Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [154]
If you plan to visit during any of these festivals, either make reservations in advance or show up a few days early, and expect to pay premium rates for lodgings.
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A 10-minute walk west of the Plaza de Armas brings you to the top of Cerro Huajsapata, a little hill crowned by a white, larger-than-life statue of the first Inca, Manco Cápac. The view is excellent but robberies have been reported. The same applies to the Mirador del Condor, a lookout that rewards a stiff climb with fantastic views of brown, beehive-like Puno and the endless, shimmering lake beyond. Both can be seen from the plaza, and are helpfully signposted.
Tours
It pays to shop around for a tour operator in Puno. Agencies abound and competition is fierce, leading to touting in streets and bus terminals, undeliverable promises, and prices so low as to negate the possibility of profits for the people at the bottom of the totem pole. Several of the cheaper tour agencies have reputations for ripping off the islanders of Amantaní and Taquile, with whom travelers stay overnight, and whose living culture is one of the main selling points of these tours.
Island-hopping tours, even with the better agencies, are often disappointing: formulaic, lifeless and inflexible, the inevitable result of sheer numbers and repetition. Seeing the islands independently is recommended – you can wander around freely and spend longer in the places you like.
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THE YAVARI PROJECT
The much-loved Yavari (36-9329; www.yavari.org; admission by donation; 8am-5pm) is the oldest steamship on Lake Titicaca. In 1862 the Yavari and its sister ship, the Yapura, were built in Birmingham, England, of iron parts – a total of 2766 for the two vessels. These were shipped around Cape Horn to Arica, in what is now northern Chile, from where they were moved by train to Tacna, before being hauled by mule over the Andes to Puno – an incredible undertaking that took six years to complete.
The ships were assembled in Puno and the Yavari was launched on Christmas Day 1870. The Yapura was later renamed the BAP Puno and became a Peruvian Navy medical ship; it can still be seen in Puno. Both had coal-powered steam engines, but due to a shortage of coal, the engines were fuelled with dried llama dung! In 1914 the Yavari was further modified with a unique Bolinder four-cylinder, hot-bulb, semidiesel engine.
After long years of service, the ship was decommissioned by the Peruvian Navy and the hull was left to rust on the lakeshore. In 1982, Englishwoman Meriel Larken visited the forgotten boat and decided it was a piece of history that could and should be saved. She formed the Yavari Project to buy and restore the vessel.
Now open as a museum, the Yavari is moored behind the Sonesta Posada Hotel del Inca, about 5km from the center of town, on the way out to Isla Esteves and swanky Hotel Libertador (catch the red bus heading northbound along Av El Sol, S0.60). The devoted crew – the shortest serving staff member has worked here for 11 years – happily gives guided tours of the ship. With prior notice, enthusiasts may be able to see the engine fired up. In 1999, to mark the restoration of its engine, the Yavari left port under her own power for the first time in nearly half a century, and now test drives across the lake seven times a year. There are even rumors of her being turned into a floating hotel.
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Our research indicates that the following agencies live up to their reputations for equitable treatment of islanders, as well as satisfying customers:
All Ways Travel (35-3979; www.titicacaperu.com; Deustua 576, 2nd fl)
Edgar Adventures (35-3444; www.edgaradventures.com;