Lake Titicaca & Isla del Sol

Well, well. We find ourselves in a new country and we started it off in style with a fantastically sunny adventure to Copacabana and Isla del Sol.

We crossed over from Puno, Peru where it was freezing cold at night and the town left us with an impression of the typical roughed up port city. It was with a welcome relief that we arrived in Copacabana to sunshine, beach chairs and cold drinks!

Copacabana itself is a very touristy town where many local Bolivians visit for warm weather and pampering, especially over the holiday season. You can climb a small hill near town for a nice view and there is some souvenir shopping to be done. The main reason to visit the town however is to make the trek over to the Isla del Sol, where historically the beginnings of the Inca Civilization took hold. As always with this bold empire, great real estate choice!

We opted to do a 3 hour walk along the coast instead of taking the ferry from town, where we hoped to pick up a boat on the way. We were rewarded when a local farmer came running up to us and took us over on his small wooden craft. Upon reaching the southern tip of the island, we walked to the nearby town of Yumani where we checked in to a hostel with a great view of the lake and enjoyed the sunny patio.

Next morning we took off for a walk along the beaches to reach the northern town of Challapampa. We got another great room, this time right on the beach and set ourselves up out front in the sand for the afternoon sipping bear and soaking up the warmth. Ben even got cooked up enough to go for a quick dip in the refreshing waters of the lake - an interesting experience as the local beach traffic mostly consisted of migrating cows. We told ourselves that the water was clean...

While on the island we got a chance to enjoy the local specialty, Trucha Criolla (wild trout), on several occasions. The islanders cook it up just right every time and we really couldn´t wait till meal time and a bottle of wine!

On our last day afloat we walked to the northern tip of the island to see the small set of ruins and returned to the south to catch our return boat to Copacabana. More spectacular views greeted us along the way.