Lake Titicaca

Sitting at 3,812 metres (12,507 feet) above sea level, under the intense sunshine that is common to high-altitude places, Lake Titicaca is a breathtaking sight. Its profound blue waters mirror a firmament that seems a palm away from touching Earth, and are regularly sailed by totora-reed canoes, a type of watercraft that has been around for 4,500 years. The highest navigable lake in the World, Titicaca is a beauty of nature and a curious time window to a very ancient past.

Lake Titicaca has always been at the centre of life for the civilizations dwelling at its shores –from Tiahuanacos to Incas. According to Andean mythology, the Sun, Moon, and stars rose from its profound waters to originate civilization. Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, the mythical founders of the Inca Empire and direct descendants of the Sun, also rose from Lake Titicaca. Even today, the people living around the lake and in its islands, believe they descend from the founding fathers of civilization. Whichever way you want to look at it, Lake Titicaca is indeed a fundamental source of life: its massive body of water tempers the area and allows for species that otherwise wouldn't survive at that altitude.

Lake Titicaca covers an area over 8,500 square kilometres, equally spread between Peru and Bolivia. The overall average depth of the lake is 107 meters, the maximum 283 meters (928 feet). Its average water temperature ranges from 11ºC (October to May) to -10ºC (June to September). It contains many islands, both natural and man-made. Among the former, the most important are Amantaní and Taquile --on the Peruvian side-- and Isla del Sol --on the Bolivian. The latter, the artificial islands, are made by the Uros people with a special reed --totora-- native to the lake.

Lake Titicaca also contains a protected natural area, Titicaca National Reserve, created in 1978 in order to preserve its natural resources and ecosystems. The reserve shelters many species of birds, fish and amphibians, including the Puna ibis, the Titicaca grebes, the white-tufted grebe and the Andean flamingo.

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