Feedback from Tom Cole, one of the founders of Geographic Expeditions

Now, as a geography buff and a mountain lover, I'd been reading about Lake Titicaca for many, almost alarmingly many, decades. World's highest navigable lake, an inland sea perched on a great high plateau, etc. etc. And I've got to say the lake lived up to my lofty expectations. Vast, ever-shifting in mood and color, imagination-sparking. (And few places put on such an aerial show: almost surreal sunrises and sunsets with billowing and wispy and curling clouds shifting from light pink to deepest crimson, and, one night, a gargantuan bank of cumulus southeast toward Bolivia turned into a long festival of lightening, strobing across the lake, seemingly across the Solar System).

Titilaka is a prime example of excellence in infrastructure. Big clear, marvelously engineered and installed glass window/doors, a wonderfully warm, airy dining room, bedrooms designed by people who understand travelers, everything made out of the finest and most subtly luxurious materials. I was extremely impressed. (Also impressed by the setting; the little island just off-shore from the hotel reminded me of a particularly comely kopje, those rock outcrops, like big bonsai arrangements, that spring up from the rolling plains of the Serengeti.)

Our guide, Julio Cesar, looked after us conscientiously and enthusiastically. Off-the-charts knowledgeable (and more importantly, enthusiastic) is he about the Lake's ecology and history. I'm more of a landscape and history enthusiast than a natural history buff, but when Mary and I went with Julio on a rowboat tour of the reeds and shoreline near Titilaka's peninsula, I must say I was riveted by his commentary and his fantastic eye for detail.

I was impressed by the number of guided activities available at the hotel, (enough to keep you happily busy for more than a few days), and especially recommend the boat trip out to Taquile Island, which we found deeply serene (it felt like an island in the Aegean somehow, one of the fetching Greek islands). Taquile is inhabited by people whose efforts to maintain their utterly unique and amazing culture (I don’t use those words lightly) is inspiring.

We also went for a fine hike up Pachamama Hill, about 45 minutes east of the Titilaka., giving us not only a grand view of the lake and its varietal shore, but a chance to wander a bit in the tiny villages and farms near the rocky but very walkable Pachamama. Julio Cesar seems to know everybody on and near the lake. Roaming around with him you feel like you're with a friend greeting and being greeted by friends. It’s a lovely experience.

The lake, and the superb little hotel on its shores, was a revelation even for me, a guy well prepared to have my eyes widened by one of the world's scenic masterworks.

Many cheers and thanks- Tom Cole

Recent guest comments:

Un moment exceptionnel de paix, de beauté et de quiétude. Prenez soin de cet endroit et de ses habitants. Isabelle, Antoine, Clara, Alexandre. Paris 12- 8-12 (An exceptional moment of peace, beauty and tranquility. Take care of this place and its inhabitants.)

Un havre de paix, une parenthese hors du temps. Merci! Nicolas et Anne, Paris 4- 8-12 (A haven of peace, a timeless parenthesis. Thank you!)

Posh Titilaka

A recent blog by Marisol Mosquera of Aracari mentioned Titilaka on her trip through Bolivia-Peru-Chile:

...after lunch, we set off on our fast boat to Copacabana which we know and don’t like so gave it a total miss, and set off to Kasani, the border between Bolivia and Peru. It is a funny border where you need to carry your bags for approximately 100 metres as neither the Bolivian or Peruvian cars can trespass. We made the transfer swiftly and a couple of hours later, we were safely installed at the wonderful and ultra-luxurious Titilaka Hotel...

...if you have the luxury of time or money, Titilaka, where we stayed, is very posh. he hotel is located near the community of Acora, 1 hour from Puno. the views are magnificent from the bedrooms and the dining room. Titilaka is the poshest hotel we have stayed so far in our trip, including those in Atacama!! The restaurant, housekeeping and reception service are impeccable, the hotel interiors and decor are superb. I feel it is a bit too formal for the location, but it is my view and others could disagree. The hotel organises group activities around the hotel and further afield, all included in the price if you choose the full package. We had a lovely visit to the Uros Islands ( which are over commercialised but are a “must see”) with two other hotel guests. We had fun but I still feel a private guide of a higher cultural calibre and a private visit are better than current group visits offered widely in this region...

Her full blog can be accessed here.

Peru's Hotel Titilaka promises more than luxury

“I have a surprise for you,” said Julio, our brown-skinned guide at Hotel Titilaka in the Highlands region of Peru. The motor boat we were riding in was approaching Uros, a community of more than 70 floating islands, on Lake Titicaca.  The boat docked beside one of these tiny islands made from totora reeds. When we disembarked  Julio cautioned us to walk carefully on the crunchy, undulating strands.

As he explained how the native people live, cook, work, and sleep on the ever-shifting surface, the inhabitants of this island appeared--a mature woman, two young women (one with a toddler), and an older man.  Then Julio announced, “This is my family. Until two years ago, I slept in the reed hut behind us.”

Julio’s passion for his ancestry helped us understand why the upscale Hotel Titilaka, situated in a remote rural area overlooking the world’s highest navigable lake (12,500 feet altitude), considers sharing experiences as important as pampering guests.  

When Peruvian developer Ignacio Masias purchased an existing hotel on a private peninsula jutting into Lake Titicaca, he decided to enlarge the rooms, add walls of windows to take advantage of spectacular scenery, and provide included excursions, airport transfers, meals, and drinks--altogether marketed as The Andean Experience. The renovated hotel, opened in May 2008, has seen remarkable success catering to families, adventure-seekers, and couples looking for a secluded, romantic destination...

by Going on Adventures by Beverly Burmeier