Things to do in  Copacabana

Linking the borders of Peru and Bolivia, Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America, and at 12,510 feet (3,813 meters), it's also the highest navigable lake in the world. From the colorful town of Copacabana to windswept islands, Lake Titicaca dazzles with proud culture, reflected peaks of the Andes Mountains, and hearty meals of fresh-caught trout.

Perhaps the best-known town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, Copacabana retains a laidback feel despite serving as a popular religious pilgrimage site and jumping-off point for exploration of the lake. Take a boat to Sun Island (Isla del Sol), climb El Calvario, or visit the 16th-century shrine at the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana.

Sun Island (Isla del Sol) is the largest of the lake islands on Lake Titicaca, and with welcoming guest houses and hostels, travelers have many options to stay overnight to maximize the experience. With dramatically sculpted terrain, some 800 families live here amongst 180 pre-Columbian ruins, ancient hiking trails, and a small museum with fascinating artifacts.

The richly decorated altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana is a suitable home for the image of the Virgen de Copacabana, the town’s patron saint believed to be responsible for several local miracles. The outside of this 17th-century colonial isn’t quite as extravagant, but its tile patterns and large courtyard make a statement.

Low-lying scrub and livestock cover most of the hillside of Isla de la Luna, a small island on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. Two small settlements and the remains of an Incan site are all that break up the island’s sparse Andean landscape, but they’re enough to lure some visitors from nearby Copacabana and Isla del Sol.

Overlooking Copacabana from the south, Horca del Inca is a hilltop archeological ruin from an astronomical observatory that predates Incan settlement in the area (despite its name, which translates as “Gallows of the Inca”). Only a few stone pillars remain among the ruins on the rocky hillside, once used to chart the winter solstice, but the views of the town from the site provide another reason to climb up.

The opulent, European-style architecture of Palacio Portales pays testament to Bolivia’s mineral boom. The brainchild of tin baron Simón Patiño, this early 20th-century mansion is home to a sumptuous selection of imported treasures such as Italian tapestries, chandeliers, luxurious silks, rock crystal lamps, and marble from Tuscany. Plus, the gardens were inspired by the Palace of Versailles and designed by Japanese horticulturalists.