Nuevo Nomads

After spending a memorable time in high altitude La Paz, we embarked on a road trip to visit the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. The experience was unimaginable to us. The drive was filled with excitement and anticipation while also exhilarating and uncomfortable at times. Mostly, we were in awe of the places we visited; the alluring warmth, the charm and the friendliness of the people we met along the way.

After a long taxi drive in the unpredictable La Paz traffic, we arrived at the bus station for the start of our bus trip to Copacabana. The bus trip was mostly uneventful and we slept. I was awakened by the driver telling everyone we must all disembark from the bus with only small personal belongings to catch a boat to cross the lake.

Although I was told this would happen before, somehow, it didn’t quite register in my consciousness. Nevertheless, we climbed down from the bus and were shown a small Kiosk where we were instructed to purchase a boat ticket to the other side of the channel. It felt surreal as we climbed into the small boat and were whisked across the lake to the other side in about 10 minutes. We disembarked and wondered around the small lakeshore port of Tiquina. Some passengers went off to browse the stalls while others took pictures.

After about 20 minutes our attention was drawn to the lake and the approaching barge. To our surprise, our bus was perched precariously on top of the barge. It was a strange sight, so we gathered around to capture this incredible photo of our bus crossing the lake on the barge.

The trip continued, until we eventually reached Copacabana. This lakeshore town is located on the south shores of Lake Titicaca. It is from here that many scheduled trips on boats sail out to the sacred islands of Isla del Sol and Isla del La Luna. The town has several restaurants, coffee shops and tourist shops and stalls. We proceeded to the kiosk to purchase our tickets to Isla del Sol.

The boat took about two hours to get to Isla del Sol. As we approached, we saw a steep rocky island in the middle of the lake with several ruins and agricultural terraces climbing up the slope from the port. When we disembarked, we were met by our transport, a donkey and its lady driver and our Airbnb host. There are no motor vehicles or paved roads on the island and so you must walk everywhere. Our suitcases went with the donkey and we proceeded to climb up the many steps leading up from the port.

We arrived at our cabin, and were rewarded with one the most spectacular views you could ever imagine. The varied blue colors of the lake against even bluer skies and the snow-capped Andes mountains was absolutely divine. We retired to bed early after our tasteful and well deserved meal of local lake trout. Over the next three days we basked in the untamed beauty and serenity of the island. We enjoyed absolutely amazing sunrises, sunsets and views of the impressive Lake Titicaca and snow-caped Andes from our bedroom. Because of the altitude, we avoided any intense hiking but took time to explore a bit of the island. We were well cared for by Teodora, who made sure someone brought us breakfast on the days she was travelling to Santa Cruz for a wedding. Teodora even provided us with fresh muña muña from here garden to help us alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness (Isla del Sol is located at 13,045ft above sea level). Sadly, due to mounting symptoms of altitude sickness, we curtailed our stay and headed out earlier than planned to Puno and then onwards to Arequipa, Peru.

Isla Del Sol has a rich history, we share these few pictures to give only a miniscule view of the island .

Tips for travelling by bus to Isla Del sol

1. Bus and boat trips are not the most comfortable, there are plenty of bumps and jerks so travel with medicine if you get sick easily.
2. There are not many options for housing, we highly recommend Teodora’s place (Cabanas Ecologicas Santo Campo) in Aribnb. Book your overnight accommodations early or before arrival on the the island.
3. Internet and Wi-Fi connections are spotty or limited so be prepare you might be disconnect during your stay. Local Telecom provider Entel has service in the island.
4. You must pay for entry to the island, about US10.
5. The locals do not like to be photographed so be aware of this, they will let you take a picture with a llama for a fee.
6. There are no roads and your accommodations might be a steep climb from the port if your accommodation is further up the island. I recommend that you travel light to Isla del Sol.