Thursday, July 14, 2011

Lake Titicaca and La Isla del Sol


Given a few days travelling around the world´s highest navigable lake, I cannot recommend Lake Titicaca more for those seeking some stunning views and heart-pounding hikes. Below are a few photos from our trip to the Bolivian side of the lake, including photos of our hike across the Isla del Sol.

We spent our first night in Copacabana, a pleasant town on the shore where you can get a nice set meal for about $5.  Here we hiked up the town´s Stations of the Cross to catch a tranquil sunset and some nice views of Copacabana from above.





The next day we took a stomach-churning boat ride to the north side of the Isla del Sol--an island famous for its gorgeous views and syncretic religion. After a much-needed cup of coffee, we embarked upon our ten-mile hike across the island, taking a route that begins at the beach and continues up along the island´s highest ridge. On this route, you literally feel like you´re on top of the world, as the lake surrounds you and in the distance you can see the Andes.



Spotted along the island are both Incan and pre-Incan ruins. We saw an altar where the original people of the island worshipped their sun god, as well as some ruins dating to 500 B.C.E.



Although the island has no running water of its own, today there are still several hundred families living there--many of their ancestors lived on the same island thousands of years ago! Most of them live off of farming and fishing, and none of them have cars. There are, however, many many many donkeys that do the work of lugging loads up and down the hilly terrain.


And, of course, there are llamas!


Word of warning to fellow travelers--at 12,500 feet, Lake Titicaca is a legitimate place to get altitutude sickness. Don´t plan a really strenuous hike unless you have enough time to get acclamated.

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