View from a hill of Copacabana, Bolivia with Lake Titicaca in the background

Lake Titicaca

Everything – and everyone – that sits beside this impressive body of water, from the traditional Aymará villages to the glacier-capped peaks of the Cordillera Real, seems to fall into the background in contrast with the shimmering opal jewel set into the spare altiplano earth. It is not hard to see how Inca legends came to credit Lake Titicaca with the birth of their civilization.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Cathedral

    Cathedral

    Lake Titicaca

    The sparkling white mudéjar (Moorish–style) cathedral, with its domes and colorful azulejos (blue Portuguese-style ceramic tiles), dominates the town…

  • Sampaya

    Sampaya

    Lake Titicaca

    This is a beautifully preserved village where the homes are built with flat stones joined in an earthen mortar. There is a stone church on the hilltop…

  • Chincana Ruins

    Chincana Ruins

    Isla del Sol

    Isla del Sol's most spectacular ruins lie near the island’s northern tip. Its main feature is the Palacio del Inca, a maze of stone walls and tiny…

  • Cha’lla

    Cha’lla

    Isla del Sol

    This agreeable little village stretches along a magnificent sandy beach that could be straight out of a holiday brochure for the Greek islands. The…

  • Marka Pampa

    Marka Pampa

    Isla del Sol

    At low tide an innocuous-looking column of rock peeps just a few centimeters above Lake Titicaca’s surface, north of Isla del Sol. Most locals dismiss it…

  • Yumani

    Yumani

    Isla del Sol

    Yumani is the main village at the south end of the island. Most boats drop you at the village’s dock, about 200m downhill from the town proper. The small…

  • Horca del Inca

    Horca del Inca

    Lake Titicaca

    This hillside gate (named 'the Incan Gallows' by the Spaniards) is a fascinating pre-Incan astronomical observatory, surrounded by pierced rocks that…

  • Mesa Ceremónica

    Mesa Ceremónica

    Isla del Sol

    About 150m southeast of the Chincana ruins is the Mesa Ceremónica. It’s thought to have been the site of human and animal sacrifices and makes for a…

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Articles

Latest stories from Lake Titicaca

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Food

How to get off the beaten path in Bolivia

Feb 12, 2019 • 5 min read

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Go Beyond

Lake Titicaca and beyond

Beyond Lake Titicaca
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