The Titicaca Lake is a splendid place to visit while travelling in Peru and South America. You could either travel to the small towns surrounding the lake or you could take a boat trip on the lake and visit the different islands. There’s plenty of things to experience and not to mention delicious sea food.
Travelling between Peru and Bolivia makes Titicaca lake a perfect stop placed right in front of your feet. Make a stop in the city of Puno and get to know the locals, women with layered clothing and special straw hats. From the little harbor of Puno you can very easily visit some of the islands on the lake. But be prepared – it could get pretty cold here.
Relaxing atmosphere and many things to do in Lake Titicaca
The lake is 50 kilometres wide and 192 kilometres long, which makes it the biggest lake in South America. Making a round-trip to visit the small towns surrounding the lake are warmly recommended and worth the trip. Especially staying out in the more distant villages and living with the locals. There are several routs and adventures to choose from, perfect for making all kinds of trips. Making the trips on your own is actually more fun than using the travel agencies. It’s both cheaper and easier, and don’t forget to bring a suit case filled with coca leaves for the driver. He will be surprised - but very grateful!
Go back in time on some of the islands
Visiting the hand-crafted, floating islands that the Uros people made out of reed is very exciting. If you decide to go even further out on the lake, you will find some islands where if feels like time has stood still for hundreds of years. Tquile and Amantaní are an example of two islands where you get to experience this. We recommend you to stay the night with one of the local families and experience life without modern day technology. Sounds relaxing doesn't it?
The food in Titicaca
Finding restaurants around the lake is never a problem and many of them offers the local dish: trucha criolla, which is one of the world’s biggest trout fishes. However, be aware as many restaurants try to lure visitors with a very tourist-like atmosphere, although their food is unfortunately, often pretty bad. Instead, you should go to the less tourist-attractive restaurants, where the locals themselves hang around and enjoy excellent food. If you are up early in the morning, a visit to one of the many fish markets is a must.
Other places to visit along the border
There are so many amazing places to see in South America. Copacabana, Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna are right by the border of Bolivia, these destinations are very popular for backpackers. From Copapabana, along the lake shore of Titicaca you can book tours to Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna, which once upon a time were the centers of inka culture and sun worshipers.