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    Getting There & Around

    Copacabana Bolivia - Getting Around - Lake Titicaca (photo: boats in Lake Titicaca on the shoreline of Copacabana, Bolivia)

    Arrival & Departure Information for Copacabana, Bolivia

    Getting There

    By Bus

    Buses from La Paz to Copacabana leave from the Cementerio District. A one-way ticket costs about 15Bs ($2). The ride takes 3-4 hours, including a ferry ride through the Straits of Tiquina.

    When going back to La Paz, buses leave from Plaza Sucre in Copacabana or if your going to Peru, buses leave from Avenida 16 de Julio in Copacabana.

    By Guided Tour

    There are many tour companies in La Paz that offer a tour of Lake Titicaca. These guided tours begin in La Paz, where they pick you up at your hotel with their bus. You then drive to Lake Titicaca and get on a little cruise boat to check out the Inca ruins at the main Islands. The guided tours include a stop in Copacabana to see the church and other sites. Lunch and snacks are served on the cruise boat. Most these type of tours are a day trip around the lake.

    *Travel Warnings
    Tourists in the past have been a target for express kidnapping, though the last case was reported in 2006, travelers should beware of the risks. Most cases have occurred on the Copacabana to La Paz route. Tourists have been kidnapped and robbed of their ATM cards and other valuables. This crime reportedly involves travelers taking an evening bus from Copacabana. While the bus is scheduled to stop at the La Paz bus terminal, the driver will stop short of that location, typically near the General Cemetery late at night. Passengers then have little option but to hail a waiting taxi. Thieves and gangs in collusion with the taxi driver enter the taxi and take the tourist to an undisclosed location and the victim is forced to give up their ATM card PIN. They will hold the tourist for a few days or as long it takes to drain the account. There are variations to this scheme and several other scams going on in Bolivia. Read More on Travel Warnings

    Getting Around

    Copacabana is a small town that can be easily covered on foot to see the town's sights. If you're looking for a tour of the lake you can go to Avenida 9 de Agosto, where you'll find a line of tour agencies that offer different types of tours around the lake or you can go to the beach in Copacabana, where there are tour agencies and boat owners that go to and from different islands around the lake.

    Boat trips to the Isla del Sol take about 90-minutes and leave from the harbor daily at 8:30am & 1:30pm and cost 15 bolivianos each way. You can also hire a private boat, which can cost any where from 100-200 bolivianos each way.

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