Horca del Inca

 From hostel “Las Olas” you can visit a pre Incan sun observatory called “ La Horca del Inca” in abaut 45 minutes (one way). During the walk, as well as from the sight you will catch splendid views over the lake. At the solstice, on the 21th of June, the sun projects a beam of light through a man made hole in the rock on to a gate, marking so the beginning of the new indigenous year. On the very day you will find an enormous amount of people up the hill receiving the first light of dawn, giving offerings to mother earth and celebrating their new year.

El calvario

 The hill behind “Las Olas” 45 minutes (one way) is adorned with little stone crosses guiding you up the hill, indicating the passion stations of Christ. It is a perfect late afternoon walk to watch the sunset. It makes you feel like standing on a ship having the lake all around you and the sunset on your horizon. For local people it is of importance at Easter for their Christian tradition, but on weekends you will find regularly indigenous shamans doing their traditional blessings too.

Yampupata

 Walking towards Yampupata you will pass several points of interest and each of them could be a separate destination in itself. The scenic walk to the village of Yampupata (to the very point of the peninsula towards the island of the sun) takes you about 4 to 5 hours. After 3 Km . you will pass the village of Kusijata at your right hand side with the archaeological site of the “ Bath of the Inca” and a tiny museum. After 8 Km . you will notice the little village of “Chani” from where you can access in about 10 minutes the beautiful white beaches of “Playas blancas “.Continuing almost the entire time along the lake shaw, at about 15km from Copacabana you will pass the village of Sicuani. If you are lucky Don Hilario Paye is around to take you on his reed boat. He is a rather chatty and photogenic character, who is well worth a visit. Your next destination ,18km from Copacabana is Yampupata, from where you have the possibility to cross over to the island of the sun.

The island of the Sun

 The island of the Sun is definitely the main tourist attraction of the area and can be reached by boat in about two hours from Copacabana. The legend tells, that the founders of the inkan culture, Manko Kapac and Mama Ochleo flew over the lake and when they saw the island of the Sun, they decided to settle there. You will find two sets of ruins on the island dating back from those days, but the main attractions are surely the superb landscapes with there variety off bays and peninsulas placed into the deep blue waters of the lake.