Yumani, Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca (Bolivia)

In South America, Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Lake Titicaca (and Yumani specifically) are my favorite places. Lake Titicaca is the most extraordinary place on Earth, in my opinion. I thought I’d never go back, but in 2024, we finally made it back!

Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Journal

Bus from Cusco to Copacabana

We chose Transzela (which leaves at 10:30 PM). Online reviews aren’t the most flattering, but we have no complaints. There’s Uber in Cusco, so to get to the bus terminal, we just called an Uber (15 soles). At the bus terminal, you have to pay 1.5 soles per person (terminal fee) and 1 sole for the restroom if needed.

The seats are comfortable, you can recline them well and sleep well. There are even blankets. There’s just a 1-hour stop in Puno, which allows me to eat a bit. Since his surgery, JB has to fast during long bus rides because he can’t trust his digestive system, poor guy.

For the border crossing, it’s very simple: everyone gets off at the same time (without luggage), we show our passports at the Peruvian border (no exit stamp), then we walk 10 meters and show our passports at the Bolivian border (where there is a stamp). JB exchanged money at the Peruvian border, the exchange rates are better than official rates.

Copacabana

We arrive in Copacabana around 10 AM. We could have left our bags in one of the luggage storage places near the port (look for the “equipajes” signs) and taken the 1:30 PM boat to Copacabana, but we prefer to spend at least one night in a hotel to recover from the long journey. We did well because I would suffer from altitude sickness again, and we’ll have to stay two nights in the hotel for me to feel better. Hotel Utama (Booking link) is up high, you have to climb huffing and puffing, but it’s very comfortable, the shower water is nice and hot, and coca tea is available at will in the lobby. Despite the online reservation, you have to pay in cash. Be careful, in Copacabana, in the evening, there are always lots of stray dogs that are a bit territorial. If you see one, cross the street to avoid any trouble. I take full detours, haha.

To get cash, JB withdraws with his Boursorama card at Banco Fie. He often withdraws 800, 1200 Bs without any problem. We’ll need to take a lot of cash because on Isla del Sol, no one accepts card payments, and there are no ATMs.

I had better memories of the restaurants in Copacabana. This time, I find it’s not that good (maybe because I come from Peru, and in Peru, the food is especially delicious). I really like Jardín Del Inca, the food isn’t excellent but it’s edible, there’s a tourist menu at lunch for 35 Bs, and the waiter is super nice.

Anyway, despite the altitude sickness, I’m extremely happy to be right next to Lake Titicaca. It’s the place where I feel best in the world. The hotel has a room where they keep our bags for free, even if we leave for several days. That’s convenient!

Boat to Isla del Sol

Last time, I was particularly moved by the southern part of Isla del Sol (Yumani), and I only want one thing: to stay there for several nights. My goal, when going to the port, is to find the first boat to Yumani.

I’m too tired to ask around for you. Just going down, climbing stairs drains all my energy. However, I did glean some info:

• there’s a tour at 9 AM that goes to Isla de la Luna, before heading to Isla del Sol. It stops at the northern part of the island before going to Yumani. They tell me that if I want to visit Isla de la Luna, I can do that and then stay overnight in Yumani.
• there are 2 boats that go to Yumani (southern part of Isla del Sol): at 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM. Tourists stay there for 1 hour, then they are taken to see the Temple of the Sun, then they return to Copacabana. Those of us staying overnight can pay one-way tickets and return to Copacabana another day by taking an 11 AM boat.
• I didn’t ask questions about the northern part of Isla del Sol because that part doesn’t interest me at all, I already visited it last time.

The boat we take to go to Yumani is super slow. Whatever you do, don’t sit next to the engine because it smells bad. And don’t sit on the roof either because you’ll get burned by the sun. Being inside, at the front, is the way to go! At one point, we pass the Temple of the Sun, and I don’t remember seeing it last time because I had my back to it when I took the boat. It’s super beautiful, and JB will trek there from Yumani.

The boat guide is super professional, he explains the route well, he even offers a guided tour (10 Bs) from Yumani to the Temple of the Sun. After learning that we planned to sleep there, he became a bit too insistent, trying to sell us his hotel (poorly rated on Google Maps) and at the top of the hill. We tell him we’ll take note, but frankly, I can’t see myself climbing to the top of the village twice a day. Last time’s experience taught us to be near the port, because that’s where you find food, and being at the top of the hill would force us to go down and back up x times just to eat.

The island is agricultural, but they grow stuff you don’t see on your plate. For 3 days, we only eat that: grilled trout, breaded trout, lemon trout… It lacks variety, but it comes from the lake, it’s super fresh and delicious. The tomatoes are juicy, it’s been a long time since I’ve eaten such delicious tomatoes.

Right, now that we’ve arrived, we need to find a hotel. All the hotels near the port are poorly rated. We see the cabins where we slept last time. They must have been successful because now they have 3 cabins!!! However, we’re a few years older, we’re no longer in “backpacker” mode and now we’re aiming for a slightly more comfortable hotel. We drive around in circles until I spot Hostal Mirador del Inca (Booking link). It’s the yellow hotel in the photo.

We say hello, no one answers. We wait patiently for a few minutes and a man in traditional dress comes to greet us. We understand one word in three but still manage to communicate. We have the family room with private bathroom for 200Bs/night, breakfast included. We’ll stay here for 3 nights.

