South America 4. Lake Titicaca
For many Bolivians and Peruvians, “the lake” simply requires no additional explanation. The vast and brooding Lake Titicaca sits on the border between the two countries. It is considered to be the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable lake in the world.
The enthralling sapphire of a lake is the source of many Andean beliefs and customs. Pre-Incan cultures have left their mark on islands dotted throughout Titicaca, and in Andean culture, the lake is thought to be the birthplace of the sun. While traditional totora reed boats and reed islands of the indigenous population, aside from those serving tourism, have all but disappeared, many inhabitants of the lake continue to be shrouded in ancient traditions and customs. The traditional way of life is perhaps no more evident than on the isolated Isla del Sol and the primitive Uros floating islands.
Just two hours outside of La Paz, you can visit Lake Titicaca and the lakeside town Copacabana as a day trip from the capital of Bolivia. Because long-haul public transportation is cramped and irregular, it is best to organise a guided tour to visit the lake. If you wish to organise onward travel to other parts of Peru from Lake Titicaca, it is best to pre-book transportation to and from Puno, the Peruvian city bordering the lake.
We decided to tour Lake Titicaca en route to Peru. Our bus, arranged by BoliviaHop, arrived at 7 a.m. at our hotel, and we dragged our weary bodies onto the coach. As we fell asleep, the bus snaked through the winding city streets and climbed out onto the cold and sparse Altiplano.
Two hours from La Paz, we were greeted with the sight of Lake Titicaca. The azure lake and surrounding vegetation presented us with soft hues, in stark contrast with the unforgiving Altiplano climate. The brown and green hills cast shadows onto their neighbours, and the dazzling blue water was a welcome respite after our ten days in the completely arid Atacama and Altiplano. It is little wonder that landlocked Bolivians make pilgrimages to the lake, just to say that they have visited a beach.
Lake Titicaca is steeped in mythology. Home to the Tiwanaku, one of the largest pre-Incan civilisations, the lake was considered by pre-Incans to be the centre of the cosmos. In Incan creation myths, Titicaca is the site from which the creator god Viracocha recreated the human race after flooding the world. Local myths about the lake were incorporated into Incan mythology, and temples to the sun (Inti) and moon (Coati) were built on islands on the lake. More recently, mysterious ruins of an ancient temple were found on the bottom of Lake Titicaca and are thought to be first-century remnants of the Tiwanaku.
Meandering around the lake, our bus eventually reached Copacabana, a small town on the Bolivian shore of Lake Titicaca and a popular resort destination for travellers and locals. Some guides recommend an overnight stay in the town, but given its small size and relative lack of attractions, half a day seems more reasonable. Few know that this Copacabana lends its name to the famous beach in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil!
Copacabana is best known for the Basílica de la Virgen de la Candelaria, which houses the image of the Virgen de Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia reputed to have miraculous healing powers. The basilica is constructed at the foot of a steep slope as a mix of traditional Incan and colonial influences, and acts as one of the principal places of worship for indigenous people and Catholics.
After a quick lunch of grilled trucha (trout), we departed for a three-hour tour of Isla del Sol, the largest inhabited island on the lake. The island is so named because it is thought to be the home of Inti, the sun god in Incan mythology. From Copacabana, the island can be visited by full-day or half-day tours. Full-day tours are only feasible if you stay overnight on the island or in Copacabana, but allow you to explore the entire island and its ruins, whereas half-day tours are limited to the southern parts of the island. From the island, the Cordillera Real stands majestically in the distance, its snow-capped peaks a stark contrast to the almost tropical Isla del Sol.
We opted for the half-day hike on Isla del Sol. The island is tranquil, with no motorised vehicles and little activity, save for several locals and their herds of grazing alpacas and llamas. Besides mules, alpacas are used as beasts of burden on the island, carrying travellers’ bags across the island. In their indigenous countries, llamas and alpacas are a far cry from the frequent inhabitants of petting zoos across the rest of the world.
The boat dropped us off at the southwestern dock of the island. Our first few steps climbing upwards from the dock starkly reminded us of the difficulties of physical activity at this altitude; we were grateful that we had left our large backpacks with the coach. After a brief stop at the Sun Temple, we hiked along the mountain ridge towards Yumani, the only semblance of a town on the southern side of the island. The hike took about an hour and a half and led us meandering along the coastline. From the higher points, you could see the lake in a 360-degree panorama; Lake Titicaca is so vast that the azure stretches past the horizon, only occasionally interrupted by a small motorboat bobbing along. Along the way, we shared the dirt path with village boys in wool hats tending alpacas and women with traditional knitted coats and bright aprons trundling towards Yumani.
As the late afternoon sun continued to dip westwards, we returned to the coach and departed Copacabana. At lake-crossing points, our tour bus (along with all of our luggage!) had to be loaded onto a precarious platform boat, which was then slowly bobbed across a stretch of Lake Titicaca. Another 45 minutes brought us to the border with Peru, and we bid farewell to Bolivia. Entering Peru, the improved infrastructure and facilities were immediately evident; the roads were just a little bit smoother, and the immigration office was better staffed and cleaner. Perhaps this should have been expected; after all, Bolivia is one of the lesser developed countries in South America.
Finally, we arrived in Puno, a Peruvian city on the edge of Lake Titicaca. Despite its prime lakeside location, Puno is populated with half-finished buildings. While pleasant, Puno mainly serves as a jumping-off point for further tours to Lake Titicaca. For dinner, we visited La Table del’Inca, a French-Peruvian fusion restaurant combining Peruvian ingredients with traditional French culinary techniques. The restaurant was a pleasant surprise, offering a casual gourmet experience in a comfortable dining space. We enjoyed dishes including trout tartare ceviche, quinoa tabbouleh, and stuffed cuy (guinea pig, a local delicacy), all with a healthy serving of Inca Kola, a Peruvian soft drink a bit like Schwepps cream soda.
