Bolivia Guide
Lago Titicaca, the Cordillera Real and the Yungas
Isla del Sol
Off the northern tip of the Copacabana peninsula 12km northwest of Copacabana, Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) has been attracting visitors for many hundreds of years. Now a quiet rural backwater, in the sixteenth century the island was one of the most important religious sites in the Andean world, revered as the place where the sun and moon were created and the Inca dynasty was born, and covered in a complex of shrines and temples that attracted thousands of pilgrims. After the Spanish conquest the island became a looting ground for treasure hunters, and the cut stones of its temples were plundered to build churches on the mainland. But five centuries later it's still easy to see why it was (and is) considered sacred. Surrounded by the azure expanse of Lago Titicaca, with the imperious peaks of the Cordillera Real rising above the shore on the mainland to the east, it's a place of great natural beauty and tranquillity – were it not for the snowy peaks rising beyond the shoreline, the lake could be mistaken for the Mediterranean.
The largest of the forty or so islands in Lago Titicaca, it's home to several thousand Aymara campesinos, who still follow a largely traditional lifestyle based on fishing, herding llamas and cultivating the Inca agricultural terraces that contour the island's steep slopes. The three main settlements, Yumani, Challa and Challapampa, are all on the east coast. Scattered with enigmatic ancient ruins and populated by traditional Aymara communities, it's an excellent place to spend some time hiking and contemplating the magnificent scenery.
You can visit on a day- or half-day trip from Copacabana (tours leave every morning from the beach at the end of Avenida Jaúregui), but it's worth spending at least one night to fully appreciate its serene beauty. The best way to see it is to walk the length of the island from Challapampa in the north to Yumani in the south – a 21-kilometre hike (allow 5–6hrs). Basic accommodation and food is available in Challapampa, Challa and above all in Yumani, and there are plenty of places to camp.