Copacabana on Titicaca

With nine syllables we arrived in Copacabana Titicaca.

Our bus from Puno, along Titicaca, down into Bolivia was relatively seamless. The organiser on board made it very clear that if we did not successfully pass through the border crossing on our own within 25 minutes, the bus would leave without us.

Jamie and I made sure we kept to the prompt timing, received our exit from Peru, marched 300 metres through 'no man's land' and entered the Bolivian immigration. We swiftly received our entry stamp and stood waiting by our bus, which had slowly rolled through, with 10 minutes to spare.

The bus departed the immigration zone 45 minutes later.

Copacabana is a quaint tourist town. Plenty of tour offers available to take you to the Isle de la Sol or la Luna. We spent an afternoon hiking a steep hillside to admire a picturesque view of Lake Titicaca and the town.

The following day we bought a ticket aboard a ferry for a two hour journey to Isle de la Sol. The weather was overcast with moments of light rain. Tour groups made their way along the lower island towards the Temple.

Jamie and I opted for the random route. We hiked 500 metres up through the small village, then along the top of the South Island to a Mirador look out. From here you could view the steep hills through to the North and the surrounding Titicaca. We had a friendly hound join us on our hike, at times we thought he was showing the way as we walked between fields, at other times we think he was roaming randomly as much as we were.

We then walked South back through the village, staying on the peak of the hills. We followed it all the way down to the Southern look out. Some tent camps were scattered amongst gums. We enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the temple and large tour groups far below us. A beautiful moment to rest, relax and enjoy panoramic views of the Island and the Lake.

Later in the afternoon we returned down to the boats and made it back to Copacabana, despite running out of fuel and needing some brought out from the mainland.

In the morning we walked to the main square in town to organise a bus to La Paz. Simple enough, we boarded and left Lake Titicaca. A surprisingly large body of water and our constant shortness of breath verified the altitude.

Now on to the big city.