Lake Titicaca, or Lago Titicaca in Spanish, is one of the most spectacular high-altitude lake in the world.
Where is Lake Titicaca?
This famous natural attraction straddles the border between two countries – Peru and Bolivia. It is located at the very southeastern border of Peru and just 50 km west of Bolivia's capital city LaPaz. It lays mid-way from a geographical land perspective, from north to south, in the impressively long South American Andes Mountain Range ('Cordillera de Los Andes'), and at about 200 km from the Pacific Ocean.
The largest lake in South America
The lake is one of South America's largest by virtue of its volume. It is also 3,812 meters above sea level, making it the world's highest lake that is navigable. The turquoise waters are cold (some may even say icy), but this does not detract from the lake's natural beauty.
Lake Titicaca covers some 3,305 square miles and is fed by quite many sources, chief of which are the Rivers Coata, Huancane, Ramis, Suchez, and Ilave, as well as some smaller rivers. Other sources include water from glaciers and rainfall. Lake Titicaca has two sub-basins – the Lago Grande (or Lago Chuchuito) and the smaller Lago Huiñaimarca (also called Lago Pequeño). The Tiquina Strait connects these basins. The lake is quite striking – the combination of brown and red-colored hills and the iridescent blue of the waters reflecting the clear sunlight is such an entrancing sight.