The Uros floating islands are perhaps the main attractions on Lake Titicaca. The people inhabiting these islands predate even the Incan civilisation, thought to have moved onto the lakes to escape other belligerent tribes. There, undisturbed by warring factions, the isolated Uros found relative peace and scraped a living as fishermen and bird hunters. To this day, the population on the islands speak Aymara, an ancient dialect. Those on the island lead a simple life; their main source of income used to be from fishing, but today, their livelihoods are very much dependent on tourism. Until recently, the only option for visiting the islands was a day trip from Puno, but recent options for accommodation on Uros have opened up the opportunity of better experiencing the unique life on these islands.
We opted for one such homestay on a floating island. We left the hotel bright and early to be taken down to the waterfront by rickshaws. A 30-minute boat trip cutting through the famed reeds, rippling behind our motor boat, then took us to Khantati Island, where we were welcomed by a very friendly family, led by the glowing personality of Cristina Suaña. An Uros native, she has won numerous accolades for her tourism initiatives by emphasising sustainable tourism, ensuring a source of income for islanders, and promoting ecological and cultural preservation of the distinctive islands.
The uniqueness of the islands is due to their construction. They are created entirely out of totora reeds, indigenous to the shallow parts of the lake. The lives of the Uros people are intertwined with these reeds. Not only are their islands constructed out of layers of dried totora and root-bound soil blocks, these ubiquitous reeds are also used in the construction of their houses and boats. The heart of the reeds are partially edible, tasting a bit like sugar cane, but we were warned against eating the reed due to the risks of food poisoning. Walking on the floating islands is a special experience. On a totora island, walking is like trying to balance on a waterbed, as the surface bounces beneath you when it is dry but is more easily compressed when wet, with every step sinking further into a seemingly bottomless layer of reeds. Many traditional Uros spend their entire lives on top of and surrounded by totora reeds.
Our day on Khantati Island was spent experiencing the everyday life of the Suaña family. These included helping with the construction of new reed huts and a brief tour on a reed boat with Cristina’s husband Victor. Amid gentle breezes and swaying winds, Victor, decked out in traditional clothing, explained the process of reed harvesting and fishing, indigenous practices that are still occasionally carried out today. Returning to the island, we also dressed up in traditional Uros clothing and had another lengthy photoshoot.
Finally, we were privy to the rare task of island expansion. To expand their islands, the Uros cut out blocks of the dense totora root system. The blocks of roots are woven together and anchored to the bottom of the lake, holding the islands in place. From these foundations, layers of dried totora are layered perpendicularly on top, and the layers are finally topped up with reed chips. It can take up to a year to construct a new island. While islands last around 25 years, new layers have to be constantly added because of rotting.
Unfortunately, that was largely the extent of our experiences on the island, and further arrangements of activities and experiences were found wanting. Perhaps this is the downside to living in such a secluded community; the hyper-relaxed pace means that one’s life on the islands revolves largely around menial and mundane tasks. The accommodation on Khantati Island was rather primitive, though that was expected of a traditional homestay. The room was not well-insulated but was nevertheless compensated for by a thoughtful hot water bottle placed under our covers.
Today, their way of life is threatened by numerous sources. Trout, widely fished from the lake, is not indigenous to Titicaca; in fact, the species found in the lake today was introduced from Canada. Thriving trout has in turn led to overfishing by commercial fishermen, and the resulting pollution has led to decreased numbers of endemic fish species. A second problem is the growing number of tourists, which has caused increased pollution and sewage problems. These have resulted in increasing environmental and health problems which threaten the way of life of the Uros.
The Uros floating islands also present one of the most conflicting sides of this form of ecotourism. Our trip to the islands felt contrite and forced throughout. In particular, we were visited by families from neighbouring islands touting reed-related and weaved souvenirs. Rather than feeling as though we contributed to their livelihoods, I was left feeling uncomfortable without an authentic understanding of the Uros’ lifestyles. Cultural tourism provides one of the only means of income for the Uros, but at the same time, cultural tours and encroaching technology have irreversibly altered the traditional way of life, forcing many into hawking merchandise just to survive.
In an age where authentic floating island life is becoming increasingly uncommon, most islands have their own motorboats and radios, and some islanders even commute in from Puno to pretend that they lead their daily lives on these islands. It is clear that cultural tourism has inadvertently placed a strain on traditional ways of life, forcing indigenous people to “put on a show” for the sake of tourism. The end result is an experience that leaves much to be desired on both sides.
All in all, we would probably recommend not staying more than half a day on the Uros floating islands. While interesting at first, the lack of activities was more suited to those who prefer a more laid-back lifestyle. This was partially redeemed by the wonderful hospitality and joviality of Cristina, and to know that most of our money had gone to Cristina’s family for the development of sustainable tourism, rather than a tour agency, was comforting.
We departed the islands the next day and transferred to Juliaca Airport, about an hour away from Puno. From there, we took a short flight to our next destination Cuzco, the ancient capital of Peru. Our travels around Puno and Lake Titicaca were somewhat of an interlude on our journey from La Paz to Cuzco. While it was certainly curious to experience some aspects of the traditional way of life, the growth of tourism threatens and moulds what “authentic” life truly means today.
With more time…
Peruhop, BoliviaHop’s sister company, offers different travel passes, allowing you to travel to various parts of southern Peru following the itinerary in Lake Titicaca. Some highlights include Huacachina, a resort oasis where you can partake in sandboarding and dune buggy rides; Nazca, home to the famous desert line drawings which can be seen from the air; and Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru offering excellent access to the colourful Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world.
