We took the boat from Copacabana to Isla del Sol unsure about what to expect on arrival. What I didn’t expect was how familiar it would feel.
The boat out to Isla del Sol moved slowly, deliberately, as if speed would be disrespectful on Lake Titicaca. It’s only now, as I write this, that I realise the slow approach feels entirely fitting for an island that appears completely and beautifully frozen in time.
As we drew closer to the southern shore, houses in the distance clung to the hillside above the lake, and stone paths zigzagged upward and criss-crossed along the lay of the land. There was something about this whole scene and the earthy colours to match that resembled a small Greek island misplaced at 3,800 metres.
Once I disembarked and paid the entry fee, I headed off in the direction to my accommodation. My plan was to drop off my bag before setting off again to hike to the Northern part of the island.
Isla del Sol – a quick overview of getting there
From: Departs by boat from the dock at Copacabana, taking just over an hour
When: Twice a day at 8:30am and 1:30pm
Return: 10.30am or 2:30pm
Buy boat tickets: You can buy tickets directly from the dock at Copacanbana on the day of travel
Day trip or overnight stay? Some people visit as a quick day-trip but I highly recommend staying at least a night
Important to know: Bring cash as there are no ATMs on the island
Elevation: Isla del Sol ranges from a lofty 3,800 to over 4,000 meters (about 12,500 to 13,400 feet). You will constantly be at a high altitude so take it easy if you feel signs of altitude sickness.
Purchasing tickets for the North and South regions
Apparently hiking between the South (Challapampa) and North (Yumani) was forbidden for a while due to conflict over land rights and tourism revenue, but this is no longer the case. Visitors can now see the whole island regardless of where they are staying.
I purchased two tickets to explore Isla del Sol. I bought the first ticket when I stepped off the boat in the South, and another during my hike after I passed a checkpoint to the North.
When I say ‘checkpoint’, this makes it sound very official, but in reality it’s just a local positioned at the side of a footpath who gives you a ticket in exchange for a small fee. Keep hold of your ticket just in case anyone else asks to see it. There are a few places to buy these tickets, so don’t worry about looking for a specific checkpoint.
The landscape of Isla del Sol
There are no cars, no chain restaurants or hotels, and no quick way to get from A – B apart from a few boats here and there.
The walk to my accommodation took around 30 or 40 minutes and started with a set of stone stairs that would ordinarily be easy to climb but felt punishing under the high altitude. Eventually the land flattened out so I could appreciate the landscape without my lungs fighting for dear life.
At some point I’m greeted by a donkey grazing next to the path on a patch of grass. It was the first donkey I could recall seeing in South America since I arrived. I stood marvelling at it like I’d never seen one before.
For weeks, I’d been so used to seeing llamas and alpacas that now a donkey looked as misplaced as spotting a giraffe in the Arctic. I asked him, “What are you doing here, buddy?”
It looked back at me as though to say, “Darling, you’re the visitor here, not me”. I gave him a gentle stroke on the muzzle before bidding him farewell. The donkey is right. I’m the visitor.
The more I walked, the more the uncanny feeling of being on a greek island intensified. Same terraces and little stone walls, same stubborn relationship with the land, the locals just traded olives and sea air for potatoes and altitude.
But then I see flashes of brightly coloured clothes among the terraces and I’m strongly reminded that I’m in Bolivia. Here, the islanders working the fields, mostly women, do so in colourful layered skirts and striking bowler hats. It’s a strong look that very few people anywhere else could pull off.
Arrival at my hotel – Ecolodge K’arasirca
Once I made it to my hotel (thankfully there were a few handmade signs to indicate that I was going in the right direction), I was greeted by a older woman with a kind and gentle face and presumably her son who shared her features.
Despite my terrible Spanish, we fumbled through check-in and they showed me to my room. To my delight, it was actually more like a cabin and more beautiful than I had imagined.
The view from my room was so jaw-droppingly beautiful I instantly regretted only staying one night. It was the kind of view that you could imagined a writer putting up camp to complete the final chapter of their novel.
So to anyone planning on visiting Isla del Sol, I couldn’t recommend enough staying here. It’s a bit more further out than some of the other hotels so make sure to pack light! The owners are beyond hospital and the love and hard work they have put into this place radiates throughout.
Book hotel: If you’re planning a trip to Isla del Sol, you can book Ecolodge K’arasirca or browse more accommodation via booking.com.
Hiking to the far North of Isla del Sol
It’s hard to describe the beauty of Isla del Sol because it’s somewhat understated. First, there’s that magical, clear light and the soft hues of the sky. There’s the land jutting out upon the shimmering expanse of water that you can see in all directions. There’s the quietness of it all. It feels like going back to a simpler time.
