Travel: Lake Titicaca, Peru

On the Incas’ “sacred lake”, Lake Titicaca, 12,500ft above sea level in the Peruvian Andes, lies a remarkable piece of British engineering: a Victorian ship called Yavarí. She is 150ft long and moored alongside a pontoon behind the Hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca in Puno Bay. Open to visitors every day, she now offers the unique experience of B&B in nostalgic 19th-century surroundings, floating on the world’s highest navigable waterway. The Yavarí, along with sister ship the Yapurá, was built in England in 1861-62 by James Watt & Co in Birmingham and the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, who constructed her iron hull. The two ships were ordered by the Peruvian government as gunboats-cum-tramp steam-sailers to defend the country in case of war with Bolivia. They were also used to collect natural resources such as minerals, wool and precious metals from around the lake for delivery to a mule trail-head and onward transport down to the coast. The two ships were “pin-built” in their entirety in the Thames yard; bolted together and each piece inventoried before being disassembled and packed in crates for dispatch to what was then the Peruvian port of Arica. From there the boxes travelled 35 miles by train across the Atacama – the world’s driest desert – to Tacna, 1,800 ft above sea level in the foothills of the Andes, to be unpacked and the 2,766 parts carried piecemeal by mules and porters up to Lake Titicaca, where they were riveted back together again. The journey took six years, the Yavarí being eventually launched on Christmas Day, 1870. As the lake is above the tree-line, the craft began her life either sailing or steaming around the lake on taquia, llama droppings, of which 1,400 bags were required to circumnavigate the lake, measuring 100 miles by 30 miles. The steam engine was replaced in 1914 by a Swedish Bolinder four-cylinder hot bulb semi-diesel engine which is the largest and oldest of its kind still working in the world. The evocative sound, smell and sight of this collector’s piece in operation can reduce grown men to tears. It was popularly thought that the Yavarí was built by my great grandfather, Sir Alfred Yarrow, who moved his shipyard from London to Scotstoun on the Clyde in 1906-08. Although that turned out not to be the case, when I found the abandoned hulk in Puno port in 1983 I had to act. She needed rescuing so I bought her from the Peruvian navy and, although considerably altered since 1862, thanks to the Peruvian crew, British benefactors and the donations of international visitors, we have managed to restore her to her former glory. The Yavarí is easy to reach. Many visitors choose to fly from Lima to Arequipa (one hour) to acclimatise to the altitude before continuing their journey to Juliaca, Puno’s nearest airport. Arequipa, which is 7,661ft above sea level and overlooked by the snow-capped volcano of El Misti, is rich in colonial buildings, particularly churches, all of which are built in white volcanic stone called “sillar”. The central plaza and cathedral earned Unesco World Heritage Site status in 2000 and are well worth a visit. Of particular interest is the 17th-century Convent of Santa Catalina, which is the most important religious monument in Peru. Today, anyone visiting Arequipa should allow time to visit the Colca Canyon. It is the deepest canyon in the world and the only place in Peru to see condors. The drive from Arequipa is about three and a half hours over the altiplano (high plateau) and a mountain pass of 15,800ft. Visitors should be aware of possible altitude headaches but the rewards are the magnificent landscape and the herds of llamas and alpacas, and often small groups of shy vicuña. The vicuña is the most delicate of the four South American camelids, which include the guanaco more commonly found in Argentina. The trip is also a must for bird lovers as the road passes high-altitude salt lakes, alive with ducks, waders and sometimes flamingos, before descending into the Colca valley which is itself a bird paradise. Such trips can easily be arranged in Arequipa, although pre-booking is best. From Arequipa it is possible to take a bus or taxi to Puno, a six-hour journey, or to fly to Juliaca and take a minibus to Puno. The flight is 20 minutes and the drive 40 minutes. In Puno there is a five-star, and several three-star, hotels, both in the town and on the shores of the lake, the latter being the more tranquil option. The cuisine is excellent in these hotels, as well as in the many restaurants along pedestrian-only Calle Lima and its side streets. There is also a huge choice of smaller hotels and hostels. Besides visiting the Yavarí, a popular excursion is by launch to the Uros floating islands about 30 minutes from Puno or further, to the islands of Taquile, renowned for their weavings and knitwear, or the less visited, Amantani. The journey time there and back is approximately seven hours, which can be done in a day but it is possible to stay overnight with the islanders. For visitors with more time, Suasi island, on which there is only the home of its owner and a hotel, is a haven of unimaginable peace and beauty. The Sillustani chulpas, or Inca and pre-Inca burial towers, can be visited on the way to or from the airport. From Bolivia to the Yavarí involves either a spectacular bus or taxi ride from La Paz to Copacabana or to Desaguadero via Tiahuanaco, built between 400BC and 650AD and one of the most important archaeological sites in South America. If travelling by bus, ask to be dropped at the relevant turn off and from there it is a 15-minute walk. In both cases there is a pause at the frontier for passport control and changing money and buses, and be aware of the change of time zone. The most direct journey time is approximately seven to eight hours. From Cuzco, access town for the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, to Puno there is a good bus service which takes about six hours. But I recommend the train run by Orient Express’s Peruvian company. It takes approximately eight hours and is one of the most memorable rail journeys in the world, running through a landscape of snow-capped mountains, swathes of olive green altiplano dotted with splashes of the psychedelic colours worn by bowler-hatted Indian herdswomen – always spinning as they tend their llamas and sheep – and the lively hamlets along the way.