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brooke beyond

Bolivia / Latin America

Island of the Sun: Exploring Lake Titicaca’s Isla del Sol

29 December 2014

Last Updated on 17 April 2026

If my memory serves me (and it almost never does), we visited the north side of Isla del Sol, so chosen by the guy at the ticket booth. There was slight concern when it seemed like we were being dropped into a pile of ruins, but luckily that was just the French travellers on the ferry, and we got taken to a side with a beach (suck it).

If we had planned ahead, we could have camped on the beach for free and cooked food over cute little camp stoves, but instead we have to splurge on a $5 a night private room. It is a catastrophe that feels a lot less catastrophic after the nighttime wind starts up. And after I remember what $5 is.

Despite barely having enough fish on the island to feed everyone (and having to wait 6 hours for someone to go catch more before we could eat), Isla del Sol ends up being amazing. There are ruins scattered all over the island, and a helpful map right out by the ferry docks that will point you towards different areas. We spend the next few days getting lost in different directions and deliberately walking off track to scope out cool new places.



I can’t believe how few travellers are on the island, so I’m not sure if there is another busier side, or if most tourists just skip Isla Del Sol altogether, but it’s mellow and quiet and probably one of the nicest places we’ve seen thus far.

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brooke beyond

Hey, I'm Brooke and I'm obsessed with getting off the beaten path, exploring backcountry gems & travelling beyond the ordinary! I left Australia 6 years ago after finishing a PhD in Biomechanics & have been travelling the world full-time ever since (joined by my husband/climbing partner, James). Whether it’s road-tripping through Mexico, climbing alpine peaks in the Andes, scuba diving in the Red Sea, or tackling epic via ferrata in the Dolomites, I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

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hi, I’m brooke!

I'm obsessed with getting off the beaten path, exploring backcountry gems & travelling beyond the ordinary! I left Australia 6 years ago after finishing a PhD in Biomechanics & have been travelling the world full-time ever since (now joined by my husband/climbing partner, James). I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

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recent posts

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@brookebeyond_
brooke ✨travel & mountain gal

@brookebeyond_

  • I always thought I was a summer gal… but we spent 3 months in Scandinavia this winter and it was, without question, one of the BEST trips I’ve done in nearly 6 years of full-time travel.

Turns out, winter is MAGICAL!!! 

We hiked popular summits without a single other person, saw Northern Lights on more than 30 different nights, made friends with local reindeer (then ate their friends & family for dinner, very sorry), witnessed midday sunsets and complete polar night, and spent literally hundreds of hours in the sauna. 

It’s hard to even describe how amazing this trip was, but we’re already booked to go back to Norway & Sweden for 3 months next winter to do it all over again 😅

—
#norway #lofoten #sweden #winterinnorway
  • Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰

Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️

—
#iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
  • 6 years of full-time travel and still not smart enough to correctly count 90 days within a 180-day period 😅

(also an unsponsored ad for 🔗 schengensimple.com which we downloaded PROMPTLY to avoid any future miscalculations)

This story is definitely part of a larger conversation about passport privilege— because I’m sure if we were holding a different country’s passport, we would have had a VASTLY different experience with this accidental overstay. All in all, I feel insanely fortunate to have only gotten a fine and I’m eager not to test the system a 2nd time 😳

—
#schengen #eu #travelstories #travelmistakes @schengen_simple
  • Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
  • sincerest apologies to the people of Norway for my pronunciation 😂
.
ABOUT THE FLÅM WINTER MAGIC PACKAGE ☃️✨
.
Several local companies have teamed up to offer the perfect bundle of winter activities: 
- RIB boat adventure with @fjordsafari 
- 1.5hr slot in the floating @fjordsauna 
- Viking Plank dinner + beer pairing at @aegirbrewco 
.
It was the perfect way to experience charming little Flåm and its beautiful fjord setting in a single day— easily accessible by scenic train from Bergen or Oslo!
.
Contact @fjordsafari to book
—
#flåm #norway #winterinnorway #flåmsbana #wintermagic
  • A few snapshots from one of our most unique adventures: a 4-day dogsledding trip through Sámi country (Sápmi) in Northern Sweden ❄️

For thousands of years, dogsledding has been an essential form of Arctic transport for Indigenous communities, used to travel, hunt, and survive in some of the harshest conditions on earth. Huskies are bred specifically for this environment, capable of running for hours across frozen landscapes + hauling several hundred kilos as a team.