In such high altitude, you move slower. Sometimes so slowly in fact you start to wonder if you’re trapped between earth and space and gravity is working altogether differently in this unknown dimension. But I’m reassured by my feet still being firmly on the ground.
As we drew closer to the north section, where Inca ruins and burial grounds are located, the wind picked up speed. The kind of wind that rings through your ears and causes your eyes to stream with tears. My boyfriend begged me to turn back, but I wanted to see the ruins and pleaded with him to finish the trail.
I spotted a couple coming towards us who had been on the same boat getting to the island. I wondered how they were now on their way back to the south.
“How did you get here?” I stopped to ask them.
“We caught a boat to the North, and now we are going to walk back” they replied.
“That’s the smart way to do it” I replied while laughing. Walking to the north and back to the south in one day is no easy feat in this altitude, but it’s doable and worth the effort. Though if I were to do it again, I would certainly consider the boat.
The Inca ruins
We made it a collection of ruins which were interesting but nothing to write home visually. I guess you could say I had been spoilt after visiting Machu Picchu in Peru just a week earlier.
However, there was hardly anyone else around and this made the whole experience of hiking on Isla del Sol so rewarding. It’s not about the big sites, it’s much more about the ubiquitous sense of peace and tranquility and endless views of Lake Titicaca.
After the ruins, we turned back, following the same route we came. My boyfriend was probably running on 10 percent battery at the point. If there were such a thing as a human charging point, I wish it existed. The next best thing would have been a can of Red Bell but neither were options.
Slow walk back and altitude sickness
A local man with his daughter stopped us to ask if we were okay. I replied “Muy bueno”, but he didn’t look convinced. My boyfriend’s face was stripped of all colour. He took off his backpack and dug into the bottom and opened up a white table cloth that contained dry coca leaves. He scooped out a heap and put them into my boyfriend’s hands. “Muchas gracias” I replied as my boyfriend proceeded to chew on them.
The man stayed close to us and observed the land, and I watched him kneel down and pick up a few shrubs from the ground. He approached us again and signalled to my boyfriend to put them into his mouth. I guess when a wise man tells you to do something you do it.
Curious, I tried one of the herbs too and delighted in the fragrant taste of thyme. I thanked him again and then he walked ahead in the distance, hopefully knowing that we had been touched my his actions. I read later that thyme can help with blood circulation.
It only took a few minutes before my boyfriend said that he felt better. He wasn’t sure whether it was the coca leaves or the thyme or both. Either way, he was relieved to feel better, and I was probably even more relieved I wouldn’t be blamed for ignoring his pleas. As we continued to walk back, I surveyed the land trying to find more thyme with little success.
Sunset on the Isla del Sol
Despite our long hike that took approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes, we pushed ourselves up to the highest point of the South Island and sat above the lake and watched the light drain from the sky.
We waited but I was convinced there wouldn’t be a sunset because it had been quite cloudy through the day. They were not dark clouds, instead they just sat in the sky, white and beautiful.
As a result, I decided to walk back down into town. And as we reached the bottom the sunset appeared quickly, seemingly out of nowhere and the sky burned with red – just our luck! If I had the energy, I would have ran back up the hill, but I resigned to my fate and laughed at the injustice of it all.
Still, I marvelled at the sky completely and utterly engulfed in a fire above my head. It’s not called the Island of the Sun for nothing I thought to myself.
The walk home felt so peaceful. I saw a man retiring for the day with his donkey and the women finished their work and walked home along the same ancient paths, silhouettes against the fading light. We stood for a moment to watch a few children playing under twilight.
I saw them sliding down the hills on an improvised sled made from a large plastic bottle cut in half. No fancy iPads, just the neighbourhood kids hanging out in their backyard with improvised toys. The laughter and squeals reminded me that that you don’t need much to have fun when you’re hanging out with your best friends.
Staying overnight on Isla del Sol
Staying overnight is a must. When the last day-trippers vanished back across Lake Titicaca it felt like there was nobody else around for thousands of miles. Dinner was simple -fresh trout, potatoes, and veg – but exactly what my body wanted after the hike.
Stars crowded the sky, reflected perfectly in the black surface of Lake Titicaca, as if the world had doubled itself. I slept deeply, wrapped in blankets and silence.
In the morning, the sun rose and the sky stayed gold for a couple of hours before transforming to blue. Boats appeared again on the horizon. Life resumed. I left knowing that one night was necessary – not just to see Isla del Sol, but to let it work on you. To remind you that there are places on earth where quietness and peace are essential to existing.
Isla del Sol has a silence of its own that speaks to you.
