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DESTINATIONS - PUNO - LAKE TITICACA

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PUNO - Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca, is undeniably an impressive sight. A National Reserve since 1978, it has over sixty varieties of birds, fourteen species of native fish and eighteen types of amphibians. At 3820m (12,530ft), is the highest navigable lake in the world. At over 170km (105mi) long, it is also the largest lake in South America. Its altitude means the air is unusually clear and the azure waters particularly striking. Interesting boat trips to outlying islands can be made from Puno, the major port on the lake. The area is also known for its folk dances and huge herds of alpacas and llamas.

Curious Inca-built Chullpa burial tombs circle the lake and man-made Uros Floating Islands are fascinating. These islands have been inhabited for centuries since their construction by retreating Uros Indians. More powerful and self-determined are the communities who live on the fixed islands of Taquile and Amantani, often described as the closest one can get to heaven by the few travelers who make it out this far into the lake. There are in fact more than seventy islands in the lake, the largest and most sacred being the Island of the Sun which is at the Bolivian side of the Lake.