Visiting Lake Titicaca – Nomadic Boys

Lake Titicaca - Nomadic Boys

When we were planning our trip to Peru, we were close to skipping Lake Titicaca altogether, mainly because of all the bad press it receives about being so touristy. But if you avoid the tourist traps, you will discover some of the most beautiful, serene and tranquil places in Peru, such as Amantaní island. You can have an authentic experience, living within a welcoming community, rich with culture and no foreigners for miles.

Lake Titicaca is considered to be the origin of the Inca civilisation, where the creator god, Viracocha made the moon, sun and stars from the islands in the centre of this large lake. It is also believed to be the birthplace of the first Inca king, Manco Capac, the sun god’s son.

Lake Titicaca - Nomadic Boys

Lake Titicaca straddles the border of Peru and Bolivia at an altitude of 3,800 metres (12,500 feet). It is not only the world’s highest lake, but also one of the oldest, thought to be over 1 million years old. There are several indigenous communities living here, the most prominent are the Uros in the floating man-made islands, the Quechua speakers of Amantaní Island and the Taquile people of Taquile island.

Lake Titicaca gets a bad reputation mainly because of the Floating Islands of the Uros people. Most tour companies in Puno will sell you a day trip to the Uros Islands with promises of a unique and authentic indigenous experience. Regrettably, you won’t get it here.

You can’t help feel like it is completely staged and orchestrated for tourists. The experience involves a 30 minutes well rehearsed talk about their way of life and how the islands are made. Then you’re swiftly directed to their handicraft souvenirs and invited to take a $25 tour in their water taxis. Unfortunately, they are quite pushy with the way this is done, which makes you doubt the authenticity of it all.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at SOURCE

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