Some trips are born twice - Peru April - May 2025 (page 4 of 13)

An hour later, we arrive at the port of Alsuno on the island of Taquile.



When I see your photo, I fall off my chair! What are the odds you took this photo while I took that one 7 years ago on the same island! Is the lady waiting for photographers?



For proof:

https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=7784082;a=7784082.

Weird, in just a few years she’s taken two steps back! Really surprising. She still has that same red mark on her left arm! I’ll be there in 4 months—I’ll try to see if she’s still around. Larri

Hello,

The photos are gorgeous!

You didn’t run into any tourists on the islands of Lake Titicaca, yet these islands are very touristy and haven’t been authentic for a long time.

I went there about fifteen years ago and came away with mixed feelings. I saw the women start making their textiles as soon as they spotted tourists arriving, and they’d stop as soon as the tourists left—it was like they were extras in a staged scene.

I also spent a night with a local family through a local agency. A Portuguese tourist and I were placed with a widowed woman, but there was no interaction at all. We ate separately, and as soon as we arrived, she pulled out textiles for us to buy.

I ended up spending a night alone on one of these islands, and in the afternoon when there were no more tourists, many of the locals—especially the men—would take off their traditional clothes and put on more modern ones.

Fifteen years ago, these islands were already tourist traps—it was very commercial.

What are the odds you’d take this photo when I took that one 7 years earlier on the same island! Is the lady waiting for photographers?

She’s still wearing the same red sweater under her black costume; it’s wild! Actually, it’s a statue.

When I see your photo, I fall off my chair! What are the odds you took this photo when I took that one 7 years ago on the same island! Is the lady waiting for photographers?

That’s incredible… But in the end, a lot of women walk along these paths, and mine isn’t wearing the same tights. 😉 I also think it’s not the same spot. We could compare the GPS coordinates of the photo.

Yours is wearing a black skirt, mine has a skirt with a green trim. So she changed her clothes… Well, that’s not surprising after seven years.

The branches of the bush are arranged the same way—it hasn’t changed much in 7 years😏

The photos are gorgeous!

Thanks!

You didn’t run into any tourists on the islands of Lake Titicaca, yet those islands are very touristy and haven’t been authentic for a long time.

We did see tourists in the village. The fact that we didn’t arrive through the main port of the island definitely worked in our favor. Plus, April doesn’t seem to be a very busy month, and as soon as you walk a little farther, you find yourself alone pretty quickly.

I also spent a night with a local family through an agency, and with a Portuguese tourist, they put us with a widow, and there was no interaction—we ate separately, and as soon as we arrived, she pulled out textiles for us to buy.

That’s really too bad when it goes like that. Our night with a local family on Amantani Island was booked by Laurent, and it turned out to be a very natural and lovely encounter. You’ll see later… I think you really need to go through someone who knows someone on the island to get a good address.

I ended up spending a night alone on one of these islands, and in the afternoon, when there were no more tourists, many locals, especially the men, took off their traditional clothes to put on more modern ones.

On Amantani Island, our hosts were dressed simply but not in traditional attire. For Taquile, I don’t know, but I find it hard to believe they put on the clothes we see in my photos just to please tourists. Where we crossed paths with them, there was no one else around, and they didn’t seem to be looking to be photographed at all.

Oh, we did run into a family—a group of tourists—with their host. Even the family members were wearing traditional clothes. That kind of costume show isn’t our cup of tea.

I think it’s totally possible to visit the islands and enjoy their beautiful landscapes without being surrounded by too many tourists, as long as you adapt your visit. Choose the right season, the right times, the right arrival port, and the activities once you’re there.

Of course these islands are tourist spots. It’s even one of the main sources of income for Amantani. The island’s four communities take turns hosting tourists to distribute the earnings fairly.

And it’s not like I live in Haute-Savoie and would tell you tourism doesn’t bring in substantial income...

That said, it doesn’t stop the exchanges from being sincere and friendly. The family that hosted us was indeed "dressed up" when we arrived—more out of respect than folklore, I think. And they changed clothes in the evening. After dinner, the whole village (hosts and tourists) gathered in the "community hall" for an evening of folk dancing, and some tourists even put on traditional clothes. Totally cheesy, but you get into it...

My wife speaks Spanish really well (I’m more of an English guy), and we were able to chat at length with the family—a couple living with their youngest daughter (who stayed to take care of them) and the husband’s mother. Their interest in our lives wasn’t fake, just like our interest in theirs.

I have great memories of that evening. It can be touristy without being a "tourist trap."



3 generations of islanders

Hi Carmen,

I’m finally catching up, thanks to your message—what lovely memories, still so fresh!

After following (part of) your footsteps a few months later, I realize that Peru in spring for you and summer for us means two different seasons, two different vibes. A bit like in South Africa, April is green and July is "crimson yellow"...

You took a flight to Arequipa the day after your long-haul arrival in Lima, with very little buffer time! That was bold! We planned to do the same… but only on paper

I’m really sorry about your fall during the canyon descent—hope all your issues have resolved by now ! What courage, given the diagnosis afterward ! I assume you did the loop clockwise, starting with the steep downhill section that passes the cross.

What are the odds you’d take this photo when I took that one 7 years ago on the same island! Is the lady waiting for photographers?

