Lake Titicaca Tour

Quick Itinerary

Day 01: Amantani Island

Day 02: Puno

Know more about the famous Lake Titicaca

Legends

• Origin of Titicaca lake: Long ago, Lake Titicaca was a fertile valley populated by men who lived happily and peacefully. Nothing was missing; the land was rich and provided them with everything they needed. On this earth neither death nor hatred nor ambition was known. The Apus, the gods of the mountains, protected human beings. They were forbidden only one thing: no one should climb to the top of the mountains where the Sacred Fire burned. For a long time, men did not think of breaking this order of the gods. But the devil, an evil spirit condemned to live in darkness, he could not see men live so quietly in the valley. He managed to divide men by sowing discord. He asked them to test their courage by going to look for the Sacred Fire at the top of the mountains. Then one fine day, at dawn, the men began to climb the top of the mountains, but halfway they were surprised by the Apus. They understood that the men had disobeyed and decided to exterminate them. Thousands of cougars came out of the caverns and devoured the men who begged the devil for help. But this one remained insensible to his pleas. Seeing that, Inti, the sun god, began to cry. His tears were so abundant that in forty days they flooded the valley. A man and a woman only came to be saved on a reed boat. When the sun shone again, the man and the woman did not believe in their eyes: under the blue and pure sky, they were in the middle of a huge lake. In the middle of those waters floated pumas that were drowned and transformed into statues of stone. They then called Lake Titicaca: the lake of stone cougars. Titicaca cradle of the Andean civilization, populated by indigenous Aymara and Quechua who still maintain their own customs, traditions inherited from their ancestors.
• The traditional Manco Qapac and Mama Ocllo Legend: In the regions near Lake Titicaca, men lived like wild animals, since they had no religion, laws or an organization that would agglutinate them. These inhabitants were unaware of agriculture and they did not possess textile techniques, for which reason they were naked. They had caves as homes and they fed on hunting and gathering food. The god Inti, felt sorry for those people and sent his son Ayar Manco with his sister Mama Ocllo to civilize these barbarian populations and found an empire to honor the god Inti. Ayar Manco dedicated himself to teach men rules of living together in society and to worship the god Inti. On the other hand, Mama Ocllo teach women weaving techniques and housework. Ayar Manco, also called Manco Capac, had to found a city, which would be the center of the world. His father, the god Inti, gave him a golden rod to search for the promised land. He recommended them to travel to the north of Lake Titicaca and sink the gold cane into the lands where they would pass until they found the place where the rod sinks easily and there found the city of Cusco where they directed their empire. When arriving at a northern region of Lake Titicaca, they were seen by the locals who confused them with gods due to the brightness of their clothes and jewels. The days passed and Manco Capac could not find the land where the cane would sink easily. But one day when arriving at a majestic valley surrounded by beautiful mountains the golden rod was buried in the ground before the astonishment of Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo. This is how they knew that this place should become the capital of the Inca Empire and the navel of the world.

Flora and fauna

The microscopic flora or phytoplankton of the lake is quite poor and with predominance of species of wide geographic distribution. Carbon fixation reaches in the lake greater than 1.13 grams per square centimeter per day; in the smaller lake at 0.56 grams per square centimeter per day, and in the bay of Puno at 0.82 grams per square centimeter per day.

The upper plants present:

• Hydrocotyle
• Elodea
• Ranunculus
• Myryophyllum
• Zannichellia
• Ruppia
• Potamogeton
• Schoenoplectus
• Lilaeopsis
• Azolla
• Lemna

The bottoms have abundance of carofíceas algae like:

• Chara
• Lamprothamnium
• Nitella
• Tolupella

That constitute the most outstanding vegetal mass (near 65% in the greater lake). Between the shore and the nine meters of depth the associations of plants that cover almost the entire surface are distributed. Zooplankton is made up of copepods and cladocerans, which play an important role for planktivorous fish. The lake has 42 islands, among the most important are those of Taquile and Amantani, in Peruvian territory. In this past and present place they are conjugated around one of the most emblematic places of the Inca culture, and its mysteries continue to amaze us. Titicaca cradle of the Andean civilization, populated by indigenous Aymara and Quechua who still maintain their own customs, traditions inherited from their ancestors.

This lake offers a varied fauna composed mainly of :

• ducks
• fish such as suche
• capache
• pejerrey
• trout, among others

The lake has 22 species of mollusks: 18 of snails and four of shells. The hidrobíidos, with 14 species, have a density in the fund of 8000 to 10 000 individuals per square meter. The lake contains 29 species of fish, of which 24 are of the genus Orestias (endemic), two of Trichomycterus (suches) and three introduced (one of Salmo gairdneri = rainbow trout, and the silverside = Basilichtys bonaris). Trout fishing reaches about 1000 metric tons per year. Amphibians reach 21 species (Pleuroderma, Telmatobius, Bufo and Gastrotheca), almost all endemic. A snake (Tachymenis peyuviana) frequents the wet shores of the lake. The avifauna of the lake consists of 28 species, of which one is endemic, the diver of the Titicaca or ninra (Centropelma micropterum).

Ideal Time to visit Titicaca Lake:

The ideal time to visit the lake is between May and October, as the days are sunnier and the temperature changes are not so abrupt. The average temperature of that time is 25 ° C. Although during the nights, temperatures are usually below 0 ° C. throughout the year.

What islands can I find?:

• Floating Island of Uros: Located 30 minutes by boat, from the shores of Lake Titicaca, the Uros are a floating island known for being built of totora, a reed that grows under these waters. Inhabited by Aymara, this place is considered one of the oldest Andean civilizations, having emerged long before the Incas. This area grows economically due to fishing, bartering and even their own crafts, also have extra income thanks to tourism. The inhabitants of the Uros live in a citadel made of totora and has 40 islands, which are accompanied by houses, churches and schools.
• Taquile Island: Taquile is known worldwide for its textile work. It is the perfect place to trek, having a ladder of 567 steps to be able to climb towards the top of the town. The island is inhabited by Quechua speakers who still make barter, an action that involves exchanging one product for another. However, agriculture, textile work and crafts are its main economic source. In Taquile you will not find any hotel, the residents are the ones who provide accommodation and food, learning with them more about rural or community tourism.
• Amantani Island: Known as the "island of love", Amantaní has majestic fields, eucalyptus trees and flowers like the cantuta that grows in the altiplano. This island is the largest of Lake Titicaca and is three hours by boat from the city of Puno. Being an isolated town, the inhabitants and travelers move from one place to another walking, since there is no means of transport such as motorcycle or taxi. In Amantani, you will not find any hotel, the travelers sleep in the houses of the inhabitants doing experiential tourism. 300 meters up, is the Pachatata sanctuary, a space of stones from where the Pachamama or mother earth is worshiped.

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