Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Don't Miss
Yavari
The oldest steamship on Lake Titicaca, the famed
Yavari
has turned from 19th-century British gunship into a mu-
seum and recommended bed and breakfast, with bunk-bed lodging and attentive service. And no, you don't have to
be a navy buff - it's probably the most tranquil spot in Puno.
This storied vessel began its life in Europe - and its passage to Peru was no easy task. Built in 1862, in Birming-
ham, England, the
Yavari
(and its sister ship, the
Yapura
), were shipped in parts around Cape Horn to Arica (now
northern Chile), before being moved by train to Tacna, then hauled over the Andes by mule to Puno. The odyssey
took six years and the ship was finally launched on Christmas Day in 1870. Due to a shortage of coal, it was fueled
with dried llama dung.
After years of service, it was decommissioned by the Peruvian Navy and the hull was left to rust on the lakeshore.
In 1982 Englishwoman Meriel Larken decided to save this piece of Peruvian history. The Yavari Project was formed
to buy and restore the vessel. Now it is moored behind the Sonesta Posada Hotel del Inca, about 5km from the cen-
ter of Puno.