She’s still wearing the same red sweater under her black costume; it’s wild! Actually, it’s a statue.

The thing is, they take turns posing on this path to get the Forum photographers talking 😉

Hi Guillaume,

After following (part of) your footsteps a few months later, I realize that Peru in spring for you and in summer for us is two different seasons, two different vibes. A bit like in South Africa, April is green and July is "crimson yellow"...

Indeed, in April, everything is lush and green, and flowers are everywhere. I didn’t post the photos of the many varieties I took on Taquile Island, but there were really a lot of them.

You took the flight to Arequipa the day after your long-haul arrival in Lima, with very little safety margin! That was bold! We did the same thing... but only on paper

It seemed to us that with one night there, it wasn’t too bad. But you’re never safe from a flight cancellation. It’s much more annoying if the next flight is the international one.

For you, the vacation started at full speed!

I assume you did the loop clockwise, starting with the very steep descent that passes the cross.

Yes, we went straight down to Sangalle via the steep descent. It’s shorter than the Malata side, but much steeper. In our opinion, it’s more beautiful because you have the colorful rocks of Sangalle right in front of you. The big advantage of doing the loop clockwise is that you avoid tourist groups. When we started the descent, the groups were already arriving at the top. In the canyon, we were almost alone, and for the climb back the next day, we only crossed the first group when we were almost at the top.

After dinner, the whole village (hosts and tourists) had gathered in the "festival hall" for an evening of folk dancing, and some tourists had even put on traditional clothes. Totally kitsch, but you get into the spirit...

I’ve read about this in so many travel journals and blogs. For us in April, none of that happened. I think there just weren’t enough tourists around.

We were actually told that tourism in Peru is still below pre-Covid levels.

So that’s the explanation 😄

I’ve been to the islands of Lake Titicaca twice, 25 years apart... the second time (August 2009) was with my family—my wife and daughter. We were on the Bolivian side, on Isla del Sol I think, and we had pretty much the same experience you described: they even dressed us up to dance with the family hosting us! It wasn’t exactly "authentic" (they got tourists every day), but it wasn’t a tourist trap either. We had a really nice evening

We had pretty much the same experience as you describe: we were even dressed up to dance with the family hosting us!

I had the same experience about fifteen years ago!

As for the widowed lady I stayed with, it was impossible to communicate with her since she didn’t speak Spanish—only Quechua.

Families who host tourists do it on a rotating basis. If you end up with someone who only speaks Quechua, tough luck... There are plenty of tourists who speak Spanish, but tourists who speak Quechua? Much rarer.

Luckily we spoke Quechua fluently... Just kidding ;)

hi Carmen I’m just jumping in now... I’m in the middle of planning, which is taking time for my second trip to Japan in May

Friday, April 25

We leave Casa Valentin at 9:30 AM and take a colectivo to the small town of Capachica. Traveling in a colectivo is really pleasant. With us, there are only locals—men heading to work and women going to the market.

In Capachica, we take a tuk-tuk to reach the small port of Chifron, where we board the ferry to Amantani Island. Our host, Ivan, is waiting for us at the port. We walk up to the village and reach his house. The small room is very clean, even with a bathroom including a toilet and sink. From the terrace, the view is beautiful.

Flavia, Ivan’s wife, calls us to come eat. She’s prepared a vegetable soup for starters and a trout per person, served with different types of potatoes and ocas. Flavia is very friendly and goes out of her way to communicate with us.

Full, we set off to explore the island and hike up to the Pachatata viewpoint. The landscape is stunning, with different terraced crops, especially quinoa. Then we head back down before climbing up the other side to reach the highest point on the island, Pachamama, at 4,120 meters above sea level. We settle on a rock to watch the sunset.





















It’s already dark when we come down from Pachamama. Our headlamps are really useful because the night is pitch black, and without their light, we’d have a hard time finding the right path.

Flavia, Ivan, and their daughter are waiting for us for dinner. The Easter chocolate eggs we brought are a huge hit. We spend a lovely evening with the family, and thanks to our translation app on the iPhone, we manage to chat.

At night, it’s cold—I’ve brought my sleeping bag, and Benoît sleeps under five warm blankets.

You can find the rest of the travel journal here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=11462988;a=11462988

Hi there,

We’re going to the same family. Your description reassures us. Only question: you mentioned a cold night. Are 5 blankets enough? I’ll keep following you—our itineraries are similar (except for the treks we’re no longer up for), and your travel journal is really interesting and clear. Plus, the photos are gorgeous. Thanks again! Looking forward to the next update.

Hi Jean-Claude,

The family is really nice, and we never felt like they were putting on an act. Everything was natural—Ivan went to work in the fields, his mom took care of the house, and their little girl went to school.

Laurent knows this family well; he always stays with them. Normally, on Amantani Island, families take turns hosting guests so everyone can earn a little money. But that’s not always the case, especially when someone knows a family there, like Laurent does with Ivan.

Yes, five blankets are more than enough. But the wool blankets are *super* heavy—you can barely move! With my back issues, I preferred sleeping in my sleeping bag. We brought our sleeping bags for the Ausangate trek anyway.

I’d recommend bringing a light puffer jacket for the evenings and a warm sweater. For sleeping, pajamas or warm underwear work well. Especially since you’ll be there in winter.