How to get there

La Paz or Puno (Peru) to Copacabana

Departing from La Paz, we travel north over the altiplano and parallel to the Cordillera Real of the Andes, passing Aymara villages, with parts of the road affording beautiful views of Lake Titicaca. It takes about 3 hours to Copacabana, an important place of pilgrimage for Catholics, with its famous Black Virgin. The area was important in pre-Columbian times and was the gateway to this sacred land, with many ruins still in evidence.

Coming from Puno (Peru), we skirt most of the western part of the lake, travelling through the towns of Chucuito, with its churches and ruins, and Juli, the main centre of the Jesuit missions in the altiplano, where the marvellous stonework of its churches can be appreciated. Pomata is next with an impressive church of red sandstone, then passing the border town of Yunguyo (Peru) we enter Bolivia at Kasani, finally reaching Copacabana in about 3 hours.

From Copacabana we take a boat, owned by local people, across the lake to the southern part of the Island of the Sun, in less then an hour.

HIKE TO THE ECOLODGE

There are three different landing places from where you can hike to Ecolodge "La Estancia":`

1. Pilkokaina ruins. (Recommended)
After visiting the Inca site here, walk uphill at a gradient of 23°, enjoying beautiful views over the lake and the surrounding area, with its agricultural terraces, passing through the Indian community of Yumani (a climb of 110 m./355 ft. over a distance of 1.7 km). Then follow the more gentle slope over the ridge of the hillside with a gradient of 15° to reach Ecolodge "La Estancia" (a climb of 40 m./129 ft. over a distance of 1 km). Total duration: 1 hour or more.

2. Yumani bay.
This is the site of the Garden of the Incas. Climb the steep Inca steps up to the spring of "Eternal Youth", where the Incas were baptized. Continue going uphill, passing through part of the Indian community of Yumani (a climb of 110 m./355 ft. over a distance of 600 m.) to finally reach Ecolodge "La Estancia" (a climb of 40 m./129 ft. over a distance of 1 km). Total duration: 1 hour.

3. Huacani bay.
This is the shortest way to reach Ecolodge "La Estancia", but it is quite steep, going up from the bay past ancient Inca agricultural terraces (a climb of 150 m./484 ft. over a distance of 400 m.) ½ hour duration.