How to hike Yampupata trail and see the floating islands
We discovered the Yampupata hike in July 2019, the day after our trip to the Isla del Sol. There are 3 possible options to visit Yampupata village:
- The first one is to walk from Copacabana to Yampupata and return by taxi
- The second one is to take a taxi to Yampupata and walk back to Copacabana (this will be our option)
- The third one is to walk both way
Table of Contents
Let’s start with a map of the hike in order to get an idea:
Getting to the Yampupata Hike
We decided to start our hike from Yampupata for a simple reason, you are sure to find a taxi in Copacabana, but you may not find one in Yampupata. The other possible transportation is minibuses (van) but here also no guarantee. You can ask your hostel/hotel to arrange a taxi, it took 5min for ours to picked us up.
The ride takes approximately 35min from Copacabana to Yampupata and cost 80 bolivianos. If the taxi driver asks you more, just hand over the 80 bolivianos and leave. Our taxi tried but didn’t get any luck.
On our way there, we noticed that the trail is not crowded. There was a family of 4 and a group 3 but doing the trail the other way around. So a total of 9 people for such a beautiful trail.
Start of the Yampupata Hike
The taxi will drop you off at the edge of the village, where the small port is. From there, you can start by getting to the viewpoint on the small hill in front of you, there isn’t any path so hike your way up there. You will find an old telephone there and a gorgeous landscape.
going out of yampupata hike
The easiest way to exist Yampupata and reach the road is to simply follow the trail going down from the viewpoint and passing along the beach which is accessible by stairs. The water is crystal clear but the beach itself is unfortunately dirty.
To go back on the trail, you cannot keep hiking along the beach, there is a dead end and you have to go back using the same stairs as before.
Keep on through the field, pass the houses, say hi to every people you come across until you reach the road.
The Yampupata Hike
This part of the hike will be easy to describe 🙂
Follow the dusty road and trail sign located along it. Take time to see how the local are leaving and how they farm. You could get lucky and start talking with some of them.
For us the locals along the trek were really friendly and there isn’t one that didn’t “salute” us by a “Bueno tardes” or “Hola!”.
Along the road, you may also see some old path from the Spanish time, we didn’t used them and often saw them going to a dead end. We would recommend following the road for now. Even if it brings a small problem, when cars pass by, it spread dust everywhere…
Lunch spot
We again opted for a lunch box that we made in our hotel, you can get all you need from the small market in Copacabana and make some sandwiches. We would strongly recommend this option. It seems some restaurants and guesthouses are along the trail, but none were open when we were there.
On top of all, you can find yourselves a secluded area to enjoy your lunch with a view of the lake.
Gruta de lourde
At a certain point on the trail, you will see the “Gruta de Lourde” a cave with a biblical statue inside of it. There is not entrance fees but you may encounter a local asking you for tips.
make your trail
On your way out of the cave you can return to the road and follow it or head down to what seems to be an abandoned camping.
You can walk through it, jump over the small river and walk along the cost. There is a (BIG BIG BIG) rock beach along the shore that ultimately lead back to the main road. This was one of our favorite part of the trail.
We were all alone! and without the dust!
isla flotantes
Further on the Yampupata Hike, you will come across “isla flotantes” which are manmade island. On top of which they lade fresh fish restaurant. To get there, you can walk downhill following a trail to arrive in from of the peer.
There are many of them, so picked the one that seems the nicest. One of them has another island behind it that you can visit.
If you fancy some fish, from what we heard, it should be a good spot to try the local trout. The fish are fresh and directly “fished” from the sea around the island where there is some net cage.
end of the trail and Yampupata Hike
Now, there is only on last thing to do, is to keep going on until you reach Copacabana.
We started our trip at 10:20am and were back in Copacabana around 4:30pm for a total of 20/21km.
What to bring & Weather
Sun cream, 2L of water person, lunch box, snacks
We had a nice and warm weather all day long, a big and smiley sun without a cloud, so a hat would be a good idea. Also, a small sweater could always be useful in case the wind starts to blow.
A bit of history about Yampupata Hike
Yampupata is a small village located in the peninsula of Lake Titicaca. From there Isla del sol is only 1km. It is possible to take a boat directly from Yampupata to reach the Island of the sun.
Gruta de Lourdes, similar to one in France or Portugal, is an honorific place dedicated to the Virgen. It is a place of pilgrimage.
The best accommodation in town is simply: LA CUPULA. Years after that travel, we are dreaming of this accommodation, its fireplace, and incredible view of lake Titicaca.
You mustn’t let mistake weigh you down, acknowledge them and take what you ve learn to move on.
