Lake Titicaca,
the second largest lake in South America, is a highlight
of any Bolivia Tour. Lake
Titicaca Hotels are plentiful, with many conveniently
situated in Copacabana, on the southern shores of the
lake.
This scenic place has enormous significance in the ancient
culture of the Inca. The creation myth of the Inca is
rooted in these deep blue waters. This was the legendary
place where the great god Viracocha appeared, walking
across the waters. This, the father of all the Incas appeared
before the rising sun and asked the Incas to be kind and
loving to one another, and he walked across the land,
spreading knowledge and teachings, promising to return
again one day.
This impossibly deep lake is roughly the shape of a puma,
an animal that is sacred to the Inca. 25 Rivers run into
Lake Titicaca, which is split between the two countries
of Peru and Bolivia.
Isla del Sol is the largest of all of the 41 islands of
Lake Titicaca. Situated off the peninsula of Copacabana,
this island is home to the remains of an ancient temple.
A rock outcropping on one end of the island is where the
Inca believed the sun first rose, and the convex side
of this rock used to be plated with sheets of pure gold.
If you're visiting Lake Titicaca, a Inca Utama Hotel,
and the Hotel Colon Inn both offer quality affordable
accommodations. Colon offers doubles which are a very
reasonable rate compared to other Lake Titicaca hotels.
Stunning views of the Cordillera Real can be had from
the windows of the Crillon Tours Inca Utama Hotel.
A whopping 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, Lake Titicaca
narrows in the south at the straight of Tiquina, creating
almost two bodies of water. On the Peruvian side of the
lake is where the Uro people make their home, descendants
of an ancient culture. Here they live on floating islands,
where the tortora reed is densest. The Uro are the skilled
craftsmen of the reed boats made from the tortora reed.
These are small, lightweight crescent shaped boats with
hardly enough room for a passenger. The locals use them
for travel and some ferry visitors across the lake.
Crillon Tours is Bolivia's largest tour operator, offering
the comprehensive Bolivia occasion. This reputable company
is established as a premier tour leader in Bolivia. Crillon
Tours runs hydrofoils on Lake Titicaca and operates private
buses to every imaginable destination you could possible
want on a Bolivia tour.
On the southern shore lay the ancient community of Tiahuanaco,
an ancient temple-complex and settlement thought to have
flourished from 500 BC to 900 AD. These impressive, well-preserved
ruins place became central to the Inca religious belief
when they discovered it in the 15th century. A massive
stone gate carved with peculiar symbols and an image of
a figure with a halo and two strange staff like object
in each of his hands. This image became the ancient creator
God Viracocha, and the rest of the complex became inextricably
woven into Incan culture. Enormous stone pavilions and
finely hewn stones have never failed to impress visitors
throughout the ages.
For the quintessential South American experience, be
sure you that make time for a visit to Lake Titicaca part
of your Bolivia tour -
no trip would be complete without it.
