Now, record low water levels amid a long spell of drought are threatening the region's ecosystem.
It's an alarming sight for local farmers like Manuel Flores.
"I am 50 years old. Never before has Lake Titicaca dried up like it is now."
Nestled amid the Andes mountains, Lake Titicaca is South America's largest body of fresh water and also the highest navigable lake in the world.
It's an important ecosystem for wildlife and a water source for millions of people in the region.
But its water levels are now reaching record lows.
FLORES: "This affects us, because there is no more food for our livestock and we cannot travel by boat. Now we have to walk and our crops no longer exist because it hasn't rained since last year, so the water has decreased."
The situation is worsened by the El Nino weather phenomenon that means less rain in the area, compounding a long dry spell and rare high temperatures.
Experts say many of the factors contributing to the shrinking of Lake Titicaca could be linked to climate change.
Xavier Lazzaro is an aquatic systems specialist with the French Research Institute for Development (IRD).
"Ninety-five percent of the water loss from the lake is due to evaporation, which shows that this is totally or almost totally caused by climate change."
Farmers and experts say the drought is now approaching critical levels for the region's agriculture.
If it does not rain by early December there will be no planting of potatoes, one of the food staples for Bolivia's rural communities and cities.
Lake Titicaca's decline comes with global temperatures hitting record highs, which has impacted rivers, lakes and glaciers from the United States to Asia.
