From Zampaya, we will take a very little used road, which has magnificent views of the Lake Titicaca and of the surrounding shorelines; it also passes through terrace fields which are still used to grow local crops. Eventually we will arrive to Yampupata. This is a small village which also serves a small fishing port and it is the closes port to the Island of the Sun on the mainland. Island of the Sun is just across the Yampupata Straight. We will board a small communal motorised boat here and start our trip to the Titicaca islands here.
Our first destination is Pilkokaina or Inca Palace on the Island of the Sun (Isla del Sol), which is the most conserved Inca ruin on the islands, it is a building which used to have two floors, but unfortunately only the lower floor is conserved today. From Pilkokaina we will continue our boat ride to Yumani, which is only about 1 km (0.6 mi) away.
Yumani is the main port on the Island of the Sun. It has a large pre-Columbian stairway which climbs among terrace fields up to the stone fountain with three springs, which had religious significance for the Incan culture. There are local woman and children everywhere trying to sell all kinds of local handicrafts and pose for picture taking. Here we will leave the Island of the Sun and take our boat yet again across to the Island of the Moon (Isla de la Luna). This time the boat ride is bit longer, it is roughly 8 km (5 mi). It is a pleasant ride with views of both islands and Cordillera Real on the horizon.
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