Experience the best of Copacabana

Copacabana sits on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca, at about 3,800 metres, on a peninsula that reaches into the lake. The white basilica, dedicated to the Virgin of Copacabana, with domes and tiled roofs in the Moorish style, shelters the Dark Virgin of the Candelaria, a carved statue venerated across the Andes. Rio de Janeiro's famous beach takes its name from this shrine.

Cerro Calvario, a hill with stations of the cross, is climbed at sunset for a view over the bay and its fishing boats. Boats cross to Isla del Sol, where, in Inca belief, the sun was born, with terraced paths and ruins, and to the smaller Isla de la Luna. The Horca del Inca, a stone structure on a hill outside town, is thought to have served as an astronomical observatory.

Trout from the lake is the staple of the waterfront restaurants, fried or grilled and served with rice and potatoes. Days are sunny and the air is thin, and the nights are cold. In front of the basilica, owners bring cars and trucks to be blessed and decorated with flowers.