Lake Titicaca is one of the most beautiful travel destinations in Peru. If you want to experience something very special, I recommend traveling to the island of Amantaní in Lake Titicaca and spending a night there with one of the local families.
The Legend of Lake Titicaca
The legendary Lake Titicaca is the largest navigable lake in the world with an average size of 3.812 meters. The Incas believed that the lake was the origin of the universe and its creation and that their spirits would return to the lake after death.
According to belief, the father god Wiracocha was the supreme creator of all things. He came from the bottom of Lake Titicaca to bring order to the world that lay in complete darkness. On the shore of the lake he carved the figures of the first two people, the first man and the first woman, out of stone and gave them names. This made them come to life.
This and other myths are part of Andean mythology, which are of great importance to the culture of the indigenous people of this region.
Vivencial Tourism (Experience Tourism)
Amantaní is the largest island in Lake Titicaca and can only be reached by boat. The journey from Puno to Amantaní takes three and a half hours.
Upon arrival we were warmly welcomed by a group of islanders. The men were dressed in white shirts and black traditional costumes, the women wore strikingly colorful blouses and colorful skirts decorated with floral patterns and a black scarf over their heads.
After the welcome, the travelers were divided into groups. The five of us were led to her house by “Mama Fanny”. She stopped at a small store to buy some groceries because she wanted to prepare dinner for us later. Gasping for oxygen, we climbed the steep path to their mud-built house. The air is very thin here, the highest point on the island is 4150 m above sea level.
On the way, the plump woman, who was approximately 50 years old, told me that the island's residents live from tourism. However, they have just had two very difficult years due to the Covid pandemic. There wouldn't have been a single Corona case on the island, but there wouldn't have been a single tourist either. The island's survival at the time depended entirely on agriculture, and cultivation was difficult at that altitude. It would be planted depending on the rains expected in September. If there is no rain, like this year, no cultivation can take place. Harvest time is until May and June, when the frosts start again, so a very short time.
Once a week, groceries, vegetables and meat are delivered to the island. There is no meat industry on the island itself and so mainly potatoes and vegetables are consumed. As a vegetarian, this suited me very well; I really enjoyed what Mama Fanny had prepared especially for us. We were provided with pancakes, quinoa soup and rice with vegetables. There was also a very tasty tea made from the healthy, aromatic medicinal herb Muña.
We wanted to know everything in detail and so we learned the history of the origins of tourism, in which Fanny herself was involved. In 1980, some islanders first thought about becoming active in tourism. However, many were against it and so the idea was initially rejected. In 1989, Fanny began inviting the first tourists to her home and others followed suit. Then people began to organize themselves.
After Covid, we were now the first of 15 people to be welcomed by our host family one after the other. So there would be 10 more people following. Then the other communities take their turn, always alternating, so that each family will have guests around 4 times a year.
I was amazed at the furnishings of the kitchen and the rooms, which were more in keeping with what a tourist would expect than I had expected. The beds were a bit hard, but tolerable for one night. At first I was worried that I would freeze at night, but the room was warm enough. It was actually just cold and inconvenient to go outside to the toilet, because the temperatures can be 1 to 2 degrees at night, depending on the time of year.
There was no shower, you bathe in the cold lake, otherwise there is only the cat wash at the sink with cold water, soap and a toothbrush. The toilet was flushed with a bucket of water. You make arrangements and in return you get an enriching adventure close to the original life in Peru.
After dinner we were invited to dance. We were dressed in the typical traditional costumes. The men were put on a cape and the typical woolen hats, the women put skirts over their jeans and shawls over their heads. The result was very funny souvenir photos. With traditional live music, everyone was allowed to hold hands and dance exuberantly in circles in the Andean style. It was a successful evening with lots of laughter and a good mood.
The next day we had a stimulating conversation with the very open-minded daughter. When I asked her whether this was all supported by a project or whether there had been training on tourism, she answered in the negative. They would have done everything autonomously. This surprised me after the experiences I had with the small farmers in Cajamarca, who were always looking for help from outside but rarely managed anything themselves.
She said that there was now an improvement in school education on the island. There is a kindergarten and 250 children go to school, which now includes primary school and secondary school. The teachers would now come from Puno, which would have improved the educational situation. In the past there were only two good teachers, but today almost all of them are ok. :-)
She further reported that there was no television and that news from Lima was heard on the radio. A solar energy project wasn't much use, they now arranged for themselves to have electricity in all the rooms.
Traditional Ceremony Honoring Pachatata and Pachamama
On Amantani Island, two hills correspond to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Pachatata (Father Sky). Both show the Andean duality that gives life.
Every third Thursday in January, five "Ayllus" the island of Pachamama and another five Pachatata. “Ayllu” is a word from the Quechua and Aymara languages that describes a network of families in a specific area.
Around 2,000 people take part in this ritual, climbing the protective hills and symbolically reenacting an act of fertility. The Quechua priest or “Pacco” is responsible for making the offerings to Pachamama, purifying those present, and blessing them with charcoal smoke. At the banquet table he collects items such as coca leaves, cookies, potatoes and corn. Participants carry shells that are filled with chicha, a corn drink. A local woman represents Mother Earth. A bonfire is lit onto which the priest throws the offerings while the others dance around the fire.
The Pacco performs a similar ceremony on Pachatata Hill. After completing the ritual, each group quickly walks down the mountain to be the first to arrive. If Pachamama's group arrives first, it is believed that there will be a good harvest later in the year.
Amantaní is also known as the “Island of Love” as it offers enchanting landscapes and the most beautiful sunsets that give it a touch of romance and are perfect for couples in love.
We were able to witness this magical moment, amazing how the blue of the water of Lake Titicaca contrasts with the green of the landscape, a breathtaking landscape that is worth photographing.
We met many textile sellers on the way who were competing with each other, some so old that their crocheted and knitted gloves, scarves, hats and sweaters were no longer quite up to the level of the boys and they were practically begging us to buy something. There is also some hardship hidden under the guise of tourism, which many tourists quickly overlook because the locals also portray an ideal world to them. But they were all kind, patient and sincere with us. You just had to ask the right questions and you could uncover a lot of what lies beneath.