Lake Titicaca - Peru - page 390

Getting There & Away
Ferries (round-trip S30; admission to island S5) leave from the Puno port for Amantaní at
8am every day. There are departures from Amantani to Taquile and Puno around 4pm
every day - check, though, as times vary - and sometimes from Amantani to Puno around
8am, depending on demand.
ISLA SUASI
On the northeastern part of the lake, this beautiful solar-powered island offers a total re-
treat into nature. The only privately owned island on Titicaca, it has been leased long term
by a luxury hotel. Remote ecolodge Casa Andina Isla Suasi ( 1-213-9739;
www.casa-andina.com ; per person all-inclusive 2-days/1-night S1090) is as exclusive as
resorts get. Terraced rooms are well-appointed, with down duvets, fireplaces, peaked ceil-
ings and lake views. With lush flower gardens, trails, wild vicuña (relatives of llamas) and
spots for swimming (yes, people do swim here!), it's unique in the region for presenting
more of a nature experience than a cultural one. Spa treatments and steam saunas with eu-
calyptus leaves provide a little pampering. With games, canoes and guide-led activities,
it's also a great destination for families. The island is a five-hour boat trip from Puno or
over a three-hour drive on dirt roads, with a short boat transfer from Cambria. A US$12
entry fee (included in lodging fees) helps local conservation projects.
The hotel provides daily transfers at 7:30am for guests from the pier in Puno, with stops
to visit the Uros Islands and Isla Taquile .
Capachica Peninsula & Around
Poking far out into the northwestern part of the lake, midway between Juliaca and Puno,
the Capachica Peninsula has the same beauty as the lake islands but without the crowds
and commercial bent. Each pueblito (tiny town) boasts its own glorious scenery, ranging
from pastoral and pretty to coweringly majestic. A few days here among the local people
- handsome, dignified men in vests and black hats, and shy, smiling women in intricate
headgear - with nothing to do but eat well, climb hills and trees, and stare at the lake, can
provide a real retreat. Homestay is the only accommodation on offer and a major element
of the fun.
Strung along the peninsula between the towns of Capachica and Llachón, the villages
of Ccotos and Chifrón are linked by deserted, eminently walkable dirt roads and lacka-
daisical bus services (it's generally quicker to walk over the hill than drive around by the