Isla del Sol and the Communities of Lake Titicaca

We’ll have breakfast on board the catamaran before continuing our voyage on Lake Titicaca.  First we’ll head to the Andean communities of Pariti, Kalauta and Patapatani, located on the shores of the smaller portion of the lake known as Wiñay Marca. 

First we’ll stop at Pariti Island, a mystical place with a powerful connection to the region’s ancient history. When local people began finding ceramic pieces while plowing and working the land, their discoveries caught the attention of archaeologists. The archaeologists came and began to explore the island further, and their digs turned up numerous artifacts, including pieces of fine ceramics. These were dated, and discovered to be from the Tiwanaku civilization, which existed in the Titicaca Basin from around 550 to 1000 AD. Intriguingly, some ceramic figures were representations of wildlife such as tigers and monkeys, indicating that Pariti was perhaps once a ceremonial site, visited by people from beyond the Andes and as far as the jungle.  All of these artifacts are displayed at the Pariti Museum, which we will visit during our tour.   

After Pariti we will continue on to Kalauta. Here you’ll have the chance to row a traditional fishing boat through the totorales (reed plants) that grow here, and which are used to make boats of all sizes. Kalauta is also home to large number of funeral towers, built when Kalauta was an ancient stone town and one of the largest pre-Hispanic necropolises. Here we’ll have a snack before moving on.  

Our final destination is Pata Patani, where the locals welcomes tourists at the port by handing them handmade garlands of flowers. The locals will probably try to get you to dance with them as they play their traditional instruments, so don’t be shy and join in! The community here is very much rooted in its ancient traditions, and fishing remains the main occupation of the villagers. After the singing and dancing, we’ll visit the Pata Patani Museum, which takes care of one of the oldest and best-preserved Andean mummies, called Tani.  

This marks the end of our exploration of Lake Titicaca. We’ll head back to the catamaran for a tasty buffet lunch as we make our way back across Lake Titicaca. Once we reach the shore, we’ll head back overland to La Paz