South America has so many fantastic landscapes that it’s hard to decide where to go and what to see during your limited time abroad. If you visit Peru, no doubt you will want to check off some of the more famous sites like Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, the famous sites can also be very crowded and leave you wishing for a chance to do some quiet communing with nature and the spirit of Peru.
Lake Titicaca is a great place to visit because it is less touristy, especially if you wander off the beaten path and visit some of the more remote islands and peninsulas. This huge lake high in the mountains on the border of Peru and Bolivia is fed by 25 rivers and covers about 3,100 square miles. It is a haven for indigenous people who maintain a traditional way of life here. When you visit, you can let the cares of modern life slip away as you fall into the rhythms of the lake. As one ECELA student puts it, “Lake Titicaca is a place for dreamers and dreaming.”
One of the most fascinating aspects of Lake Titicaca is the Uros Islands. These “islands” are made of reeds and can float freely around the lake. The Uros people fled here in Inca times, and constructed the islands to help them hide from Inca warriors. Their descendants live there to this day in houses also made of reeds.
Though the lake features prominently in several Inca creation myths, Incas were not the first people to live here. A powerful civilization that predated the Incas by over 1000 years built a large city here, with monuments so impressive that the Incas revered them and tried to restore them.
When you visit, you will quickly see why so many civilizations have loved Lake Titicaca.