Hotel Hints

One good thing about the hotel is that they have coca tea, regular tea, and fruit which are free of charge and available all day in the main lobby. The high altitude at Copacabana (over 3800 meters; 12,500 feet) can affect many travelers, and coca tea is the traditional local cure for the symptoms of altitude sickness. Drink plenty of it on your arrival there to help your body acclimatize.

The most essential that can be done from Copacabana is to take a boat trip to the Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) which is supposed to be the ancestral abode of the Inca Empire. A great tip is to take a full-day tour that drops you off at the northern end of the island and picks you up at the southern end. This allows you to do the stunning three-hour Inca trail hike that runs the length of the island, which offers spectacular views with the lake and Andes. It’s much more satisfied than a mere round-trip to the southern port.

Fresh trout (“trucha”) from Lake Titicaca offers the best example of savoring an authentic local meal. Since most of the restaurants are for tourists, the wise thing would be to visit those small, elementary food kiosks found right on the beach. For very cheap you can get a full grilled trout with rice, potatoes and salad. It’s very tasty and refreshing to eat then to have it along with the view of the lake adds up to the cultural experience.

One last word of advice is to expect the cold. Being up high in Copacabana, as soon as the sun sets, it gets very cold. The hotel gives lots of warm blankets and generally runs a heater at night, but it is necessary to pack warmly in most layers of clothing—hats, gloves, and a warm jacket to be comfortable when out in the evening or early morning.