Titicaca lake: Copacabana & Isla del Sol (Bolivia)

From crowded and chaotic La Paz we took a bus which brought us to ceremonial and quiet Copacabana on the shore of the massive Titicaca lake. Believe it or not but people say that Copacabana beach in Brazil borrowed its name from this little lake town in Bolivia J Copacabana lies on a peninsula, and the only way to get there from La Paz is via bus and then boat.

The Titicaca lake, stretching over a surface of 8400 km², lies between Peru and Bolivia and looks like a sea more than a lake, even though the real sea level lies 3800m lower… Copacabana was a ceremonial center during the Inca period and still today maintains a sacred aura. An impressive white Cathedral is established in the middle of the town which hosts many religious ceremonies. On the main square in front of the Basilica there is a tradition of car baptisms (very amusing!), with cars from all over Bolivia and Peru coming here to get baptised every day! Surreal!

From Copacabana we boarded a boat which dropped us at Isla del Sol, a peaceful little island in the middle of the lake, North of the Copacabana peninsula. According to the legend, the sun and daughter of the Sun were born on this island and later founded the mythical city of Cusco in Peru! We stayed on the South side of the island in a local community called Yumani and enjoyed and amazing sunset. The next day we walked 4 hours to the North side of the island where we boarded the boat back to Copacabana – stunning views on the lake along the way.