Description: A high plateau abruptly colliding with one of the highest mountains in the continent composes the dramatic setup for a deep blue lake with incredibly broken, fractal-like shores, and an overwhelming beauty. Outside the many tiny ports and piers along the shores, the shore doesn’t have clear limits since the interface between the land and the lake is a large and dense body of totora, plants which have their roots in the water or the mud.
Irregular shorelines mean that shiny glimpses of the lake appear and disappear along the way at apparently random points. The first opportunity the traveler has to enjoy a clear view of the lake is in the Strait of Tiquina, the narrowest part of the lake and main crossing point from west to east. Dividing the lake in two large basins and 800m long, it offers awesome views of the Andean mountains and fresh trout from adjacent farms. In clear days, the colossal
Mount Illimani, is seen here floating on the lake. The Strait of Tiquina provide not only the first opportunity, but also one of the best ones: once on the western side (closer to Copacabana) there are viewpoints from where the straights and part of the northern and southern parts of the lake can be seen at once.
Copacabana is the major attraction on the Bolivian side of the lake, but by no means the only one. Other recommended points include:
Tito Yupanqui: a hidden village between Tiquina and Copacabana, it offers unspoiled looks of the Titicaca shoreline. Huge eucalyptuses shade local bushes and wild flowers; the deep blue Titicaca gives some contrast to the flood of greens and browns.
Parquipujio is a delightful - and empty - settlement by the shore that can be reached from Tiquina. However, despite the blue lake, Mediterranean vegetation, and the superb ambience, there are no facilities to stay there overnight. An afternoon picnic is an excellent option before returning to La Paz or entering Peru.
Desaguadero: at the southern tip of the Titicaca Lake, this town offers a comfortable opportunity for a visa run and a fascinating market.
Puerto Perez is a small port on the shore of the Titicaca Lake. The village is arranged around a central plaza located next to its only pier. The plaza is misleading, spacious and quite developed in comparison to similar settlements in the area. However, beyond it the streets are unpaved and the houses built of an irregular mix of uncovered bricks and adobe, apparently without any system. The square plaza features a few hotels (one with a private pier, other with a closed bar), no restaurants and a tiny market; at its center a stone warrior keeps order. Despite its size and relative lack of facilities, the place is worth a visit since it features a well-preserved area of the Lake Titicaca shoreline, with a few modern facilities. Since the area caters mainly for locals interested in an inexpensive holiday, the situation wouldn’t change in the near future. The single pier in town features a few very simple boats offering tours to a nearby trout entrapment and to the Kojata Island. Next to the pier, Hotel Las Balsas has a private pier with fast boats.
The
Isla del Sol (Sun Island) and
Isla de la Luna (Moon Island) - both in the Bolivian part of the lake – are the places where according to Inca legends, their gods were born. The larger Isla del Sol is by far the most popular one to visit and is easily accessible from Copacabana in half-day or whole day trips. On the way there, the Isla de la Luna and Isla de la Estrella (Star Island) can be observed.
Reaching the island is easy, at Copacabana's only beach there is a booth selling tickets for the 8:30am boats. The options are a half-day boat that returns at 12:30pm and costs 15BOB (just above $2) and the whole day one that returns at 4:30pm and costs 20BOB. The only difference between both is that the long trip allows a walk across the island and more time to see the very few ruins scattered around. All the restaurants in town sell lunch boxes for the long trip, since there are no facilities on the island.
At the very top of the island’s main hill there are awesome views of the lake and the mainland, as a background to many cultivated terraces (nowadays mainly with medicinal herbs). Scattered around are several Inca ruins and two tiny villages; the main relic is the sacred rock where the Inca legend began. One of the strangest views is an improvised museum that blocks the way to the hill top at the staircase end; the whole collection consists of a circular room with Inca ceramics.
Yet, despite the location of the visit, the lake is spectacular. Contributing to this is also its color, the result of the lake being very deep, the lack of serious industrial activity in its vicinity and the
high-altitude radiation. Snowed peaks and green eucalyptus trees aid differentiating between the blue of the skies and the blue of the waters, which touching at almost four kilometers above the nearest ocean are a reminder that after all we have only one world.
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