Lake titicaca area Travel Guide

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3820 meters above the sea. The lake sits on the border between Bolivian and Peru, so each country has its part. Puno is the largest city in Peru at the lake and is a good base for exploring.

The floating islands are easily reached from Puno. Tourists need only walk to the harbor and people will start offering tours. Haggling is a good idea, as prices vary wildly and everyone ends up in the same boat regarless of what they paid.

The islands themselves are a bit of tourist trap, but interesting all the same. The Uros live on islands made of totora reed, which grows in the lake. They cut the reeds, put them on top of the island, while the bottoms of the islands slowly rot away. In a similar way, they make boats, which look like venician gondels, except for that they are made of solid reed.