Lake Titicaca: The World's Highest Navigable Lake

Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America by volume and the highest navigable lake in the world — a body of water 190 kilometres long and 80 kilometres wide, sitting at 3,812 metres on the altiplano between Peru and Bolivia. The lake is sacred to the Andean peoples who have lived on its shores for thousands of years, and the Inca believed it was the birthplace of the sun and the origin of their civilisation.

The Uros floating islands are the most extraordinary feature of Lake Titicaca — artificial islands made entirely of totora reeds, built and maintained by the Uros people who have lived on the lake for centuries. The islands are constructed by layering reeds on top of each other, with the bottom layers rotting away as new ones are added on top, so the islands are in a constant state of renewal. The Uros people build their houses, their boats, and even their watchtowers from the same reeds.

Taquile Island, 45 kilometres from Puno, is one of the most culturally intact communities on Lake Titicaca — an island of 2,200 people who maintain a textile tradition of extraordinary quality. The men of Taquile knit the finest textiles in the Andes — hats, belts, and bags of such intricacy that they have been recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The island has no cars, no hotels (only homestays), and a social structure based on the Inca principles of ama sua, ama llulla, ama quella (don't steal, don't lie, don't be lazy).

The Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca contains the Isla del Sol — the Island of the Sun — which the Inca believed was the birthplace of the sun god Inti and the origin of the Inca civilisation. The island contains the ruins of the Pilkokaina temple and the Chinkana labyrinth, and the walk from the northern to the southern end of the island (about three hours) passes through a landscape of terraced hillsides, traditional villages, and views over the lake that are among the finest in the Andes.

Copacabana, the Bolivian town on the southern shore of the lake, is a place of pilgrimage — the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana contains a 16th-century statue of the Virgin that is the most venerated religious image in Bolivia, and the town fills with pilgrims during the festivals of Candlemas (February 2) and the Assumption (August 15). The blessing of the cars and minibuses that takes place in front of the basilica every Sunday — with flowers, streamers, and libations of beer — is one of the most joyful ceremonies in South America.

Puno, the Peruvian city on the western shore of the lake, is the base for most visitors to the Peruvian side of Titicaca. The city itself is not particularly beautiful, but the Puno Bay — where the reed boats of the Uros people are visible from the shore — and the festivals that fill the city's calendar (the Candelaria festival in February is one of the finest in Peru) make it worth more than a single night.

The altitude of Lake Titicaca is the main practical challenge for visitors — at 3,812 metres, the air contains 40% less oxygen than at sea level, and altitude sickness (soroche) is a genuine risk for those who arrive from low altitude without acclimatising. Spending at least two days in Cusco (3,400 metres) before visiting the lake, drinking plenty of water, avoiding alcohol, and taking it slowly are the standard precautions. Coca tea, available everywhere in the Andes, is a traditional remedy that many visitors find effective.

The Amantaní Island, less visited than Taquile but equally rewarding, offers homestay experiences with local Quechua-speaking families that are among the most authentic in the Andes. The families cook traditional food — quinoa soup, potato stew, herbal teas — and the evenings often end with traditional music and dancing in the community hall. The island has no cars, no hotels, and no electricity after 10pm, and the experience of sleeping under the stars at 3,800 metres, with the lake glittering below, is one of the finest in South America.

The Tiwanaku archaeological site, 70 kilometres west of La Paz on the Bolivian altiplano, is one of the most important pre-Columbian sites in South America — the capital of the Tiwanaku civilisation, which dominated the Andean region from 300 to 1000 CE and whose influence extended from the Pacific coast to the Amazon basin. The Gateway of the Sun, a monolithic stone arch carved with the figure of the Staff God, is the most famous object in Bolivian archaeology, and the site's museum contains the finest collection of Tiwanaku artefacts in the world.

Practical tips for Lake Titicaca: the journey from Cusco to Puno by bus takes about seven hours on the direct tourist bus, or three hours by train on the Belmond Andean Explorer (a luxury train that runs the route on certain days). The hydrofoil service between Puno and Copacabana, which crosses the lake in three hours, is the most scenic way to cross the border between Peru and Bolivia. The border crossing at Desaguadero, on the road between Puno and La Paz, is faster but less interesting.