Peru has a lot of cultural richness still to be discovered and others that despite the years are still historical and relevant, here we will talk about the "Yavari Ship" the oldest iron ship in the world and is located in Peruvian territory.
The ship Yavari is one of the first museum ships of Peru and is located in the bay of Puno, being built by order of Marshal Ramon Castilla in 1861, had the purpose of protecting the domain of Lake Titicaca.
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It was named Yavari in honor of the Yavari River which is in the Loreto region and flows into the Amazon River. The Yavari ship dates back to 1862, when Thames Ironworks built the Yavari and her iron-hulled brother Yapura, these ships were designed as a combination of cargo, passenger and gunboats for the Peruvian Navy.
As the ship is huge, it had to be assembled with bolts and nuts in the shipyard, since to be transported to its final destination they had to bring it in thousands of parts (2766 parts) first by boat to the port of Tacna and from there all the pieces of the yavari were transported by mules and assembled.
It was originally planned to be built in 6 months, but was completed in six years, the original parts, cabinets and navigation equipment are British, this ship has the largest engine of its kind and one of the oldest still operational in the world.
After the Peruvian Navy decommissioned her, the ship began to be damaged, but it was not until 1987 that the Yavari Association, under the care of Meriel Larken, restored her. Today, tours of the decks, the bow and the engine room take place, and you can learn more about this legendary ship.
Now if you want to visit this boat, you have to go to Puno, the website of the Yavari published that visits are daily from 08: 00 am until 17:00 hours and at other times by appointment, admission is free.
The museum ship of the Cañonero Yavari receives daily visits, you can walk around the deck, the bow and engine room of this legendary ship. Here, the crew and guide will tell you about its history and its importance as a tourist attraction on Lake Titicaca.
