Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca - photo by TERRA ANDINA (www.peru-travels.com)

V!VA User‘s Description

Sitting at an astounding 3,821 meters above sea level, Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. With a surface area of approximately 8,300 square kilometers, it is also the largest freshwater lake in South America. About 25 rivers empty into the lake's ocean-like waters, which are dotted with 41 islands, both inhabited and uninhabited. Forming a natural border between Bolivia and Peru, the lake can be characterized by the diversity of its cultural and natural attractions. Even the briefest of explorations around these emerald-blue waters yields unbelievable encounters with the local people, their customs, and way of life. That the Spaniards bequeathed this majestic lake and its people to a king, rather than a conquistador (as was the custom), suggests the impression its grandiosity left on the explorers.

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