Lake Titicaca

Situated in South America on the border of Peru and Bolivia, there are few places in the world to travel to that can compare to Lake Titicaca. The lake itself is the highest navigable in the world, the largest in South America and home to over 50 man-made sacred reed islands.

Lake Titicaca is famously known as the Folklore capital of Peru with its wealth of artistic and cultural expressions particularly the folklore dancing. According to this folklore, Titicaca is the birthplace of the sun, moon, stars and the first people. Not surprisingly, when you visit on clear blue skies and cross the deep blue lake, you can step back in time and feel the presence the ancient people, their traditions and customs all across the beautiful lake.

Most of us will know Lake Titicaca for its man-made floating reed islands. If you can imagine islands made of reeds, well you’d be pretty spot on! What you might not know, the people who made the islands live on the islands or are descendants of people who made the islands. Repairs are made using new reeds and as you could well imagine, to stand on the islands is a little bouncy and not quite as stable as standing on the street. There are crafts to buy, schools for children, local food, friendly residents and of course folklore dancing.

The journey around the islands is of course by boat on one of the most gorgeous lakes. I personally loved this part of my Peru journey because it got away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. I found this trip to be calm and relaxing and the local residents seeped in culture and tradition.

While many of us wouldn’t chose to live this way, the perspective you gain from meeting the local residents has to be experienced. Their rules on the islands are the same as any culture, work hard, tell the truth, respect your fellow residents, look after your family and don’t steal. Given the people live on floating reed islands, they look after and take pride in their basic homes. If you want to truly get the full experience, staying overnight is recommended. Even I managed to do a bit of folklore dancing in the evening – outfit and all!

How to get there

If you are heading to Peru, chances are you have your sights set on Machu Picchu. Puno which is on the edge of Lake Titicaca can easily be included in your itinerary either before or after you visit Machu Picchu.

Contact the team at Travel Just 4U to help plan your trip!

As always, safe and happy travels – Nicola