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You are here: Hotels & Destinations > Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca

Titicaca National Reserve was created in 1978 in order to preserve the natural resources characteristic of Lake Titicaca and the highland ecosystem. It covers an area of 36.180 hectares. In the reserve, dozens of birds, fish, and amphibious species have been registered like flamingos or parihuanas, Andean geese, seagulls, Titicaca grebes, chullumpis, and Andean lapwings as well as numerous endangered species. You will find twelve varieties of aquatic plants representative of the lake flora, the most remarkable being the totora reeds and algae.

The Lake Titicaca
This lake is very important in Andean mythology since, according to legend, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, children of the sun god and founders of the Inca Empire, emerged from its waters. Peru and Bolivia share sovereignty over this navigable lake, the highest in the world (3810 masl / 12.497 fasl). It covers an area of 8559 km2 (3305 miles2) and a maximum depth of 283 meters (928 feet). Moreover, the lake tempers the area since without its presence; there would not be life at that altitude.
On the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, there are several islands; the natural islands include Amantani, Taquile, Soto, and Anapia, and the artificial islands are the ones that the Uros people have built, each one offering different attractions. Along the shores of the lake, totora reeds grow where different birds and fish like the carachis, ispis, bogas, umantos, suches (an endanger specie), silverfish, and trout call home. All these species are native of the area and are prized for their high nutritional value. 10 blocks from the Main Square

The Uros Floating Islands
The Uros Islands (3810 masl / 12.497 fasl) number around 20 and are located in the Bay of Puno. Three to ten Uro-Aymaras families live on each one. They roof their houses with totora reed carpets, although some families have replaced their traditional roofs by metal ones. The largest Islands are Tupiri, Santa María, Tribuna, Toranipata, Chumi, Paraiso, Kapi, Titino, Tinajero, and Negrone.
The Uros call themselves Kotsuña, “the lake people”, and their origins go back to eras before the Incas. They hunt wild birds and maintain traditional fishing methods, especially those used for the carachi and the silverfish. The men are skillful handlers of the totora reed boats, and the women are expert knitters. The characteristic cold and dry weather of the region is tempered in this area thanks to the constantly evaporating water of the large lake.
5 km / 3 miles west of the Puno harbour (20 minutes by boat)

Amantani Island
Located at 3187 masl (10.453 fasl), Amantani covers some 9 km2 (3.5 miles2). The flora is characterized by the presence of bushes like the muña, the kantuta, the sage, the tola and the patamuña. Eight communities live on the island and make their living from growing potatoes, corn, oca, quinoa, lima beans, and green peas, and their most representative handcrafts are textiles and stone carvings. Among its natural attractions, there are two lookouts on the highest part offering a view of the entire lake, some pre-Hispanic remains, ceremonial centers and a mummy cemetery.
36 km / 22 miles northeast of the Puno harbour (3 hours and 30 minutes by boat)

Taquile Island
Its approximate size is of 6 km2 (2 miles2) and the altitude between the port and the town varies slightly from 3810 to 3950 masl (12.497 to 12.956 fasl). The maximum temperature there is 23ºC (66ºF), and the minimum is 7ºC (37ºF). Pre-Inca vestiges are found in the highest part of the island. During the Colonial period and up to the first years of the twentieth century, it was used as a political prison, until the island became property of the Taquile people in 1970.
35 km / 22 miles east of the Puno port (3 hours by boat)

Chucuito
It is also known as the Royal Treasury City because it used to be the tax collection center during the Colonial era. It features a main square and the Renaissance churches of Santo Domingo (sixteenth century) and La Asuncion (seventeenth century).
18 km / 11 miles south of Puno (15 minutes by car)