Puno to La Paz via Lake Titicaca - suggestions?

i am going to go from Puno and arrive in La Paz (passing through Copacabana). I would like to travel by boat across Lake Titicaca and visit the floating islands and Isla del Sol, then arrive in Copacabana to continue on to La Paz.

Can anyone suggest the best way to visit Lake Titicaca? Is it possible to take a boat from Puno to Copacabana? How much does this cost?

If not, should I go by bus to Copa. then visit the Isla del Sol from there?

I am not sure which option is best but I would like to experience as much as possible without spending a fortune!! Thanks in advance.

I took a great day-trip boat tour (not expensive) that visited the Uros Indians on the floating islands they live on, then the Ilsa Taquile, which is beautiful & has soem interesting people living there (ate lunch on that Island).

Then the next day I took the bus form Puno, through Copacabana (bus stopped for lunch there)to La Paz. Part of the trip is still by boat. We had to get off the bus and take a ferry & the empty bus went on another ferry. The trip took all day & was a fun adventure. We got a flat tire in route and all had to get out for a while.

[ Edit: Edited at Aug 2, 2006 5:25 PM by Travel100 ]

I stayed in Puno and took a 2 day tour by boat to the Uros islands, Amantarni and Taquille. Did an overnight stay with a family on Amantarni which was fun tho not everyones cup of tea (take very warm clothes and expect only the basics- food and water). Lots of companies run these tours, so its easy to arrange from Puno or Cusco or anywhere.
Then I took a bus to Copacobana where you can stay o/n if u like, tho I didnt. You can then take a very nice boat ride to Isla del Sol and stay o/n if u like to hike- its beautiful, or just do a short day trip. Again its easy to organise once u get there. There are heaps of agencies in Copa.
The bus to La Paz takes a few hours and you cross a lake on the way- gave me a shock when we were told to get off the bus and onto a little speed boat while our bus floated away on a barge across the lake.
DO NOT go on any minibuses to La PAz that are not with a big company. Avoid cheap options and deals from anyone on the street. Many tourists have found themselves in very dangerous situations by unknowingly going with kidnappers and criminals. This is not the place to seek out the cheapest option. Go with the bigger tourist companies. And ensure any taxis you take are registered and legitimate, and dont let anyone else in it. There are dangers in La Paz and Copa and surrounds but take these sorts of precautions and you dont have to worry. Its a great place and should not be missed!

I basically did what HereIcome did, and I recomend it. Take a tour from Puno to the floating Islands, Taquile and Amanati. Do two days so you have enough time to see things. Then hop on a bus to Capacabano. From there, you can easily get a boat to Isla Del Sol. You don't have to book through an agency for this. Go down to the dock in the morning and hop on a boat. There is probably one in the afternoon too so when you get off the bus go down and check if you can get straight on instead of spending the night in Copacabana (which isn't a bad place). If you have time, I would recomend spending a few days on Isla Del Sol. Alot of people come for one day and just hike around the Island and leave. To me that's a waste. It's a stunning place and worthy of a few days relaxation. From Copacabana hop on a bus to LaPaz. As HereICome mentioned, make sure you take a tourist bus and not the mini buses. This isn't a place to skimp on transport since this is where alot of people are reporting kidnappings. Take a tourist bus that goes into the center of LaPaz and if it's not full of tourists, get off and find another bus.

I think you may have been asking if it's possible to hop from Puno-Floating Islands- Isla Del Sol - Copacabana. As far as I understand, it's not really possible since you have to cross the border by road. Apparently there is one catamaran boat that does this but it's in the ballpark of about $150. So unless you want to spend that kind of money, take the bus and then a boat out to the Islands.