Lake Titicaca - Peru - page 382

6pm. Services run on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from November to March, with
an extra departure on Friday from April to October. Tickets can be purchased online.
BORDER CROSSING: BOLIVIA
There are two viable routes from Puno to Bolivia. The north-shore route is very much off the beaten track and
rarely used. There are two ways to go via the south shore: through either Yunguyo or Desaguadero. The only reas-
on to go via Desaguadero is if you're pressed for time. The Yunguyo route is safer, prettier and far more popular;
it passes through the chilled-out Bolivian lakeshore town of Copacabana, from where Isla del Sol - arguably the
most significant site in Andean mythology - can be visited.
US citizens have to pay US$135 cash in US dollars for a tourist visa to enter Bolivia. This can be done at the
border. Also, there's a Bolivian consulate in Puno ( Click here ).
Note that Peruvian time is one hour behind Bolivian time, and Bolivian border agents often charge an unofficial
B$30 (collaboration fee) to use the border. Always keep your backpack with you when crossing the border.
Via Yunguyo toward Copacabana
There are two ways to do this.
The quickest and easiest way is with a cross-border bus company such as Perú Tour or Ormeño ( 36-8176;
www.grupo-ormeno.com.pe ) . Purchase tickets at the terminal at least one day in advance. The service stops at a
casa de cambio (exchange bureau) at the border and waits for passengers to check through before continuing to
Copacabana (S25, three to four hours). Here, another bus that's waiting can take you straight to La Paz (B$30, 3½
hours).
The other alternative is catching local transport - micros - from the terminal zonál . This slow method of trans-
port is only recommended if you want to stop at some or all of the south-shore towns ( Click here ). Leave early
(as early as 8am) to allow enough time. Between towns, micros are regular, especially on Sunday, the market day
in both Juli and Yunguyo. It's a great way to get off the beaten track and rub shoulders with locals.
Yunguyo is the end of the line. Catch a triciclo to Kasani or cross on foot - it's a pleasant 2km along Av Ejér-
cito. The casas de cambio here offer a better exchange rate than their Bolivian counterparts.
First visit the Peruvian police, followed by Control Migratorio (Immigration Office) on the left. Walk to the
arch and the 'Welcome to Bolivia' sign for Bolivian immigration services.
A combi to Copacabana is B$3. Combis leave more frequently on Sunday; on weekdays you may have to wait
up to an hour. If you are inclined to walk the 8km, it's a straightforward stroll around the lake.
The border is open from 7:30am until 6pm, Peruvian time.
Via Desaguadero toward La Paz
If you're going straight from Puno to La Paz, unsavory Desaguadero is faster, slightly cheaper and more direct
than Yunguyo. It's also less scenic and less safe. Avoid spending the night in Desaguadero.
Combis leave Puno's terminal zonal for Desaguadero (S8, 2½ hours) throughout the day.