Lake Titicaca
23rd - 25th Mar 2025
Uros
An overnight coach journey with ‘Peru Hop’ took us to the city of Puno, on the edge of Lake Titicaca. Whilst Puno lacked the historic charm of Cusco, it would be our gateway to the floating islands of Uros. A short taxi ride along roads more akin to a building site, arrived at a simple landing just as the sun was beginning to rise. Soon we were collected by the owner of the island in a small boat, the morning air was crisp and biting as we rode out to the surreal floating settlement. We were staying in a small lodge run by the family on one of the many floating islands and were soon greeted by their dogs and the very excitable and bitey puppy Otto.
At 3,812m above sea level, Lake Titicaca takes the title of highest navigable lake on earth. Located both in Peru and Bolivia it is the largest lake in South America, and holds significant cultural and historical significance. The Incas considered the lake the birthplace of the sun, and many local communities still view the lake a sacred place.
The island feature both fixed natural islands and floating artificial ones, the latter constructed by the Uros people who have lived on the lake for hundreds of years, predating the Incan empire. They initially ] took to the lake on the reed islands to avoid conflicts with neighboring tribes and created a whole new unique way of life that has continued until present day. Whilst the Uros people have very little in the way of material wealth, they were exceptionally welcoming and friendly to us as outsiders and took pride in sharing their longstanding traditions.
Isla Tequile
On arrival at the reed island, our particularly accommodating host asked whether we interested in visiting one of the larger islands out in the lake, naturally we said yes without much further thought, and after a power nap in an effort to make up for the lack of sleep on the coach, we were boarding a passenger vessel heading south across Lake Titicaca to Isla Tequile. Once through the shallow reed passages, the water turned increasingly blue, the horizons opened up, and it felt much more like being back on the ocean than an inland lake.
Landing on the island and sheltered by the wind, we had been magically transported to somewhere akin to the Mediterranean. The island was almost entirely terraced to support agriculture and soon the locals greeted us in colorful dress. The men of the island wore handmade hats which told of their relationship and leadership status and the women wore even more elaborate dresses. We were invited to join in with a local dance and learnt more of their strict traditions that controlled a very unique existence on this remote island that proudly shared very few ties with the mainland.
After a lunch at one of just two restaurants on the island we continued the walking tour towards our departure point on the north end of the island. We hadn’t anticipated a sandy beach, so hadn’t packed a towel or swim shorts, but not ones to miss out on a unique opportunity, we stripped off for the highest swim in a navigable lake anywhere on earth!
Yavari
Trawling the satellite imagery of the lake, I had stumbled across a curious steam ship at anchor near Puno. With further research online, it became apparent it might just be possible to tour this historically significant ship, and I suggested our next stop should be the hotel on the shore closest to ship. We were in luck, the hotel reception had the captains phone number and before long we were being collected by Captain Maximo Flores in Merial the dinghy and motored out to the Yavari.
The story of how the Victorian vessel came to be on Lake Titicaca in the 1860’s, 3,812m metres above sea level is truly remarkable. Originally built in a yard in 1862 on the Thames in London, she travelled to Chile the long way via Cape Horn, long before the Panama Canal was constructed. In Chile, Yavari was was dismantled into parts light enough to be carried by pack mules to Puno over the course of 6 years where she was reconstructed. Initially she was to be used for cargo and defensive purposes by the Peruvian Navy and outfitted with cannons, but not only did these get lost in transit, the need for such a vessel diminished in the years it took for Yavari to be transported and rebuilt. Thus, she was repurposed as a passenger and cargo ferry and went on to provide over 100 years of service. By the 1980’s Yavari was in a very poor state of repair, and left idle beside the lake deteriorating. Found in this poor state by British woman Meriel Larkin, a painstaking restoration brought the ship back to life. A further refit was underway at the time we visited, with hopes that cruises on the lake would be available to punters in 2026.
Next stop, the city of Arequipa, for salt flats and climbing volcanoes…
Desert biking, assault courses and penguins.