Isla Del Sol on Bolivia's Lake Titicaca

Isla del Sol, Bolivia’s Island of the Sun on Lake Titicaca, is one of Bolivia’s most picturesque destinations. Visiting Isla del Sol is a peaceful escape to nature with its stunning views of Lake Titicaca, hiking and exploring Inca ruins.

Isla de Sol Bolivia

The Island of the Sun is considered to be the birthplace of the Sun God in Inca mythology. There are over 80 ruins on the island and many of them date back to the Inca period during the 15th century.

About 800 indigenous families live in small rural villages on Isla del Sol, so it’s also a great place to observe local culture and tradition. It’s a car-free island, so you have to walk everywhere and wi-fi is rare, which makes it a great place to relax, unplug and get back to basics.

Most of the hotels, hostels and restaurants are very basic, but they all have beautiful, sweeping views of the lake and landscape.

MY EXPERIENCE

I had come down with a terrible fever the night before I left for Isla del Sol, so I slept for the entire 2 hour boat ride to the island.

Once I arrived, I realized that in order to reach any accommodation on the island, you have to walk up steep stairs for 25 minutes with your luggage. I was not in any shape to do this. There aren’t any cars on the island, which is cool because it keeps Isla del Sol quiet and undeveloped, but it was bad luck considering I was extremely sick.

But despite this, I’m really glad I went. Unfortunately, I was not in any shape to properly explore Isla del Sol, because I had to spend most of my time in bed, but luckily there are incredible views all over the island, so I was able to see its beauty even on short walks.

And the view from my very basic room was really amazing!

You can look out your window and see the sunrise (or sunset, depending on which side of the island your room is located). It was a great place to rest and recover.

I found Isla del Sol to be a very relaxing, peaceful place where its residents are still very much leading a traditional and simple lifestyle. And it’s lovely.

GET IN

You have to take a boat to Yumani on Isla del Sol from Copacabana. It’s a 4 hour bus ride to Copacabana from La Paz or Puno in Peru, depending on the border.

It’s only 16km by boat from Copacabana to Isla del Sol, but the ferry is VERY slow, so it takes about 2 hours. Pro-tip: Get a seat on the port (left) side of the boat for the best views as you approach Isla del Sol.

The ferry leaves from Copacabana at 8:30am and 1:30pm, and it costs 25 Bolivianos ($4US) each way.

copacabana bolivia

NEED TO KNOW

BE PREPARED FOR A STEEP HIKE UPON ARRIVAL

All of the accommodation is at the top of a hill and it’s a car-free island. Lake Titicaca is at 3,800m and the peak of Isla del Sol is at 4,100m, so it’s a steep hike that’s 10x more difficult with the altitude. If possible, only bring your essentials in an overnight bag and leave your big bag back in Copacabana. If you need to bring your bag, you can pay a porter or a donkey to carry it up.

HIGH ALTITUDE GETS REALLY COLD DURING MORNING AND NIGHT

But it will be warm during the day. Isla del Sol is at 4,000m and accommodation is very basic and without heat, so you’ll need lots of warm clothes.

DON’T EXPECT WARM SHOWERS OR WI-FI

A lack of heating in very basic accommodation also means you can expect cold showers and sometimes bedding that is not regularly washed. This is common on the Salar de Uyuni tour also. Remember that Bolivia is a developing country and it’s the poorest country in South America.

THE BEST TIME TO VISIT IS MAY-SEPTEMBER

Which is during their dry season. I was there during mid-January and while the weather was mostly nice and sunny, it wasn’t possible to see the sunrise due to cloud cover.

WEAR SUNSCREEN

It’s called “Island of the Sun” for a reason. The sun is very strong at high elevation and you can still get a sunburn in colder weather.

ISLA DEL SOL VS AMANTANI AND TAQUILLE ISLANDS

Bolivia shares Lake Titicaca with Peru. Amantani and Taquille Islands are on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca and they can only be visited on a 2 day tour. However, you do not need a tour to visit Isla del Sol and it can be visited on a day trip. But if you have the time, you should stay a night or two to explore and experience the sunrise and sunset.

I did not visit Amantani or Taquille Islands in Peru, but I did visit the Uros floating islands (which are on the way to Amantani and Taquille), but they were extremely touristy. And the bombardment of aggressive, high pressure sales by the people on the floating islands was too much.