To experience it for ourselves, we took a 15hr train from Stockholm to Kiruna, drove 2hrs deep into the wilderness, and then caught a snowmobile the final kilometres to reach a remote kennel with about 50 dogs. Our first day was spent learning the basics: how to harness the huskies, attach them to the sled, and steer + brake properly. 

And then, we set off into the wilderness with our team of 6 dogs, travelling through snowy forests + across frozen lakes. 

James + I shared the sled, taking turns driving while the other sat bundled up inside, eyelashes freezing into icicles in the -30°C (-22°F) chill for hours at a time.

It was unbelievably remote, the conditions were challenging, and the cold was brutal, but through it all, we formed a real bond with our team— particularly surprising given that I’m usually very scared of dogs (pictured several times here is my beloved Reisling, the best doggie 🐕🖤)

It was a surprising + unexpected adventure, but such a special way to experience wild + beautiful Sápmi*

*we learned that Sápmi is the traditional + often preferred term (over “Lapland”) for the region of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia inhabited by the Indigenous Sámi people

—
#sweden #kiruna #dogsledding #sápmi #lapland
  • magical winter lighting delivering midday sunrises and northern lights before dinner ✨ 

—
#lofoten #winter #norway #northernlights #polarnight
  • With sufficient outdoor experience, sound judgement, and reasonable conditions, these 10 hikes are an excellent choice for safe winter hiking in Lofoten!

We personally completed all of these hikes in January 2026 with just microspikes + trekking poles (and no other technical climbing equipment), though it should be noted that conditions vary winter to winter— and even week to week. In the event of heavy snowfall, some trails may become impassable without snowshoes or simply unsafe altogether.

**It should ALSO go without saying that you are responsible for yourself in the outdoors; this list is based on our own personal experience and must be interpreted within the bounds of your own experience and current winter conditions.

For more on winter hiking safety and details on these 10 amazing winter hikes, check out my post 🔗 brookebeyond.com/lofoten-winter-hiking
  • a collection of some mind-blowing aurora moments from our 5 weeks in Norway 🤯 

*watch the videos with sound to hear me & @flyingcrepes screaming like it’s our first day on earth lol

—
#norway #northernlights #aurora #northernlightsphotos
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  • I always thought I was a summer gal… but we spent 3 months in Scandinavia this winter and it was, without question, one of the BEST trips I’ve done in nearly 6 years of full-time travel.

Turns out, winter is MAGICAL!!! 

We hiked popular summits without a single other person, saw Northern Lights on more than 30 different nights, made friends with local reindeer (then ate their friends & family for dinner, very sorry), witnessed midday sunsets and complete polar night, and spent literally hundreds of hours in the sauna. 

It’s hard to even describe how amazing this trip was, but we’re already booked to go back to Norway & Sweden for 3 months next winter to do it all over again 😅

—
#norway #lofoten #sweden #winterinnorway
  • Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰

Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️

—
#iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
  • 6 years of full-time travel and still not smart enough to correctly count 90 days within a 180-day period 😅

(also an unsponsored ad for 🔗 schengensimple.com which we downloaded PROMPTLY to avoid any future miscalculations)

This story is definitely part of a larger conversation about passport privilege— because I’m sure if we were holding a different country’s passport, we would have had a VASTLY different experience with this accidental overstay. All in all, I feel insanely fortunate to have only gotten a fine and I’m eager not to test the system a 2nd time 😳

