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The tranquil, mysterious depths of the high-altitude Lake Titicaca are sacred to many cultures. Lake Titicaca was the cradle of civilisation in the Andes and remains known as the birthplace of the Inca empire. One of the best ways to experience the intense serenity, verging on spirituality, of Lake Titicaca and the islands that break its gemlike waters is to retrace the greatest of the Inca pilgrimages: from the small town of Copacabana to the Sacred Rock of the Incas at the northern tip of the Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun). This was my quest as I strode out along the coastal path from Copacabana, hurrying away from its clamour of tourists, gift shops and trout restaurants. After a stretch of dusty track, I climbed a slope onto a wooded headland, turned a corner and was immediately engulfed by the overwhelming solitude that is Lake Titicaca. The thin air was still, the surface of the great lake unruffled. Not a sound interrupted the silence. The undulating, twisting coastal path to Yampupata skirts cool woods and steep terraces that fall away sharply to small sandy beaches and the silent expanse of deep blue calmness. I passed occasional trout fisheries and peaceful bays clogged with characteristic totora reed beds. Some campesinos were working small fields containing pigs, sheep, llamas and cows. Several families were harvesting bright yellow oca (a sweet potato), and the shore was dotted with wigwam-shaped piles of dark green haba beanstalks drying in the blinding afternoon sun. I passed the Gruta de Lourdes where I climbed up to its small grotto, after which a long climb brought me to the summit of another headland. I descended through the village of Titicachi where more families were out working small fields. By now, I was starting to receive offers of boat trips to the island, even more so as I entered nearby Sicuani. People couldn't understand why I wanted to walk all the way to Yampupata rather than jump into their boats. I pondered the same question myself as the last stage to Yampupata became an ungainly slog up and around two sizeable headlands before I finally descended into the scattered houses and beach at Yampupata. I had scarcely put down my pack when I was approached by Rogelio Paye, who offered to row me across to the island for Bs20 (US$2.50). It was now late afternoon. The hills above Yampupata glowed golden brown in the setting sun as we pushed away from the tiny pier. As we reached the middle of the icy lake, the Island of the Moon edged into view, beyond which rose the magnificent glinting mass of Illampu. We soon lost the sun behind the island's southern peak, although the sparkling diamond necklace of the Cordillera Real continued to light up the horizon. Just as I was congratulating myself on how smoothly the day had gone, I discovered that Rogelio was only planning to drop me at the southern tip of the island. This point - called Punku, meaning "gate" - was where the original pilgrims would have landed, although it is some distance from the settlement of Yumani where I was staying. Although Rogelio complained of the additional distance, I (or rather the offer of some additional bolivianos) persuaded him to row me to the ruined palace of Pilko Kaina, where Inca emperors stayed during their annual visits to the island. Even after forty-five minutes of high-altitude rowing, Rogelio was not in the slightest bit out of breath and had not one bead of sweat on his forehead when we docked at the deserted pier. The sun had set completely by the time I climbed up to the ruined palace. A locked gate barred the path to Yumani, and I was forced to clamber back down over large rocks to lake level and then scramble up again to reach it. It was dark by the time I staggered exhausted into my Yumani hotel. By that time, my language and thoughts were far from pilgrim-like, although I reasoned that Inca pilgrims probably didn't have to haggle their boat trip across to the island and struggle across closed paths. Rain next morning delayed the start of my walk to the religious complex at the north of the Island of the Sun. With the rain abating, I climbed steeply out of Yumani following a campesino family, and almost at once lost the path along the ridge that runs the length of the island. I had to leap down several agricultural terraces (worked by very understanding and helpful farmers) before I regained the correct path. Although I could see families busily working the land, once again the feeling was one of intense serenity - almost loneliness. The pungent aroma of koa - a herb with many medicinal benefits - filled the air, as did towering eucalyptus trees planted 300 years ago by Spanish conquistadores. I passed colourful bushes of kantuta, Bolivia's national flower, which displays the red, yellow and green of the country's flag. Before long, I reached a well-maintained path lined on both sides with stones. I was walking through a delicate patchwork of steep tiny fields and terraces of different hues of green, yellow and brown, criss-crossed by stone terraces and zigzagging walls tumbling down to pretty sand beaches and the lake's intense blueness. Pigs, sheep, even cattle, crowded inside tiny enclosures. Llamas grazed quietly beside the track. After passing deserted bays, silent passes and occasional ruins, I reached the squat Chincana ruins hugging the northern tip of the island. This labyrinth with myriad doorways leading to a maze of small chambers was a monastery for Inca priests. Trainees progressed by learning and ritual through the series of rooms before graduating as priests by passing through the upper room. Virgin nuns from the nearby Island of the Moon weren't always so fortunate. Several virgins from that island's nunnery were brought to this site and sacrificed during the Inca's annual visit. Beyond the Chincana ruins, the Island of the Sun falls away to an inviting sandy beach, beyond which descend some of the lake's deepest waters. The north of the island is rife with Andean mythology. According to the Inca creation legend, the first Incas Manco Kapac and Mama Ocllo rose from the lake near here under orders from the sun, and began their ministry after burying a gold chain and staff on the island. I had to ask a local man which of the surrounding outcrops was the Sacred Rock, from which, according to Inca mythology, rose the sun and moon. He pointed to the massive rock behind which I had been shading from the midday sun. Pilgrims would have placed offerings at the foot of the Sacred Rock. Unknowingly, I had sat on its hallowed surface. The Sacred Rock would have been much simpler to identify in Inca times, when one face was covered with gold and silver and the other lined with fine textiles. The side that once bore the precious metals shows the images of two great Andean deities: the bearded creator god Viracocha and a puma, symbol of energy and intelligence. Once again, I had to ask for help in identifying the images. The man picked up some stones and rather disrespectfully lobbed them at the facial features of the sacred figures. Both deities suffered the indignity with fitting poise. Arriving back in Yumani as night fell, I gazed out once more over the Island of the Moon, over which a full moon had fittingly risen into a dark sky smeared with stars. The moon's reflection rippled over the calm lake surface, joining the Islands of the Sun and Moon in a shimmering bridge of light. Occasional flashes of lightning danced over the distant peaks of the Cordillera Real. Even knowing nothing about the island's history and mythology, this was an intensely moving scene. With the Inca legends added in, the experience verged on the spiritual. Take an exciting adventure into a remote, rugged and beautiful wilderness, tracing the rise and fall of the Inca Empire. From the Incas' mythical birthplace at Lake Titicaca, Inca Trails journeys across thrilling Andean ranges to the breathtaking pinnacle at Machu Picchu, and beyond to the Incas' final stand in the choked forests of Vilcabamba. Inca Trails
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Incas, Inca Trails, Lake Titicaca, travel Bolivia, travel Peru, Copacabana, travel Andes, birthplace of the Incas, Island of the Sun, Isla del Sol,
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