Crossing the island of the Sun.

Hike through the birthplace of the Incas

Petr Liška
Wrote 2420 articles and follows him / her 243 travelers
Inserted: 08.02.2017
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Crossing the island of the Sun is perhaps the most classic hike you can take around Lake Titicaca. Along the way you will find beautiful views of the lake and the Cordillera Real rising on the horizon. There are also several ruins and beautiful terraced fields. Along the way you will ascend to several four thousand peaks.

Challapampa beach

The ideal starting point to cross the island of the Sun is the northern port of Challapampa. In addition, the western beach is suitable for swimming, so you can refresh yourself before the hike

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View of the beach and Challapamp

From the end of the beach there is a slightly ascending path, from which there is a nice view of the beach and Challapamp.

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Panorama of Challapampa

You have two options to either walk along the path between the buildings and then continue to the very western end of the island or take it straight up through the sparse vegetation to the ridge and shorten your path a bit.

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View of the Cordillera Real

70 kilometers as the crow flies are the peaks of the Cordillera Real with its 6,000 peaks.

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Author: © gigaplaces.com

Ridge road along the island of the Sun.

After you reach the main ridge, the whole rest of the way is absolutely obvious. The road is comfortable and wide.

Views from the ridge path

The views from the ridge to the peninsulas are very picturesque, and the mountains on the horizon still attract eyes.

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View to the north of the island

The actual march along the ridge is a very pleasant ascent and descent are not very steep and thanks to the landscape without trees there are constant views in all directions.

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The first view to the south

Not far from the house with the possibility of buying snacks, the view to the other side of the island to Copacabana opens up for the first time.

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View of Cerro Khapia

Across the picturesque bay, you can also see the extinct volcano Cerro Khapia, located in Peru

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Local residents

Of course, many locals already make a living from tourism. However, there are many others who maintain the same way of life as decades ago.

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View from Cerro Santa Barbara

At the end of this tour, it is definitely worth leaving the ridge trail and climbing just a few meters to the top of Cerro Santa Barbara. The peak itself is just a rocky plain, but it has a beautiful view of virtually the entire ridge route.

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View of Yumani

The last part of the way to the village of Yumani can also be seen from the viewpoint. You have the last three kilometers left.

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Sunset over Ancohuma and Illimani

There are a number of hostels in Yumani where you can stay. Most importantly, don't miss the sunset! The view from here of the Real Cordyler is truly breathtaking.

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