Roadtrip Peru, Bolivia & Chili - Part 3
Isla del Sol
Isla del Sol (Spanish for “Island of the Sun”) is a captivating island nestled in the southern part of Lake Titicaca, which belongs to Bolivia and specifically falls within the La Paz Department. Geographically, this rocky, hilly island is adorned with eucalyptus trees, and its terrain is quite rugged. Interestingly, there are no motor vehicles or paved roads on Isla del Sol. Instead, the island’s approximately 800 families primarily engage in farming, supplemented by fishing and tourism.
The island boasts over 80 ancient ruins, most of which date back to the Inca period around the 15th century AD. Archaeologists have even found evidence of human habitation on the island as far back as the third millennium BC.
Isla del Sol - Friday 08-09-2023
Today we walk from the south to the north tip of the island. On the north side of the island is Ruins de Chinkana, an Inca settlement. The ruins of Chinkana testify to the island's rich pre-Columbian history as an important site for Inca trade across the lake.
The walk is about 8 km and we walk in a rolling landscape that occasionally looks like you are climbing a mountain 😜😜.
On the way back, we arranged a boat in a small town of ChallaPampa by the locals and they took us back to the port. All in all, we hiked 12 km today and at an altitude of 4,000 metres, this remains an unusual experience. But as often happens, the nickel is in the tail. From the harbour, it is still a good hour steep uphill to our hotel. It was a great day with beautiful views and the ruins are worth a visit. We catch another beautiful sunset and photograph another beautiful starry sky.
Copacabana - Saturday 09-09-2023
After breakfast, we take it easy. We are still relaxing when our attention is drawn to the fact that we have to check out. Apparently, we should have checked out at 10am and by now it's 11.30pm. So we quickly pack our things, have a nice black coffee and at 2pm the donkey gentleman comes to take our suitcases down to the harbour. Down is a bit more prosperous than up!!! In about 25 minutes, we are at the port. At 4pm we take the boat to Copacabana and after two hours of sailing we arrive. Change money, find a taxi and off to our Hostal Piedra Andina. What a beautiful hotel.
We take a fast shower and walk back to the centre of Copacabana. After looking around, we find a cosy restaurant Jardin Bolivia. Lara takes a delicious menu and I a nice pizza. Famished, we attack!!!
Copacabana - Sunday 10-09-2023
Besides having a nice hotel! We also have a very good bed and super important a hot shower with a reasonable jet. A very big difference with the past few days 🤪🤪. Moreover, it is at least 10 degrees warmer here than on top of the mountain on Isla del Sol.
We managed to arrange to stay in the room until 11.30am. This gives us the opportunity to take another nice walk to Copacabana's Cathedral. What a gem!!!! Around 11 o'clock we are back at the hotel for a nice shower and preparations for our trip via La Paz to Uyuni
At 1.30pm, we take the bus to La Paz. The route is breathtakingly beautiful!!!!
Tiquina - Sunday 10-09-2023
In the town of Tiquina, we have to cross a spur of Lake Titicaca by ferry. After some waiting, we are suddenly summoned to get off and continue walking. All the passengers walk around a bit dazed because no one understands how to proceed. Little by little we understand what to do. We discover that we have to buy our own ticket and are transferred by a small boat. The bus is transferred to another place by some kind of flat-bottomed boat. On the other side of the water again the question of how to proceed. We keep an eye on the bus and, of course, all is well again. This company's communication could use a refreshment!!!
La Paz - Sunday 10-09-2023
Around six o'clock we arrive in La Paz. Half an hour later than planned. But it is all in the game, why worry about 😜😜. Now we have to find our bus company in the city La Paz because we don’t leave at the bus station. Lara stayed at the bus station with the suitcases and I go in search of the bus company Todo Turismo. According to google maps about a 5-minute walk. Soon I found the little office. Sign us up for our trip to Uyuni and agree that we can leave the suitcases behind. As soon as we drop off the suitcases, we walk to the centre of La Paz. Visit the cathedral and go to our favourite place for a nice coffee and cake. On the way back, we take a taxi for safety reasons although we would rather walk. At nine o'clock the bus leaves for Uyuni. A ride of about 10 hours. By the way. We have lovely layflat seats. Extremely luxurious.
