Amantani - A Must-Visit In Titicaca, Peru
Amantani is an island 2 hours from Puno. It is the largest island on the Peruvian side. There are no cars or no hotels on the Amantani. Amantani reaches 4150 meters above sea level, and by that, it shouldn't be the first place you visit unless you are acclimatised.
Related: Why You Should Visit Titicaca
The little town
There is not a lot to do in the town, a few small shops to buy water and snacks, a church and a school. It is also the meeting spot before you start hiking up to Pachamama.
Homestay
If you want to stay the night you can do a homestay, which is also found onbooking.com Their homes does not have any addresses so the host needs to pick you up when you arrive on a boat. Breakfast is usually included, but dinner and drinks are not. Not all of the homestays have running water so be prepared for that. It will also get quite cold at night and the rooms usually don't have a heater, so bring enough clothes.
You should bring enough cash to pay for the stay and souvenirs if you want to buy that. There are no ATMs in Amantani.
The hike up to Pachamama and Pachapapa
The most interesting things to do in Amantani is to hike up to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Pachapapa. There are a group of people who hike up roughly two hours before sunset. Hiking up earlier the better. It takes time because of the altitude and if you have enough time you can check out Pachapapa before seeing the sunset at Pachamama.
There are some gates on the way up, perfect for photos.
Make sure you take some photos of Pachamama and Pachapapa from a distance.
The sunset is amazing and it goes down pretty quickly.
You can also get a view to Bolivia on a good day.
Traditional dance
In the evening the host will lend you traditional Amantani clothes and take you to a traditional party where you will dance with locals and tourists.
Most of the tour boats that go to Amantani for people who stay the night there, that mean you cant really just see Amantani without staying the night. The next morning the boats usually stop some hours at Taquile before heading back to Puno.
