For some reason, every schoolchild remembers the name of this largest alpine lake, located on the border of Bolivia and Peru. True, usually his knowledge is limited to this, but Titicaca is a very, very unusual lake. Strictly speaking, this is not even a lake in the truest sense of the word, but a piece of the ancient ocean raised to a dizzying height. Hence its main feature – the ocean fauna: it is home to many species of marine invertebrates and fish, and even sharks. On the islands of Lake Titicaca and in its vicinity are the ruins of ancient settlements. The main city of the region is Puno.
How to get there
There are several ways to get to Lake Titicaca from Lima:
25 hours by bus to Puno (33-50 USD)
by plane to Cusco, and from there either an hour by plane to Juliaca, or 10 hours by Andean Explorer train, which comes to the very center of Puno.
The prices on the page are for December 2021.
Entertainment and attractions of Titicaca
Particularly noteworthy are the burial towers of Silustani with the burial places of local leaders of the Inca era, the “Island of knitting men” Taquile with the Textile Museum, the island of Amantani with the temples of Pachamama and Pachatata located at an altitude of 4200 m, the highland village of Chuquito with the church of Santo Domingo.
According to wholevehicles, Puno is the folklore capital of Peru and part-time the main port city, located on the southwestern coast of Titicaca. Just 20 km south of Puno lies the ancient port city of Tiahuanaco, which rises 30 m above the lake. It is worth seeing the 15 m high Akapana pyramid, the Kalasasaya stone and the Gate of the Sun, made of huge stone blocks.
From the top of Taquile Island, a stunning panorama of the lake and the surrounding area opens up. The Floating Islands of Uros is an open-air museum. Here tourists are met by locals, driven through traditional reed houses, fed with reed core, ride on reed boats and sell reed souvenirs. Chuquito is also interesting – a small town 18 km from Puno. Here is the temple of fertility Inca Uyo, in which 13 phallic stones stick out of the ground.
Excursions and routes on the lake
A typical excursion program lasts 3 days and 2 nights, including a visit to Lake Umayo, Juliaki and Puno, a motor boat trip on Lake Titicaca and a visit to the Uros Islands, a visit to an aboriginal village on Taquile Island with hiking through its hills and archaeological parks. There is also an extended program with a visit to the private island of Suasi (with a barbecue, an overnight stay and a smoke yoke). The cost of excursions is from 150 to 500 USD.
Trujillo
Trujillo is the most important city in northern Peru. Its history spans more than one century, which is immediately noticeable in the bright, original and unique face of the city. Trujillo was founded in 1534, and he got his name from his Spanish counterpart, as was often done in those days with newly founded settlements throughout South America. But, located on the Iberian Peninsula in the province of Extremadura, the city of Trujillo is not half as famous as its Peruvian counterpart. (Despite the fact that the brilliant artist Francisco Pizarro was born there.) It’s just that the city in Peru is the epicenter of independence and the fierce struggle that the people led here under the leadership of Simon Bolivar. But first things first.
How to get there
Trujillo Airport is located 10 km northwest of the city centre. Every day it receives three LAN flights from Lima (around 6am, 5pm and 8pm). And, accordingly, sends three flights back to the capital of Peru. The Taca airline flies the same routes, but only twice a day, and air tickets for its flights are 20-30 percent cheaper.
You can also get to Trujillo from Lima by bus, but you have to be prepared for a crooked night on the seat for at least 8 hours.
Entertainment and attractions of Trujillo
The popularity of Trujillo among tourists is simply explained: this city has a fantastic culture and no less luggage of all kinds of attractions from every era lived. Initially, ancient civilizations were noted here, later colonists came… both of them, fortunately for us, decently inherited. In the first case, tourists should definitely go to the ruins of the colossal city of Chan Chan. Once the capital of the ancient Chimu Empire, this city is built entirely of stone and clay. You can get there in half an hour and 15 PEN from the corner of España and Ejército.
The popularity of Trujillo among tourists is simply explained: this city has a fantastic culture and no less luggage of all kinds of attractions from every era lived.
The Spanish colonial era was marked for the most part by villas and palaces. Back in the 16th century, when many Spanish hidalgos settled here, all kinds of mansions and pompous villas began to be built throughout Trujillo. They stand to this day.
Among the sights of the city center, of great interest are the old colonial mansions, the balconies and windows of which are decorated with bars and carvings in the Spanish style, the main square of the city, Plaza de Armas, the City Hall and the Cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace, numerous monasteries, the Museum of Archeology, an art gallery, etc. d.
Plaza de Armas
On the main square of the city, Plaza de Armas, since 1820, there has been a Statue of Liberty, which reminds all proud locals and inquisitive travelers that it was here that Peru’s independence from Spain was proclaimed. And it was in Trujillo that the headquarters of Simon Bolivar, a famous fighter for independence, was located.
