata made me think about life differently. Or maybe the German, Dutch, and Arabs who have settled down in Samaipata taught me that home is where the heart is.

I cannot pinpoint on any one reason, but Samaipata, a lush town in the foothills of Andes, calmed me down. It is after all the resting place in the mountains (the meaning of Samaipata in Quechua).

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When I had stuffed myself with enough streetside potato empanadas, I flew from La Paz to Santa Cruz. My dream was to see the wild jaguars in the forests near Santa Cruz, amongst the many other things to do in Santa Cruz Bolivia.

Drifting off through a one-hour flight and waking up to chew upon the dry fruits that the Boliviana de Aviación attendant served, I landed at the Viru Viru international airport and hopped onto the airport shuttle to go to the central plaza. My travel friend was staying in a fancy hostel there.

As always, I had not read much about Santa Cruz. But my curiosity to talk to the local people makes up for my lethargic online research, mostly. In a casual conversation, the manager of the Santa Cruz airport shuttle told me that Bolivia was still furious about losing the Pacific coast to Chile. He added that the elite businessman and politicians of that wealthy city we were in had stopped caring as they were busy securing their bank balances.

And that is how I was introduced to Santa Cruz, a city where you would forget that you are in Bolivia, if not for the cholitas selling sinful salteñas on the roadside.

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Bolivia gives a visa on arrival to most western countries, to other South-American countries such as Chile and Peru, and India. But this on-arrival visa is only available at Santa Cruz and La Paz airports (and perhaps at a few land borders). The Bolivia visa on arrival for Indian citizens (and others) costs USD 55 (and sometimes even $120 or $160). You also need crisp currency notes else your money won’t be accepted.

As I was crossing into Bolivia via land, I decided to get a visa for Bolivia beforehand. I went to the Bolivian consulate in Cusco. The visa application process was fast; Bolivia visa for Indians is free; and I had the visa in an hour.

I have received mixed reviews about the visa on arrival in Bolivia from Indian travelers. It’s not surprising as getting visas for Indians is always a mixed experience. But posts and forums such as these shows that even citizens of other countries (and when I say other country I mean the US) are also struggling.

If you are planning to get a Bolivia visa on arrival, please confirm by calling the Bolivian consulate in your home country. Ask them about the requirements, prepare your documents, and in the above forum it is also suggested to fill an online application form and get it stamped by the nearest consulate.

Well, I just found it easier to get a Bolivia tourist visa for Indian citizens through the Bolivian consulate.

Must Read: My One-Stop Guide to Plan a Trip to South America

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Covid-Related Travel Update Jan 2024: Bolivia is now open to international travelers. As far as I have researched, Bolivia doesn’t seem to have any travel restrictions. Please do consult your local Bolivian embassy for precise information at the time of travel.

When I think of Bolivia, I remember stout, brick-red mountains. Women adorning traditional Bolivian clothes mending potatoes in fluorescent open fields. Bolivian men with wrinkled faces driving taxi up the steep streets and roads.

Potato and cheese empanadas being sold in kiosks on the streets in Bolivia. Bolivian soaps running on the television in local food courts.

People marching against the democratic government and Chile. Golden sunshine beaming in through the blue sky.

Enormous graffitis watching us from the walls of the big city of La Paz. The charismatic Uyuni salt flats and the blue lagoons sprinkled with pink flamingoes spread in the midst of the driest desert of the world. Tiny villages bustling with international tourists who went there looking for a simpler life from around the world.

The gorgeous high lake Titicaca where the indigenous Bolivian people first established themselves but now only a couple of thousand Bolivians live on the legendary islands on the lake. Sky trolleys flying people from their homes to run their chores in the administrative capital of La Paz. And the clingy high altitude that never leaves you oxygenated while you are traveling in Bolivia.

my chilean host mother in her house in castro chiloe

Covid-Related Travel Update, Jan 2024: Chile is open to international tourists. Visit the Chilean government’s official website for travel-related information and regulations. Don’t forget to read the government’s rules to be followed in public spaces here. My guide to Chile visa would be helpful for Indian citizens.

My Brave Host Mother in Chile

We were in September, and the sun had been hiding away for many days from Chiloé, a southern island of petite Chile. Rain thudded the brick-tiled roof unabashedly. I shivered after a shower on a cold evening in Castro. To avoid getting scolded by my host mother for not drying my hair well, I walked down to warm my head near the kitchen fire.

My host mother, who was already sitting at the round, wooden dining and sipping mate from her cup, called me to join her while patting the thick sofa cushion on her left. Perched on her right, the British volunteer, who was also teaching English to Chilean students with English Open Doors, rolled his eyes as he saw me accepting her invitation and approaching them. Respecting our usual friendly banter and rekindling the Indo-British feud, I threw some bad words in his direction.

Then as the three of us huddled at the dining and sipped tea in the cozy kitchen of our uninsulated home, my host mother told us that her brother had just come home to request some wine, and then she warned us not to trust him as he was an alcoholic.

Though I had seen her brother visit us every day, eat bread and cheese at the dining, drink wine, of which she kept a big bottle in her kitchen especially for him, I never realized he was an alcoholic. Maybe I was focusing on cracking the heavy Spanish that darted to and fro between the siblings.

But his alcoholism was not the devastating part of the story.

Unlike the US schools, we do not have a Spanish course or learn any foreign language at schools in India, especially in the small town where I studied. I grew up studying Hindi, English, and Sanskrit. I took a French language course during college, but a few classes and a French certificate was the farthest my foreign language aptitude took me to.

When I landed in Chile to teach English, I couldn’t even speak a few simple Spanish words coherently. I started living with a Chilean host mother who took upon herself to teach me the common Spanish phrases and words so we could communicate. Thus began my struggle of learning to speak Spanish in Chile.

I didn’t know then that the Spanish language would become one of my favorites, and also my third language.

Without trying to be melodramatic, I promise that if you start speaking even the most basic Spanish travel phrases when you are backpacking in South America, you would fall in love with this language; for Spanish is a passionate dialect. Spanish words and phrases cover almost every emotion; some of the feelings that can be described eloquently in Spanish are strangled by the lack of words in other languages I speak.