We hopped on a bus and headed South to Puno to explore the highest navigable lake in the world – Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is a massive, freshwater lake in the Andes that sits on the border of Bolivia and Peru.
The puma in Incan Andean belief is a symbol of strength, wisdom and intelligence. Titicaca – Titi means stone or grey and Caca means puma. Therefore the grey puma or Titicaca is characterized by its strength and agility.
Known as the birthplace of the sun, Lake Titicaca is a special place in Andean belief. In this part of the country, crops are harvested by hand and a simpler way of life is still embraced.
Lake Titicaca Homestay Travel Vlogs
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Choosing a Lake Titicaca Homestay
Each island is made up of a small number of families which use a rotating system when they allocate you to your accommodations. Since the people of these islands rely on the income from the homestay tours, please respect this process.
Another option is this 2 Night Lake Titicaca Excursion tour. It is operated by Peruhop which is a reputable tour company that has English speaking guides and ethics.
What to Expect on a Lake Titicaca Homestay Tour
It is a thoughtful and kind gesture to bring gifts to your host family. You’ll want to bring gifts that your host family can not get on island. Examples are batteries, coloring books for the kids, rice, cooking oil or fresh fruit. A personal gift from your home is also a nice touch.
Puno
There are many things to do in Puno such as visiting Sillustani, a pre-Inca cemetery on the shores of Lake Umayo or Cutimbo, a dramatic site that sits on a table-topped volcanic hill surrounded by plains.
Lake Titicaca Homestay tours leave from Puno port everyday so this is where your adventure begins.
Lake Titicaca Floating Islands of Uros
There are approximately 100 man made islands consisting of a population of 3,000 people. If you were to explore all of the islands, you would notice that only small kids and elders reside on the Uros islands as mostly all of the young adults migrate to Puno to live and work. They believe that within 100 years, the Uro community will be extinct.
Each island has one name and one leader, male or female doesn’t matter, it’s democratic. The island that we visited on our Lake Titicaca Homestay tour was called Isla Suma Wiljta which means beautiful sunset. There were only 5 families on the island totaling 15 people.
Although visiting these islands felt super touristy, tt was pretty wild to visit. Trying to fathom just how different their daily lives are compared to mine in the Western world is almost uncomprehendable.
Amantaní Island
The island itself is very quiet. I’m talking no roads, no vehicles or dogs! You will hear a few donkeys hee hawing in the distance though.
Our tour group was small consisting of only 6 people – 2 couples and 2 singles. When we arrived on Amantani Island we were divided into 2 groups amongst two different host families in the Occopampa Community.
After spending the morning touring the Lake Titicaca floating islands of Uros, we arrived on Amantani around noon. Rosa (the mother) made us a traditional Aymara meal consisting of several different kinds of potatoes, fried cheese and crispy quinoa bread. The meal was washed down with muna tea to help with altitude sickness.
Isla Amantaní boasts lovely views, for sunset we climbed up to the highest points of the island for a panoramic perspective. Pachamama (Mother Earth) & Pachatata (Father Earth) are the temples located on the top of mountain to be closer to the gods.
After dinner, the villagers threw us a party! Our hosts dressed us up in traditional clothing and we sang and danced the night away. It may sound cheesy but it was a really fun time. It was pure, honest joy and one of our favorite memories of our two months traveling through Peru.
If you’re curious on what the accommodations look like or what the bathroom situation was, check out this Lake Titicaca Homestay Vlog and see for yourself.
Taquile Island
You can book some Lake Titicaca tours for an overnight stay on the Island of Taquile. Just like on Amantani they use a rotation system between the communities.
Taquile Island and Amantani Island have many similarities. There’s no police only authorities. They say hello by offering coca leaves. They speak Quechua. There are no motorcycles, bikes, llamas, alpacas, horses, dogs or even cats!
This island consists of farmers and weavers and it is the mens job to knit. If a man doesn’t knit, they are single because it shows that they’re lazy and wouldn’t make a good husband.
All of the men on island had a thick full head of hair with grey! They don’t export this plant because they want to keep it for themselves. But if they did, it’d be a huge hit.
Not only do the islanders make their own shampoo but everything on island runs off solar power. The island very environmentally friendly. They recycle everything, like old slippas are used as a spring for a gate.
We enjoyed lunch and were back in Puno by 5 pm. At last our Lake Titicaca Floating Islands tour was finished. If you’d like to see the Island of Taquile check out this Isla Taquile Travel Vlog.
Tips for Visiting Lake Titicaca
- Bringing your hosts a gift is a kind and thoughtful gesture that goes a long way.
- Always ask the locals if you can take their picture before you start snapping away.
- Pack out any non-degradable rubbish or plastic you have brought in.
- Useful Quechuan words to learn:
Kamisaraky – hello, good morning
Waliky – I’m okay, fine
Iospagara – thank you - Prepare for cold weather especially at night.
- Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Altitude
Before you start a Lake Titicaca homestay adventure, I highly recommend that you first acclimatize. This means that on the first day in Puno/Lake Titicaca should be nothing more than acclimatization.
If you are coming from a place in Peru at high altitude such as Cusco, chances are you’ll already be acclimatized. Here are a few tips to prevent altitude sickness.
- Coca leaves are a traditional way to relieve altitude sickness by chewing it or making tea with it. Coca leaves can be bought at any local supermarket and are available in most restaurants.
- Sorojchpills are pills you can buy at the local pharmacy that help with altitude sickness.
- Muna – is an herb that can be found in the mountains. You can pick it, rub it in your hands and inhale it. Or put it in tea and drink it. It’s also a digestive.
- Allow 24-36 hours of acclimatization before setting off on a hike.
- Ascend gradually.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Avoid booze and cigarettes.
What to Pack
- Warm clothes that can be layered.
- Hiking boots
- Sunscreen
- Rainjacket
- Toiletries
- Camera
- Chargers, memory cards & extra batteries
- Peruvian Sols
- Gift for your host family.
Lake Titicaca Homestay Review
We got a small taste of what it was like to be an islander on Lake Titicaca and made friends from all of the world. I would definitely recommend this Lake Titicaca tour.
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