Sightseeing in Bolivia: Copacabana

On Friday me and Raquel had decided to travel to Copacabana and stay there for a day, and then reunite with four of our friends on the island Isla del Sol on Saturday.
Getting to Copacabana from La Paz is pretty easy; first you have to get to the cemetery, and right by the cemetery there is a stop for the buses going there. The bus costs 15 Bolivianos, and the standard is alright.
On the way to Copacabana there is a part where you have to cross Titicaca, and here everybody has to pay 1,50 Bolivianos to cross over by a small boat and wait for the bus on the other side (the place where you have to wait is called San Pedro de Tiquina).

After a more or less 3 1/2 hour long drive we arrived in Copacabana, which is a small town by the shore of the lake Lago Titicaca.

A golden statue in the front, and the basilica de la Virgen de la Candelaria in the background

Lady selling things outside the walls of the cathedral

Details from the cathedrals door.

We arrived in Copacabana right next to the big cathedral, so it was easy for us to stop by and take a closer look at it before starting the exploration of the city. And after a quick stop in the cathedral it was time to ensure that we had a place to stay for the night.
It was easy to find a hostel, since there are many hostels but few tourists at this time of the year. We payed 25 Bolivianos each for our room, an set out to explore the area.

The hostel we stayed at was nice enough, at least for 25 Bolivianos. There are a lot of hostels, so it is easy to find a place to stay.

Some details from one of the streets we passed by. The writing says "Workers Union Copacabana"

We went a short trip down to the beach, were we mostly saw empty swan-boats, but also a couple of cute kids:)

The first thing we did, after a short trip down to the beach area, was to climb up one of the mountains surrounding the city.
This place is called Cerro Calvario, or the Calvary Hills, and on the top you can enjoy a nice view of the lake and the city in addition to some Catholic crosses that dates back to the 1950s.

Crosses on top on the Cerro Calvario

Ladies selling their goods on the top of the hill

View from the Calvary Hill

Copacabana seen from the Cerro Calvario

Cholita lady and her friend on their way down

But we weren't finished exploring the city yet, cause we had also planned to climb the other greater mountain there as well, where we had heard  there were supposed to be some stone formations left after the indians living in the area previously. Just belove the summit there is a place called Horca del Inca, which was actually used by the Chiripas some thousand years before the Incas, and apparently the stone formation was used to predict the harvest of the coming year as well as other astronomical purposes.

Raquel relaxing underneath the The Horca del Inca

View towards Copacabana from the hill with the Horca del Inca

 Luckily we just got to check out this place before it became dark, and we even had time to go down to the beach and watch the sunset there. We spent a nice evening in Copacabana visiting some of the local bars, and we did meet some interesting people too. Since we were going to get up early the following day to go to Isla del Sol we didn't stay up too long though..

All Blogposts from Bolivia

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Sightseeing in Bolivia: Isla del Sol

Hotel Booking:

Hotels in Bolivia
Hotels in Copacabana

About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.