—
#schengen #eu #travelstories #travelmistakes @schengen_simple
  • Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
  • sincerest apologies to the people of Norway for my pronunciation 😂
.
ABOUT THE FLÅM WINTER MAGIC PACKAGE ☃️✨
.
Several local companies have teamed up to offer the perfect bundle of winter activities: 
- RIB boat adventure with @fjordsafari 
- 1.5hr slot in the floating @fjordsauna 
- Viking Plank dinner + beer pairing at @aegirbrewco 
.
It was the perfect way to experience charming little Flåm and its beautiful fjord setting in a single day— easily accessible by scenic train from Bergen or Oslo!
.
Contact @fjordsafari to book
—
#flåm #norway #winterinnorway #flåmsbana #wintermagic
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
I always thought I was a summer gal… but we spent 3 months in Scandinavia this winter and it was, without question, one of the BEST trips I’ve done in nearly 6 years of full-time travel. Turns out, winter is MAGICAL!!! We hiked popular summits without a single other person, saw Northern Lights on more than 30 different nights, made friends with local reindeer (then ate their friends & family for dinner, very sorry), witnessed midday sunsets and complete polar night, and spent literally hundreds of hours in the sauna. It’s hard to even describe how amazing this trip was, but we’re already booked to go back to Norway & Sweden for 3 months next winter to do it all over again 😅 — #norway #lofoten #sweden #winterinnorway
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
1/5
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰

Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️

—
#iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰

Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️

—
#iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰

Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️

—
#iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰

Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️

—
#iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
Over a year since I’ve been able to climb in ANY capacity (since my very dramatic knee surgery last April), so I can’t tell you how sweet it was to go ice climbing in Sweden & Finland this winter. Like an enormous leap back to myself 🥰 Not setting any speed records or impressing anyone with my technique lol but just genuinely happy to be able to move my body again, to be outside, to spend even a few minutes focused on something other than the pain. Grateful for the progress I’ve made & hopefully for the progress still to come— we’ve got some big goals this year, an ice wall is only the beginning 🏔️⛏️ — #iceclimbing #finland #finnishlapland #pyhä
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
6 years of full-time travel and still not smart enough to correctly count 90 days within a 180-day period 😅 (also an unsponsored ad for 🔗 schengensimple.com which we downloaded PROMPTLY to avoid any future miscalculations) This story is definitely part of a larger conversation about passport privilege— because I’m sure if we were holding a different country’s passport, we would have had a VASTLY different experience with this accidental overstay. All in all, I feel insanely fortunate to have only gotten a fine and I’m eager not to test the system a 2nd time 😳 — #schengen #eu #travelstories #travelmistakes @schengen_simple
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/5
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨

We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️

Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with!

—
#finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
Finland photo dump 🇫🇮✨ We spent 5 weeks in Finland as part of our Nordic adventure this winter, and what a JOY it was to experience the beautiful north as it transitioned from -30C days where our eyelashes froze… all the way to the very beginnings of spring 🌸☀️ Thanks for all the sweet memories, the auroras, the moments of sisu, the tasty buns, and the friends we got to share it with! — #finland #finnishlapland #lapland #winterinfinland
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/5
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
sincerest apologies to the people of Norway for my pronunciation 😂 . ABOUT THE FLÅM WINTER MAGIC PACKAGE ☃️✨ . Several local companies have teamed up to offer the perfect bundle of winter activities: - RIB boat adventure with @fjordsafari - 1.5hr slot in the floating @fjordsauna - Viking Plank dinner + beer pairing at @aegirbrewco . It was the perfect way to experience charming little Flåm and its beautiful fjord setting in a single day— easily accessible by scenic train from Bergen or Oslo! . Contact @fjordsafari to book — #flåm #norway #winterinnorway #flåmsbana #wintermagic
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/5

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