A TRIP TO ISLA DEL SOL ISLAND – BOLIVIA

Isla Del Sol is an island in the southern part of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and it’s a place of peace and mysticism.

Before I made up my itinerary through South America I always had great curiosity about Lake Titicaca because of the history and connection to the Inca Empire. According to the legends Isla del Sol is where humanity started. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about this.

✎ HOW TO GET THERE

In order to learn more about the history and visit other areas of our interest in Bolivia we decided to join a day tour departing from La Paz.

The only way to get to the island is by boat. We got ours in Copacabana and it took about 2 hours to get there. The waters in Lake Titicaca are smooth and it was an easy ride.

THE LEGEND OF ISLA DEL SOL

The most known legend from the Incas says that after the great flood the area of Lake Titicaca fell into darkness for a long time.

Then Viracocha, the Inca god of creation, emerged from the waters where he created the Sun God, Inti.

After that he also created the world’s first two Incas – Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo (the Adam and Eve of the Andes). It is said that Manco Cápac came out of a large rock known as Titi Qala, a famous site of the island.

EXPLORING THE ISLAND

We arrived early morning to Cha’llapampa on the north side of the island were a large community lives a simple life based on fishing, farming and tourism.

We explored the island by foot following the trails from one side of the island to the other. The trails are easy to follow and it was an amazing day. I loved to hear about all this ancient myths and we saw and talked with the people living there.

There are over 80 ruins on the island with most of them dating from the Inca period. The most famous ones are Titi Qala, the Chincana building, Q’asa Pata, Pillkukayna, and Chucaripupata a Tiwanaku ritual site.

We started by exploring the ruins of Chincana that is full of details in which our guide had extensive knowledge. There is a set of rooms like a labyrinth with very low roofs and doors. I felt really tall!

We stop half away to have lunch in Yumani, were we had a meal that was included with the tour. A delicious fresh trout from Lake Titicaca was served. Normally I’m not a big fan of trout but I must say it was really nice.

We end up the trip on the southern side of the island doing the Inca Steps, a stone staircase with 206 steps leading up to the Fountain of Youth. They say that you will prolong your life if you drink from it.

There was also a little farm with a lot different medicinal plants and animals that I enjoyed to walk around.

It’s possible to stay overnight; there are lot of accommodations to choose around the island but we came back to Copacabana that day and for me it was enough the amount of time there.

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Have you ever been to Isla Del Sol? Do you plans to go? Tell me about your plans!

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