Yampupata (Bolivia)

What child has never giggled at the name of Lake Titicaca? Not only has this legendary lake been a source of amusement to schoolchildren for generations, it is also a place many travellers dream of visiting. 

Lying at an altitude of 12,500ft on the border between Peru and Bolivia, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. It also contains around forty islands inhabited by the indigenous Uros people. The best-known of these is the famous Isla del Sol, whose main villages are Challapampa and Yumani. It is possible to get to the "Island of the Sun" by boat from the Yampupata Peninsula – in fact that will probably be your main reason for coming here!

Around four and a half miles from Isla del Sol lies Isla de la Luna, famous for its ancient "House of the Virgins of the Sun". A little further on still you'll find the floating islands that serve as homes to the indigenous Uros people, who spend their time weaving and fishing. Cradle to the Inca Empire, Lake Titicaca is a mystical place. Visit the less touristy Bolivian part rather than the Peruvian part if possible.