Description of the attraction
The navigable lake Titicaca, located at an altitude of 3,856 meters above sea level, with an area of 8,370 sq km and a depth of 280 m, is common to Peru and Bolivia. Its shores and small islands such as Amantani and Taquile are home to the indigenous Aymara and Quechua tribes, whose ancestors lived here long before the Incas. The bulk of the inhabitants of the shores of Lake Titicaca live in traditional Indian villages, where Spanish is not considered the main language, and where ancient myths and beliefs persist today.
On the shores of Lake Titicaca to the southeast of the Collao plateau, there is a beautiful city of Puno, founded in 1666 by the Spaniards under the name Villa Rica de San Carlos de Puno, it is also called the "folk capital of Peru". 14 km from the city of Puno, where the giant Totora reeds grow massively on the shores of the lake, the ethnic group of Uru Indians lives on makeshift floating islands. Their ancestors many centuries ago, who called themselves "people of black blood", were forced to flee to the lake due to the persecution of the ruler of the Inca empire Pachacuteca. Today, out of 3000 Uru Indians, 200-300 people live on 40 floating islands, the rest have moved to land. These people are mainly engaged in fishing and hunting for waterfowl, create new floating islands, build houses on them, pass on their beliefs and customs from generation to generation.
Vicuna, alpaca, llama, guinea pig, fox, diving duck, Andean cat and flamingos can be seen on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Its slightly brackish waters are rich in fish, including several species of crucian carp, trout and catfish. A giant frog known as the Titicacus whistler can also be seen and is the species' only habitat.
The lake flora is represented by 12 varieties of aquatic plants, including the California reed tohora, the green Chara algae and several varieties of duckweed.
The average annual temperature of this area is 13 ° C, with large fluctuations in temperature due to the high altitude location. The amount of precipitation increases during the southern summer (December to March), which is why flooding and frequent storms threaten the shores at this time of the year.
