Lake Titicaca

Lago Titicaca is, at an altitude of 3856 metres the world's highest navigable lake. The lake is so big that it appears to be an inland sea. It is situated in the southern Andes region, also called Altiplano. This turquoise blue lake used to be the most sacred water in the Inca empire. With a surface area of over 8000 sq. km (3100 sq. miles) it is South America's biggest lake. In the south, lake Titicaca forms a natural frontier with Bolivia.

Lake Titicaca. Image © Jaroslaw Swiecicki

According to the legend, this lake gave birth to the Inca civilisation. Before the Inca, the lake and its islands were holy for the Aymará Indians, whose civilisation was centred at Tiahuanaco, now a complex of ruins on the Bolivian side of Titicaca but once a revered temple site with advanced irrigation techniques.

Lake Titicaca seen from Taquile Island. Image © Andrys Basten

On the Northwest side of the lake is the city of Puno, the capital of Peru's Altiplano. It's one of the folklore centres of Peru with a rich array of handicrafts, costumes, music, and more than 300 ethnic dances. Puno is the main point for exploring Titicaca and its islands.

Ancient Chullpa (funeral tower) at Sillustani, near Lake Titicaca. Image © Rien Bouw

The most famous islands in Titicaca are the Uros. Actually they are not real islands but floating islands made of reed, named after the Indians who inhabited them. Another (real) interesting island is Isla Taquile or Taquili. The residents of this island run their own tourist operations in the hope that the visits will not destroy their delicate culture. Their are no hotels on the island but the islanders generously open their homes to tourists interested in an overnight stay.