How to visit Isla del sol in 1 day, an epic adventure
We visited “Isla del Sol from Copacabana in Bolivia” in July 2019, at this time the north part of the island was closed. There is an on-going dispute within two local communities regarding the tourism on the island. Meaning that the north part is completely off-limit and cannot be visited. Boats are not going there anymore, and it is forbidden to reach it by foot.
2024 Update: For the last few years, there has been an dispute between the north and south sides of Isla del Sol regarding tourism revenues and accessibility – this meant boats were unable to go to the north and tourists restricted to visiting the southern end of the island. Since 2022, the conflict seems to have been resolved. The whole island of Isla del Sol is now open with no issues.
Table of Contents
Let’s start with a map of island del sol, where you can go, what you can see or visit and what you cannot:
Reaching Isla del Sol
From what we saw, there were 3 ferry companies going from Copacabana to Isla del Sol, each of them having its own pier. You can buy the ticket in front of the pier from local people. You will also find a kiosk in front of the pier but it is only for information, it doesn’t sell tickets. If you buy your ticket in advance from your hostel/hotel, check out which company you got.
The company we took was Transporte Fluvial Titicaca and the go/return ticket cost 30 bolivianos per person. Boats are leaving at 8:30am, we would advise to be at the pier at around 8:10am to have enough time to get things done. There is a second departure at 1:30pm but this will not give you enough time to explore the island in a single day.
The distance from Copacabana to Isla del Sol is only 19 km but be ready for an international cruise. The boats are slow and it takes 1h45min to reach Isla del Sol.
Arrival on Isla del Sol
As of August 2019, there are two options that you will have on the boat. You can get down at the first stop which is Yumani (Isla del Sol) or keep going on the boat until Isla de la Luna. As we are relaxed hikers and didn’t want to rush the island, we went down at Yunami. If you decide to stay on the boat until Isla de la Luna, you will also get to visit Isla del Sol but will have less time.
At your arrival at Yumani, you will be asked to pay an entrance fee of 10 bolivianos, don’t forget to bring some cash.
The Hike to the viewpoint of Isla del Sol
I have to mention that our trip was more an adventure that a regular hike as we got completely lost at the beginning following a Norwegian hiker that was following a dog. We didn’t really follow any trails but ended up using the local way, through lands and agricultural terraces.
Once out of the boat, you will notice some long stairs going up with 2 statues on their sides. That’s the beginning of the trail. If you need to use the toilet, now is the time cuz later it will be behind a bush for old time’s sake.
There are two spots that you can visit: the viewpoint with its 360° panorama and the Ruinas de Pilkokaina (Temple of the Sun).
We’ll start by reaching the viewpoint which is the highlight of the day. The ruins are the remains of a temple that you could see all over Peru and Bolivia. Once at the top of the stairs take a right and go through the village, along the road you will see a sign “Mirador Pallakasa”, follow it or ask people around you for the viewpoint.
That’s the right trail and unfortunately not the one we took. We didn’t know which sign to follow and kept straight until we found a second village which was actually past the viewpoint. We asked local people for directions (Mirador in Spanish). They directed us straight up not following any trail. We followed their advices and hiked straight up going through the land and the terraces. We realized that this was how local people would do to move around the island.
Why follow a path when you can simply go wherever you want to and in the end reach the viewpoint.
Lunch at the viewpoint
We opted for a packed lunch that we brought with us from Copacabana. The hostel “La Cupula” is making quite nice lunch box for a reasonable price. Or if you prefer, you can also make it yourself, Copacabana has everything you need.
The perfect spot to have lunch while enjoying the picturesque view of the island.
While you are there, try to meet some new people, it will give a completely different taste to your day.
For us, we met again the Norwegian hiker we first followed and went back chatting about our travel adventures. Fun fact: she was coming from a small town in Norway that we visited a couple of years ago and where our friends are living.
The ruins
On your way down from the viewpoint, look for signs and follow the trail to the ruins.
I think it’s again worth mentioning that while we were talking on the way down from the viewpoint, we missed the turn to the ruins and ended up down where the pier was. (It was around 1:00pm). Our Norwegian friend decided to go around and we chose to visit the ruins. As per our tradition of the day, we again shortcut through lands and terraces. After a while we noticed that another person was following us, guess who? It was our Norwegian friend that changed her mind and was now following us. Unfortunately, she couldn’t recognize us from far away and guess what, this was not the right trail. 😀
After a while, we found the right trail and followed it until the ruins. We must admit that the trail is beautiful, but the ruins didn’t really impress us.
Afterwards, we headed all the way back and we reached the pier at around 2:40pm.
Return to Copacabana from Isla del Sol
There are 2 ferries per day from Yumani to Copacabana, at 10:00am and 3:00pm. We would also advise to be 10/15min prior to the boat departure. We arrived in Copacabana at around 4:35pm.
What to bring & Weather
Suncream, 2L of water per person, lunch box, snacks
The weather was a bit chilly in the morning and we left with our jackets on but it got quickly warm. The day temperature was around 20°C with a BIG and SMILY sun.
A bit of history
Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) is a small island (14.3 square km) located in the south of the Lake Titicaca and is part of Bolivia. The easiest way to reach it, is from Copacabana. There are no paved roads on the island as there are no motor vehicles. The main villages are Yumani (South) and Challapampa (North). The island is made of approximately 800 families living mainly from farming, fishing and tourism.
The island has over 80 ruins from the 15th Century (Inca empire) and has many agricultural terraces.
The island took his name after the temple of the Sun, traditionally the founders of the Inca dynasty, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo were sent to earth by the sun god.
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.
Always have an open mind and you will meet amazing people along your road
