Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [169]
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Be prepared for heavy rains, especially during December and January, and chilly nights year-round.
ORIENTATION & INFORMATION
Copacabana’s main drag is Calle 6 de Agosto, which forms the left flank of the plaza as you face the lake. Tour agencies, bus companies, restaurants, internet cafes, casas de cambio and banks all abound here. Plaza 2 de Febrero and the cathedral are a couple of blocks up the hill.
The tourist office (Calle 6 de Agosto at Plaza Sucre; 9:30am-5pm Tue-Sat) sells good maps and booklets on Copacabana’s surroundings, and can hook you up with English-speaking guides.
Banks on Calle 6 de Agosto uphill from the plaza change money and may also give Visa cash advances, but don’t count on it. Copacabana has no ATMs, and banks are closed all day Sunday and Monday, as well as Tuesday mornings. At the time of research, one bank, Prodem, a block up from Plaza Sucre, was opening on Monday but was under pressure not to. There’s a Moneygram office in Plaza 2 de Febrero. If you’re coming from Peru, change money in Yunguyo for better rates.
The post office (Calle 6 de Agosto s/n; 10am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12pm Sat) opens on the same days as the banks.
Outfitter Spitting Llama (Plaza Sucre) sells camping gear and technical clothing made by a women’s cooperative, and has a large book exchange.
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
Avoid Copacabana in the first week of August, when thousands of Bolivians and Peruvians bring their cars to be blessed at the cathedral. During this week the town fills with devout drunk drivers and the thieves who prey on them.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
The famous wooden statue of La Virgen de la Candelaria lives – behind an unmarked door down a creepy black-wax-caked tunnel – around the side of the sparkling Moorish cathedral (admission by donation). Opening hours vary wildly; your best bet is between 2:30pm and 5:30pm.
The hill north of town is Cerro Calvario (3966m). The summit can be reached in under an hour and is well worth the climb, especially at sunset. Many pilgrims make this trip, stopping at the Stations of the Cross as they ascend. Far less impressive are the area’s minor Inca sites a few kilometers outside town.
The Community Tourism Network’s tiny new Centro de Información (Jáuregui on Plaza Sucre; rtiticaca@gmail.com; admission free; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm) is a brilliant museum about local customs and cultures – see it before you hit the islands.
Head down to the waterfront to rent motorbikes, boats and kayaks. Better still, sit on the beach drinking beer and eating trout, and watch other people exert themselves on the lake.
Yampupata, 17km away on the Sicuani peninsula, is a good destination for a day’s hike or bike ride. Various agencies around Plaza Sucre rent bikes for B$15 per hour or B$70 per day, and can show you a map. Take food and water.
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
The blessing of miniature objects, such as cars and houses, happens during Alasitas (Festival of Ekeko; January 24) is a prayer that the real thing will be obtained in the coming year. Miniatures are sold in stalls around Copa’s main plaza and at the top of Cerro Calvario.
The fiesta of La Virgen de la Candelaria is celebrated on the first two days of February. Dancers from Peru and Bolivia perform traditional Aymara dances amid much music, drinking and feasting. On Good Friday during Semana Santa (Holy Week), the town fills with pilgrims, who join a solemn procession at dusk.
The biggest fiesta of the year, which is held for a week around Bolivia’s Independence Day (August 6), features parades, brass bands, fireworks and not much sobriety. This is not a good time to be in Copacabana.
SLEEPING
You can’t turn around in Copa without tripping over some kind of accommodation. The cheapest alojamientos (guesthouses), around B$15 per person, are uphill from Plaza Sucre, on Calle Pando.