You should specify if you want a private bathroom (baño privado) because many rooms only have access to a shared bathroom (very clean, mind you). JB will learn later that we pay more in person than on Booking lol. Here’s the view from our room:

There’s no privacy because the curtains are almost transparent, but in exchange, I have an extraordinary view, we have two beds, a tiny work table, and even WiFi!!! Clearly we could have worked from here!

The must-see thing in Yumani is the Inca staircase (about 200 steps). For us, it’s very simple, we just go down from our hotel and come back up via the stairs. We’ll do it several times to go to the village. They’ve made it something very pretty, with flowers, running water (from the fountain of youth).

One day, we even saw the villagers organizing themselves to remove weeds from the staircase and do work at the port. They don’t move fast, sure, but I imagine it’s voluntary and a chance to get together. It’s cute to see the ladies in traditional dress picnicking near the stairs, with a bag of weeds right next to them.

I really enjoy watching them from afar, they’re fully in the present moment, you don’t feel any haste, any impatience, everything is calm. When we go to a restaurant, we know we’ll have to wait at least 1 hour because of the time it takes to prepare the fish, peel the potatoes… an hour. The ladies in traditional dress are always well-dressed, they have several layers of wool clothing, it must be very heavy. They all have a kind of shawl around their shoulders, which is very practical as it serves as a basket, you can also put a small child in it and the shawl is big enough to cover the child’s head and protect them from the sun. When we pay a man, he immediately gives the money to the woman who slips the bills into her apron. It feels like we’re traveling back in time.

At the end of the stairs is an Inca fountain. The Spanish, when they came here, thought it was a fountain of youth. The water is ultra fresh, I think it’s drinkable because the boat guide mentioned we could fill our bottles. I mostly used the water to cool my face, you never know, maybe it really is a fountain of youth 😀 since I’ve aged a lot these past few years, maybe it will rejuvenate me ahaha

We visited the village but it’s low season and we have a hard time finding, going all the way up, only 2 restaurants. However, the view from the top is very satisfying, it makes for a nice walk, so we don’t stay at the port all the time either.

Three or four times a day, we see tourists embark, disembark…. get upset about having to pay 10Bs as soon as they set foot on the island. It makes us laugh every time. There are three communities on the island and they can’t agree on the income generated by tourism. So, as soon as you cross the threshold of a community, you have to part with 10Bs (for foreigners, 5Bs for Bolivians). Of course, no one thinks to mention it because it seems so normal to the locals. When buying the boat ticket, no one will mention it. You only know if you’ve read the Lonely Planet, the Routard, or blogs.

Usually we have lunch and dinner at Hostal Puerto Yumani right next to the port, but they already close around 5pm.

One evening, I’m reading a lot without watching the time, and miss dinner time. We have to go up to the village to find an open restaurant. We come across a hotel that is serving their guests: two French tourists. They tell us they went up with their super heavy bags. They know they should have left their luggage in Copacabana but they didn’t know where. Too bad they didn’t read my guide from a few years ago because I even mention a hotel to leave your bags. The practice has become so widespread that you could even go to any hotel, ask, and pay for storage. Or spot one of the many “equipajes” signs near the port.

They also tell us they visited Uyuni before coming here, and there wasn’t a drop of water, which was causing problems for the animals etc. This worries us a bit because indeed the weather forecasts don’t predict rain for a week and we need to be there soon (finally our calculations will be accurate since we’ll have water, but less than 7 years ago).

Temple of the Sun

JB will trek to the Temple of the Sun. It’s a walk without too much difficulty, 40 minutes one way. Here are the photos he took. This side offers somewhat different viewpoints.

Whereas the port only offers views of the Andes mountain range. Unfortunately, there are clouds every time, we don’t get a sunset worthy of the name. And we’re not brave enough either to see the sunrise (at 5:30am) either.

You can see that our travel journals for Peru and Bolivia are a bit more boring and contemplative than those from 7 years ago. We’re no longer in “tourist” mode, trying to see as much as possible; we’re just going back to the places where we feel good, to recharge our energy.

Especially me! For over a year, I’ve felt drained of my energy, I can’t get enthusiastic about anything anymore, even traveling tires me out, it’s like my soul has left me and only the shell remains… and by spending a bit of time at Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Yumani – on Isla del Sol, my favorite places in the world, I feel alive again. I have projects again, I enjoy traveling again, I’m calm inside but alive. Sometimes, we just need giant batteries to plug into, like these extraordinary places, and leave in good shape. They’re not sacred places for nothing; the ancients knew very well how to spot the most spiritual sites.

We take the boat at 11am to return to Copacabana. I still haven’t seen the Moon Island, I completely skipped the other two parts of the Sun Island, but that’s okay. The most important thing is to fully enjoy Yumani, and I did. We get back just in time for me to have a quick lunch in Copacabana (JB went to get the luggage by himself to let me have time to eat, he doesn’t eat) before taking the bus at 1:45pm to La Paz, then Uyuni. Here’s the view of Copacabana from the bus:

Part 2: Practical Tips

• Boat: 30Bs/person one way, 50Bs if you do a round trip in the day. Departs at 8:30am or 1:30pm from Copacabana. Departs from Yumani at 11am and ??? (I forgot)
• Hotel in Copacabana: Hotel Utama (Booking link)
• Hotel in Yumani: Hostal Mirador del Inca (Booking link)
• Fee-free withdrawal with the Boursorama Ultim card at Banco Fie (take lots of cash, even if it means exchanging when leaving Bolivia)
• Bus Cusco – Copacabana: 90 Soles with Transzela

I’m including a screenshot about Isla del Sol from National Geographic (December 2023 Special Edition)