Lake Titicaca tour on totora rafts: Paulino Esteban's legend

Ride a pre-Inca reed boat across the world's highest navigable lake

A full-day tour of Lake Titicaca on a hand-built totora raft, the aquatic plant vessel used for centuries in the Andes. You travel with a bilingual guide, taste Bolivian food along the route, and visit the family of Paulino Esteban, who built transoceanic vessels to test Thor Heyerdahl's theory of ancient navigation. The raft is 3 to 4 meters long and moves with a slight jumping motion as it crosses the water, similar to a horse's gait.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Lake Titicaca and Totora Rafts

• Visit Lake Titicaca overview
• Ride the cable car in La Paz
• Experience Totora raft navigation

The experience

Lake Titicaca straddles the Peru-Bolivia border in the Andes and holds the title of the world's highest navigable body of water. The tour centers on the totora raft, a vessel made entirely from an aquatic plant that grows in the lake's shallows. These boats have been built the same way for centuries, and riding one means sitting or kneeling as you guide it across the water, when the raft hits waves, it bounces slightly, a sensation closer to horseback riding than conventional boating.

The day unfolds around the legend of Kon Toki, a bearded figure in Andean mythology said to have taught agriculture and metallurgy before vanishing westward. Paulino Esteban, a local boat builder, became known to explorer Thor Heyerdahl, and together they constructed transoceanic vessels to test whether ancient peoples could have navigated across oceans using only plants and traditional methods. You visit Paulino's family and learn how this legend shaped their work. A bilingual guide (English, Spanish, Portuguese or French) leads the tour, and a snack of Bolivian food is served along the route. You also receive a personal water bottle to carry with you.

The eight-hour experience includes shared public transport to and from the lake, the totora raft itself, and the guide's commentary throughout. The raft size adjusts based on passenger count and weather conditions, but the route and stops remain consistent. This is a real Bolivian experience, not a staged version. You are on the water the way locals have traveled it for generations.

What’s included

• Shared public transport to and from the lake.
• bilingual tour guide in English, Spanish, Portuguese or French.
• a traditional totora reed raft built to pre-Inca design.
• Bolivian food tasting along the route.
• one personal water bottle per person.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30 and 09:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (20 to 50 years) · Senior (51 to 70 years) · Youth (13 to 19 years) · Child (6 to 12 years): free · Infant (1 to 5 years): free

GroupUp to 6

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessiblePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by VALLANDES BOLIVIA

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to experience Lake Titicaca the way it has been traveled for centuries, on a vessel made from the plants that grow in it: the raft's bouncing motion and the hands-on nature of guiding it are what set this apart from motorized boat tours of the same lake.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 19 years); Child (6 to 12 years): free; Infant (1 to 5 years): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Lake Titicaca and why is it special?

Lake Titicaca is one of South America's largest lakes and the world's highest navigable body of water, straddling the Peru-Bolivia border in the Andes. It is considered the birthplace of the Incas and contains several ruins. The tour focuses on its role in the legend of Kon Toki and its connection to early navigation experiments.

How does a totora raft actually move on the water?

The totora raft is 3 to 4 meters long and made entirely of the aquatic plant that gives it its name. You guide it by sitting or kneeling, and as it crosses waves, it bounces with a jumping motion similar to a horse's gait: a sensation unique to this type of vessel.

Who was Paulino Esteban and why does the tour visit his family?

Paulino Esteban was a local boat builder who worked with explorer Thor Heyerdahl to construct transoceanic vessels designed to test whether ancient peoples could have navigated across oceans using only plants and traditional methods. Visiting his family connects you to this real historical experiment and the Kon Toki legend that inspired it.

What food and drinks are included during the eight hours?

A snack of Bolivian food is served along the route, and you receive one personal water bottle to keep with you throughout the day. The guide is bilingual and can explain the food and the region as you eat.