From Copacabana we took a day trip to Isla Del Sol. We found some tickets to the northern part of the Island for about $5 per person. This included a side trip to a floating village that we weren’t thrilled about, but $5 sounded like a good deal.
The boat left early in the morning when it was still quite cold outside. We were bundled up in jackets and sweaters trying to keep warm and I forgot to grab my baseball cap — which turned out to haunt me later.
It took about 2.5 hours on the boat before we arrived at this little village on the northern side of the island.
Starting from the village, we entered a national park with a guide for a 2 hour hike up to some sacred Incan sites.
It had turned into a beautiful day. We were stripping off layers as the sun came out.
We had great views of the lake from this trail; the water looked so clear and blue!
Along the trail, we had several views of little farms like this.
A perfect day for hiking on Isla Del Sol.
The Incas believed that the Isla Del Sol (and specifically a giant rock) was the birthplace of the Incan people. These cairns are built in front of this sacred rock by visitors making wishes.
These Incan ruins are not far from the sacred rock. While nothing compared to what we saw in the sacred valley, we still enjoyed it.
The views never disappointed on this hike.
The red rocks really contrasted with the deep blue skies and lake.
This fluffy little pony reminded me of our giant cat Nala (she’s a maine coon and this little pony doesn’t have many pounds on her).
In the distance, you can make out the Andes, covered in snow.
There is a trail running across the entire length of the Island that takes about 4 to 6 hours to walk. You can catch a ferry at the southern end of the island back to Copacabana. We wish we had done that given the amazing weather we were having! Instead, we had to head back and board our ferry.
We rode on top of the boat, out in the sun. As I mentioned, I forgot my baseball cap that morning and by the afternoon, my nose was getting extremely sun burned.
On the way back to Copacabana, we stopped at the floating village. As suspected, this was a total bust! Nothing about this village felt authentic except for the fact it was a tourist trap! We made the best of it by drinking a few beers and checking out the pictures we took on the Isla Del Sol.
The floating village was more of an opportunity to sell trinkets, beers, and other wares to the tourists who were basically trapped there while waiting for their boat to leave back to Copacabana.
Overall, we had a great time on the Isla Del Sol and we were very happy we took a day trip out to explore it. Next time we’re here we’ll hike the island, and skip the floating village!
Coming up next: navigating the crazy traffic in La Paz, Bolivia.