Set on the shores of Lake Titicaca, Copacabana is like a high altitude seaside village

Its cheesy Latino name doesn’t do this small town justice. Built on the shores of  Lake Titicaca, Copacabana is dwarfed by a beautiful 17^th century cathedral which in turn is built on the ruins of an Incan temple. The Spanish no doubt chose the town as an important outpost of Catholicism due to the Incan belief that nearby island ‘Isla del Sol’ was the birthplace of their Sun God.

Resting at 3,860 metres above sea level, you have to take it slow for a few days here to adjust to the thin air.

One of the main attractions is a pantheon of saints perched on the crest of a hill overlooking the town. An ancient Incan stone staircase leads up the mountainside to a strange assortment of shrines, and the best sunset view over Lake Titicaca’s massive water to Isla del Sol. Although it’s only a short climb, thanks to the altitude you’ll be huffing and puffing like a two-pack-a-day smoker by the time you reach the top.

The quaint town rings a turquoise blue bay with a sandy beach, although the water is ice cold year round due to it being fed by snow and glacier melt.

During the day, tours run from the town’s marina to Isla del Sol which boasts 180 ruins including irrigation terraces which are still farmed by a handful of hardy subsistence farmers who have become tourist savvy and demand money for photos.

Copacabana is largely a tourist town so its streets are lined with colourful stalls selling traditional handicrafts such as panpipes and alpaca jumpers and ponchos. At night, numerous traditional bands play in local restaurants which offer fresh fish caught daily in the lake.

It’s a relaxing kind of place, like a high altitude seaside village, where you can catch up on your diary entries while acclimatising.

For the more adventurous, kayaks can be rented on the beach to paddle out to Isla del Sol. Again a word of caution – during summer, lighting storms can strike without warning and you don’t want to be out on the lake in a kayak when they hit.