Get a unique perspective on local Peruvian life. Relax on the pristine waters of Lake Titicaca and immerse yourself in rural indigenous culture. Get a first-hand experience of the people who live life in ways we can hardly imagine on a rare homestay opportunity in a small village. Explore the village, get to know your hosts and peek through a window into a culture that is unique and fascinating.
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Day 1 Arrive Puno
Arrive in Puno at any time. There are no planned activities today, so check into your hotel and enjoy the city. Overnight in Puno.
Sitting on the shores of Lake Titicaca and located at 3830m above sea level, Puno’s weather can be extreme with very cold nights and strong sun during the day (don’t worry, if you get cold, buy an alpaca sweater from the market —they are inexpensive). Puno is also known for it's wealth of traditional dances: there are up to 100 different varieties, usually performed in the street processions celebrating Catholic feast days. If you are fortunate enough to be visiting at the right time you may even catch one of these celebrations. A popular optional activity in Puno is a visit to the spectacular chullpas (funerary towers) of Sillustani, a pre-Inca archaeological site.
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Day 2 Puno/Lake Titicaca (B, D)
Head out by boat this morning across Lake Titicaca, one of the world's highest lakes. Measuring 170km (106 miles) in length, it is the largest lake in South America and is also the largest lake in the world above 2000m (6560 ft).
Our first stop on Lake Titicaca is at the floating islands of the Uros people. The Uros began their unusual floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from the Colla and Inca tribes. Sadly, the Uros language has died out, and today the islanders speak Aymara due to intermarriage with Aymara-speaking clans. Today about 300 families live on the islands, however their numbers are slowly declining.
The Totora reeds that grow in the shallows of the lake are used for making everything from the islands themselves to the model boats that the islanders sell. The islands are made up of layers upon layers of reeds; as the layers closest to the water start to rot, they are replaced with fresh reeds on top. The reeds are also used to build their boats, which if constructed well will last up to 6 months.
For the night we split into smaller groups and billet into Peruvian family homes to experience their style of living first-hand, a once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience, including a local meal. Overnight homestay.
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Day 3 Lake Titicaca / Puno
Continue exploring Lake Titicaca today on a short boat ride to neighbouring Taquile Island. Tour the ruins on Taquile, departing for Puno in the early afternoon. Overnight in Puno.
The people of Taquile Island’s unique culture, style of dress and lifestyle make for a memorable visit. The men of the community do all the knitting, as this is strictly a male domain, while the women do the spinning. High quality, locally knitted goods are available for purchase at various cooperatives on the island. Despite the short distance that separates the two islands, Amantaní is quite distinct. Its soil is a rich terra cotta red, due to the high iron deposits, and the colour contrasts brightly with the deep azure blue of the lake and sky and the greenery of the local crops.
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Day 4 Depart Puno
Depart Puno at any time.
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No Minimum
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Land Transfers & Included Tours/activities: Many of the land transfers and included tours will be by private van, car or taxi, while others may be shared with other travellers depending on availability, nature of the activity and destination. For transfers, you may have a local non English-speaking driver only, for included tours, you will be accompanied by an English speaking local guide.
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Immersing yourself in local culture at a Lake Titicaca Homestay, Exploring the reed islands of the Uros people, Enjoying stunning lake views by boat.
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Hotels (2 nts), homestay (1 nt).
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Boat.
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1 breakfast, 1 dinner.
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A variety of accommodation standards are available for Independent tours, see your dossier for the accommodation class specific to your tour. Please remember that hotel/lodge/resort standards can be different from what you are used to in your home country, which is part of the appeal of adventure travel . Porterage is not included, but can be arranged directly at most hotels.
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Guided boat tour of Taquile and the Uros Islands on Lake Titicaca and homestay on Amantani Island.
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Eating is a big part of traveling. Travelling with G Adventures you experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available out in the world. Generally meals are not included in the trip price when there is a choice of eating options, to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility, though generally food is cheap. Our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. There is no obligation to do this though. Your group leader will be able to suggest favourite restaurants during your trip. On truck trips in Africa, aboard the expedition ship Explorer or our Galapagos yachts, while trekking in remote regions etc. food is included, plentiful and made of fresh local ingredients. The above information applies to G Adventures group trips. For Independent trips please check the itinerary for details of meals included. For all trips please refer to the meals included and budget information for included meals and meal budgets.
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USD $31
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