So you’re heading to Peru? Amazing! Now I’m going to tell you why you should definitely do a homestay on Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca.
Getting There
When thinking of a visit to Peru, one thinks of llamas, ceviche and of course Machu Picchu. There are so many places in this beautiful country thought that can take your breath away. Located on the southeast border of Peru and Bolivia, Lake Titicaca is one of them. This large blue lake is the highest navigable body of water in the world at an altitude of 12,507 feet.
When we first considered going to Peru, I was not considering a homestay on Taquile Island. I even read another blogger’s article, who said Lake Titicaca was the least favorite art of their trip! I am so glad though that my husband convinced me to go though. Otherwise I would have missed this completely unique and beautiful experience.
We arrived in Puno just before sunrise after a 6 hour overnight bus ride from Cusco. Cruz del Sur, the company we booked with, had comfortable reclining seats, bathrooms on board, pillows, blankets, snacks…honestly it was more comfortable that sleeping on a plane!
Arrival in Puno
At the bus station in Puno you will encounter several people rather aggressively promoting their tours of Lake Titicaca. I suggest you wait and take a taxi to the port to see what boat collectivos are available. You might have to wait a bit till a boat fills up, but you will find one going to Taquile. It was very cheap (around 25 soles aka $8.3 USD) for a RT ticket. There are also boats traveling back to Puno every day, so just ask what time you should be back on the dock for your return.
Sunrise at the dock in Puno
IMPORTANT: Pack light! If you are staying on Taquile Island, only bring a small bag, preferably one you can carry on your back. Taquile has NO CARS and you will be walking, uphill to where you are staying, so having a large bag would be impossible. We almost brought our big rolling suitcases and we would have been pretty screwed so at the last minute we decided to leave them at the office of the boat company. (Spoiler alert: everything was still there and intact when we returned).
Boat to Taquile
Whichever boat you take will likely stop at Uros, which are a series of floating reed islands. I heard this this was the most “tourist trappy” part of the area, so my expectations were low. It turned out though to be a pretty unique sight. Once you arrive on the island you are given a presentation (in Spanish) by a local explaining their way of life and how the islands were built. You are then invited into the home of another local who will take out all of her handicrafts and try to sell them to you (a bit awkward). We did get away with buying a friendship bracelet and a keychain.
Taquile Arrival & Homestay
Now we were ready for our homestay on Taquile! After Uros the boat continues on to Taquile and it takes about 2.5 hours. For some reason the boat is EXTREMELY slow. The plus side is if you are prone to seasickness as you will most likely not have any problems!
We booked our accommodation with him that very morning on Booking.com, and he got in touch with me via WhatsApp to confirm the time we would be at the dock. He walked us to his home which was up several steep hills (be prepared, the altitude here is no joke) and showed us to our room which was clean, comfortable and detached from the main house. We also had access to a real bathroom with running water (not a given on the island) and a hot shower. The island has no electricity except for solar panels, so if we wanted to charge our phones we would need to give them to him to do so with his solar powered battery.
Life on Taquile is wonderfully and refreshingly simple.
The air is some of the cleanest you will ever breath, due to the lack of car fumes. The only sounds you hear are from people and nature, and purple and yellow flowers from the potato plants dot the green hilly fields. You pass people dressed in brightly knit traditional clothing – sometimes weaving as they walk.
Eat & Drink
The only restaurants on Taquile are cooperatives, meaning that local families take turns working at them and supplying the ingredients. They eat an almost strictly pescatarian diet, and your meals there will always consist of quinoa soup to start, followed by grilled trout and potatoes with muña or coca tea to finish.
Your homestay with Celso will include breakfast. You can choose to add on dinner to your stay (trout soup & omelet) which was also very good and a nice experience to dine with the family. They did not speak English (only Spanish and their native Quechua language) and we had very rudimentary Spanish, however we were able to have meaningful interaction. Celso’s 13 year old son sat with us as well, working on his knitting as his father had taught him.
The next day we departed from another side of the island, so we got to see even more beautiful scenery and dine at another cooperative restaurant before catching our boat. I left feeling refreshed, enlightened grateful to have such an awesome opportunity. Out of everything we did in Peru, this might have been my favorite and certainly my most memorable experience, and I hope this post encourages you to look into doing a homestay on this island like we did!
Things to do on Taquile Island:
Walk around – the scenery is remarkable here. You can walk to the top of the mountain to see Inca Ruins and an incredible 360 degree view of the island and the lake.
Visit the main square and knitting cooperative. We spent an hour sitting in the sun in the square, observing the locals and tourists and even kicking around a soccer ball. There are little convenience shops, a cooperative restaurant, photo exhibit and even a place to get a special passport stamp.
There is also a huge knitting cooperative where the locals work to handcraft beautiful garments that you can purchase. Save room in your suitcase is there is almost no comparison to the quality between what we saw there and the massed produced items of the markets in Lima and Cusco.
Swim! We walked to the smaller beach which was closer to where we stayed. There honestly isn’t a clear path down to the beach, but you will find a roundabout way to get down there. We were the only ones, besides a herd of curious sheep watching our every move. The water was pretty cold, but Mike swam anyways. I watched with the sheep.
Get to know your host family. Even speaking basic Spanish I was able to find out things about their way of life, education system, what countries their tourism mainly comes from, etc. By staying with a local family you have a unique opportunity to learn firsthand about a remote culture.
Important Practical Information:
Pack light! There are no cars or ways to carry luggage other than your own brute strength.
You might not have acccess to electricity, so charge your devices before you go and pack a portable batter/charger if this is important to you.
Useful Links:
Celso and his wife and son were a delight to stay with. Very helpful, yet we had time and space to do our own thing. Our room was clean and comfortable, the shower was hot and they cooked us a delicious dinner and breakfast. I would definitely recommend them for your stay on Taquile Island!
We had a great experience with this bus (we also did their bus from Lima to Ica.) Very comfortable and safe.
Also need information on Machu Picchu for your Peru trip? I’ve got you covered here!
Don’t forget to PIN this to help you plan your trip to Taquile!
