Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Huatajata
This little lakefront pueblo on the road from La Paz to Copacabana is a good kick-off
point for trips to Islas Kalahuta and Pariti. Get here on the Copacabana-La Paz bus line.
The cheapest lodging in town is the Hostal Inti Karka (r B$60) . The owner can take
you to the neighboring islands. Inca Utama Hotel & Spa ( 233-7533;
www.crillontourstiticaca.com ; s/d/ste incl breakfast B$320/400/650; ) , run by Crillon
Tours ( Click here ) , offers surprisingly luxurious resort-style rooms, guided trips to the
rest of the lake and four onsite museums.
Islas de Wiñaymarka
Lago de Wiñaymarka's most frequented islands, Kalahuta and Pariti, are easily visited in a
half-day trip. Tourism has become an economic mainstay, but it has not been entirely be-
neficial to the Kalahuta people who reside on the islands. Behave sensitively; ask permis-
sion before taking photos and refuse requests for money or gifts.
It's possible to camp overnight, particularly on sparsely populated Pariti; however,
camping is not recommended on Kalahuta - you will probably attract some criticism from
locals, who believe in night spirits.
ISLA KALAHUTA
When lake levels are low, Kalahuta ('stone houses' in Aymará) is a peninsula. Its shallow
shores are lined with totora reed, the versatile building material for which Titicaca is fam-
ous. By day fisherfolk ply the main bay in their wooden boats; a few years ago you'd also
have seen the totora- reed boats and men paddling around to gather the reeds to build
them, but they are no longer used.
During Inca times the island served as a cemetery and it is still dotted with stone chull-
pas (funerary towers) and abandoned stone houses. Legends abound about the horrible
fate that will befall anyone who desecrates the cemetery and locals have long refused to
live in the area surrounding the island's only village, Queguaya.
ISLA PARITI
This tiny island, surrounded by totora -reed marshes, made world news in 2004 when a
team of Bolivian and Finnish archaeologists discovered ancient Tiwanaku ceramics here
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