A night with a family
Food and daily life.
H.dav.are — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Abelchristian111 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Abelchristian111 — CC BY 4.0 · H.dav.are — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Unknown — Public domain
A roughly round island in Lake Titicaca of about nine square kilometres, home to some 3,600 Quechua-speaking people who farm the terraces covering its hills with wheat, quinoa and potatoes. It is known for the red «kantuta» flower, the national flower of Peru and Bolivia. Its best-known draw is rural homestays: there are hardly any conventional hotels, so visitors sleep in family homes, eating quinoa soup and local potatoes with them and seeing their daily life in the fields and kitchen. In the evening there is often a folk dance where visitors wear traditional clothes lent by the families. On the island's two peaks, Pachatata, «Father Earth», and Pachamama, «Mother Earth», stand ruins of ancient temples, opened only for a yearly festival in January. Visitors climb one of them at sunset to watch the sun go down over the vast lake and the distant Bolivian mountains. The climb is tiring at nearly 4,000 metres, so walk slowly. Nights are very cold and homes simple, usually unheated, so bring warm clothes, a torch and a small gift for the family such as fruit or school supplies.
Food and daily life.
Sunset over the lake.
Wheat and quinoa.
Lake Titicaca, about three hours by boat from the Puno pier
Very warm clothes, as nights are cold and homes unheated, a torch, a little cash and a simple gift for the family such as fruit or school supplies.