Sampaya

Top choice in Lake Titicaca


This is a beautifully preserved village where the homes are built with flat stones joined in an earthen mortar. There is a stone church on the hilltop overlooking Titicaca and Isla de la Luna in the distance. Take a stroll and get lost in the small alleyways and terraced hills. This will likely be the highlight of any journey north of Copacabana.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Lake Titicaca attractions

1. Sicuani

0.93 MILES

Ask around town for Hilario Paye Quispe. He can take you on trips around the bay in a totora-reed boat or via motorboat to the peninsula opposite (prices…

2. Titicachi

1.37 MILES

This picturesque village lies on a secluded crescent-shaped bay encased by green hills. If it’s open, there’s a basic tienda (shop) in town selling soft…

3. Yampupata

2.17 MILES

This is a collection of lakefront adobe houses. If you ask around, you’ll find rooms for rent for about B$30. Asociación Transport Yampu Tour Lacustre…

4. Gruta de Lourdes

2.47 MILES

A cave that, for locals, evokes images of its respective French and Portuguese namesakes. It attracts devotees from across the border in Peru,…

5. Templo de las Vírgenes

3.49 MILES

The ruins of an Inca nunnery and temple dedicated to the Virgins of the Sun ­– also known as Ajlla Wasi or Iñak Uyu – occupy an amphitheater-like valley…

6. Pilko Kaina

3.62 MILES

This prominent ruins complex near the southern tip of the island is about 30 minutes (2km) south by foot from Yumani. It sits well camouflaged against a…

7. Escalera del Inca

4.13 MILES

Just uphill from the ferry dock at Yumani, along the beautifully reconstructed Escalera del Inca (Inca stairway), you’ll pass plenty of terraced gardens,…

8. Fuente del Inca

4.17 MILES

Early Spaniards believed Yumani’s spring was a fountain of youth and for the Incas the three streams represented their national motto: Ama sua, Ama llulla…

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