THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bolivia - page 167

HIKING TO ISLA DEL SOL
Instead of taking a boat directly from Copacabana to Isla del Sol, you can follow the trail
formerly used by Inca pilgrims by hiking to the tip of the Copacabana peninsula at the
village of Yampupata , the closest mainland point to the island, and then take a boat from
there. The walk to Yampupata takes about four to five hours, following a very pleasant
17km trail along the shores of Lago Titicaca (see map for route).
COPACABANA TO TITICACHI
Follow Calle Junín out of town to the bullring, then continue along the lakeside road round
the shore to the north. The flat, marshy land beside the lake is worked using the ancient
system of raised fields called sukakullos , which use the warmth of water taken from the
lake to protect crops from frost and boost production. After about an hour the road climbs
into the hills overlooking the lake; after another hour you'll see a grotto-like cave on the
hillside to your left; now occupied by a statue of the Virgin, it was doubtless also a pre-
Christian shrine. The road then climbs gently to a pass before descending, reaching the
lakeside hamlet of Titicachi , which stands on a horseshoe bay, after about 45 minutes.
SICUANI TO YAMPUPATA
Another half-hour's walk along the shore brings you to the village of Sicuani , where you
can spend the night and get a basic meal at the simple Alojamiento Inca Thaki (no phone;
rooms around Bs60). The owner, Señor Hilario Quispe, takes visitors out onto the lake or
to Isla del Sol in a totora reed boat or zippier motorboat for around Bs80-110; he is also a
mine of local information. From Sicuani it's another hour or so to the village of Yampupa-
ta , where you should be able to find a rowing or motorboat (Bs20-35/Bs90-120 one-way)
to take you across to Yumani on Isla del Sol, or Isla de la Luna.
GETTING AROUND
On foot The best way to see the island is to walk its length from Challapampa in the north
to Yumani in the south - a roughly 8km hike (allow 3hr-4hr 30min). Two paths head from
the Santuario towards Yumani at the other end of the island. The first runs directly southeast
to Yumani along the bare, uninhabited ridge that bisects the centre of the island, with good
views of the coast on both sides. The second returns to Challapampa, from where it continues
southeast along the sheltered east coast of the island, passing scattered hamlets and neatly
terraced hillsides where maize and potatoes grow. At the midpoint of both paths you have to
pay a Bs15 fee. At Yumani, you can either catch a boat back to Copacabana, spend the night
and return the next morning, or get a boat across to Isla de la Luna or the mainland at Yampu-
pata . You could also do the walk across Isla del Sol the other way around, starting in Yumani
and heading north to Challapamp, or simply visit both locations by boat.