This Landlocked Country Has a Navy, and the Reason Will Surprise You

Bolivia’s unlikely maritime force is a powerful symbol of loss, pride, and national identity.On a cool November morning, deep-blue waters stretched in front of me, while pillowy white clouds drifted across the sky. As we hiked up on the vehicle-free Isla del Sol along Lake Titicaca’s shoreline, passing fields of potatoes and wild herbs, local women selling handwoven ponchos and posing fluffy alpacas, my Thaki Travel guide, Eldy Andrade Terceros, a petite woman in her fifties, filled the silence with stories about the local folklore while also helping distract me from the thinning air and the steady strain of hiking at nearly 13,000 feet.“This pristine body of water is home to the Bolivian Navy,” she said with pride.Straddling the border between Bolivia and Peru, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable body of water in the world, sitting at an elevation of 12,507 feet (3,812... EXPLORE THE WORLD LIKE A LOCAL Unlock exclusive content, tools and guides for your next unforgettable adventure. Members-only insider content Unlimited access to Fodor's AI assitant Instant, free e-Guidebook Unlimited AI Exclusive Content Early Access Everything included in the monthly version. A free e-guidebook as a gift (valued up to $26.99) each year.