South & Central America

Lake Titicaca

Known as the ‘Sacred Lake of the Incas’, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3856 metres above sea level.  The gigantic inland sea stretches over 8000 square kilometres and straddles Bolivia and Peru.  The vast deep blue expanse of Lake Titicaca is in fact two lakes joint by the Straits of Tiquina, with the towering peaks of the Cordillera Real as a backdrop.

The larger, northern lake, Lago Mayor or Chucuito, contains the Islas del Sol and de la Luna (Sun and Moon Islands).  Isla del Sol has a quiet serene beauty and is the perfect place to relax for a couple of days.  There are many beautiful walks through villages and Inca terraces and a sacred rock in the north of the island is worshipped as the birthplace of the first Incas.  Isla de la Luna lies southeast of Isla del Sol and you can visit the ruins of an Inca temple and nunnery although these are sadly neglected.

The Urus Floating Islands are also worth a visit to learn about the community’s sustainable tourism project, as is the pilgrimage town of Copacabana, an attractive little town and a popular stopping-off point on the way to or from Peru.  Here, every Sunday, a long line of cars, buses and trucks decorated with flower garlands wait outside the cathedral to be blessed for their journeys.

Our preferred hotels in the Lake Titicaca area include:

Inca Utama Hotel & Spa  (Huatajata)

La Posada del Inca  (Isla del Sol)