Lake Titicaca General Facts
Lake Titicaca Highlights
LAKE TITICACA OVERVIEW
Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake and one of South America’s stunning natural wonders. The deep blue of the water seems to meld with the sky and a ring of snow-tipped peaks creates the remarkable sensation of floating atop the earth’s highest elevations.
It’s possible to visit the lake from its shores in Peru and Bolivia, but many travelers start their exploration from Puno on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. Renowned for its annual celebration, Fiesta de la Virgen de Candelaria, the town of Puno is where you catch a speedboat for an island-hopping experience without equal, including opportunities for cultural exchange with local families.
Amid this lake are the mesmerizing islands of Taquile, Amantani, and Isla del Sol which protect ancient ways of life and pre-Inca ruins. In the case of the Uros, the reed islands are woven by hand and float upon the surface of the lake! The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. The western part of the lake lies within the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department.
The lake consists of two nearly separate subbasins connected by the Strait of Tiquina, which is 800 m (2,620 ft) across at the narrowest point. The larger subbasin, Lago Grande (also called Lago Chucuito), has a mean depth of 135 m (443 ft) and a maximum depth of 284 m (932 ft). The smaller subbasin, Wiñaymarka (also called Lago Pequeño, "little lake"), has an average depth of 9 m (30 ft) and a maximum depth of 40 m (131 ft).
It’s possible to visit the lake from its shores in Peru and Bolivia, but many travelers start their exploration from Puno on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. Renowned for its annual celebration, Fiesta de la Virgen de Candelaria, the town of Puno is where you catch a speedboat for an island-hopping experience without equal, including opportunities for cultural exchange with local families.
Amid this lake are the mesmerizing islands of Taquile, Amantani, and Isla del Sol which protect ancient ways of life and pre-Inca ruins. In the case of the Uros, the reed islands are woven by hand and float upon the surface of the lake! The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. The western part of the lake lies within the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department.
The lake consists of two nearly separate subbasins connected by the Strait of Tiquina, which is 800 m (2,620 ft) across at the narrowest point. The larger subbasin, Lago Grande (also called Lago Chucuito), has a mean depth of 135 m (443 ft) and a maximum depth of 284 m (932 ft). The smaller subbasin, Wiñaymarka (also called Lago Pequeño, "little lake"), has an average depth of 9 m (30 ft) and a maximum depth of 40 m (131 ft).
Lake Titicaca Photo Gallery
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