Travel in Copacabana
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Copacabana is a small town located on the Bolivian shore of Lake Titicaca. Situated relatively close to the capital of La Paz, it's a popular resort destination for foreign travellers and locals alike.
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Understand
History
This is the original Copacabana -- before the beach in Rio (and yes, the Barry Manilow song). The name derives from the Aymara kota kawana, meaning "view of the lake", and the region was revered by the Inca even before the Spaniards built their chapel of the Virgin and turned it into a Catholic pilgrimage site.
Orientation
The town's central square is Plaza 2 de Febrero, and from there Avenida 6 de Agosto slides down to the lakeside. It's packed with souvenir shops, hostels, and restaurants, largely catering to foreign tourists. Avenida Jaregui one block north has a more local feel, with street markets and grocery stores.
Get in
By bus
Buses leave from La Paz' cemetery bus terminal; the fare is around Bs16 and travel time is 3-1/2 hours. At the Tiquina Strait, you get off the bus and take a quick ferry ride (Bs1.50) to pick up the bus (which is ferried across by barge) on the other side. Buses arrive in Copacabana at Plaza 2 de Febrero and leave from Plaza Sucre.
Get around
The town is quite small, so taxis are hardly needed. From 2 de Febrero, you can hire pedicabs to carry luggage to your hotel.
See
- Copacabana Cathedral, completed in 1619, is one of the oldest churches in Bolivia and is a fine example of Moorish style architecture. (The current structure dates to 1805.) It houses the statue of La Virgen de la Candelaria (also called the "Dark Virgin"), reputed to have miraculous healing powers. The original statue was carved from cactus in 1583 by Francisco Tito Yupanqui, nephew of Inca emperor Huayna Capac. It has made the church Bolivia's most revered pilgrimage site, and its reputation traveled far and wide in its time, even leading someone to create a replica and build a chapel for it on a beach in Brazil...
Do
The imposing hill of Cerro Calvario overlooks the town from the north end of the beach, and it's a moderately strenous 30-minute climb. There are fourteen stations of the cross along the way, where you may want to stop and pray for stronger legs and lungs. The best time to go is around sunset, and hope the weather cooperates.
On the other end of the shore are two hills with ancient Inca ruins.
Eat
The one and only culinary specialty is trucha, or salmon trout, fished from the lake. Practically every single restaurant serves it, and there's a long row of identical stalls on the beach. Many places also serve pizza and pasta, presumably for those who've had enough (or don't like) fish.
- Pachamama, Av. 6 de Agosto
- Mankha Uta, Av. 6 de Agosto
- Kala Uta, Av. 6 de Agosto
- Sujna Wasi, Av. Jaregui
- La Nimbo
Sleep
Budget
Av. 6 de Agosto has enough hostels and inexpensive hotels to accommodate hordes of backpackers.
Mid-range
- Hotel Chasqui d'Oro 1 (http://www.geocities.com/chasquihotel), Av. Costanera 55 (on the lakeside, 2 blocks south of Av. 6 de Agosto), 2-862-2343. A grand-looking terraced hotel with a wonderful view of the lake. $10 per person (January 2005).
Get out
There's hardly any point in going to Copacabana without a trip to Isla del Sol.