Cooking a pachamanca with your host family, sharing their table and sleeping on the shores of Titicaca. This is what a real homestay feels like.
You live fast. Your day is measured in achievements, to-dos and notifications. And maybe, at some point, you've wondered whether "more" is really "better". On the islands of Lake Titicaca there are families with a different answer, and they share it with you if you sit at their table.
Staying in a family home on Amantaní is one of the central moments of Andean Adventures, our 8-day group trip between Cusco and Titicaca. If you've never done a homestay, it's normal to have questions. Here's what to expect.
Good Living, up close
In Huilloc and on the islands of Titicaca, families follow a Quechua and Aymara principle: Sumak Kawsay, "Good Living". Take only what you need, live in balance with the community and with Pachamama. It isn't a show for tourists: it's their real life, and you share it.
What staying with a family is like
You sleep in the family's home, in a simple, clean room, and share their meals. It isn't a hotel, and that's exactly why it's an essential part of the trip: one night with a family is worth more than any hotel.
You reach Amantaní after sailing to Tikonata. With your host family you prepare a pachamanca and take part in an offering to the earth. And when night falls, time moves at a different pace.
You come home with less noise in your head and more in your heart.
Are the ceremonies real?
Yes. They're led by the families themselves, in coordination with their community associations. Nothing is staged. On Amantaní, families also host visitors in turns, so tourism income reaches the whole island. Your trip genuinely helps.
It's not just Amantaní
On Andean Adventures you spend three nights with communities: two with host families (in Huilloc and on Amantaní) and one in Llachón. The trip begins in Huilloc, a Quechua community in the Sacred Valley that invites you to weave, work the land and celebrate with them, not just to watch. There you experience the Willaq Uma ritual, a day of work with a family and Andean stories by the fire.
Then comes Machu Picchu: the familiar icon, seen after meeting the people who live in the shadow of that same mountain. And then the Route of the Sun to Puno, with stops in Andahuaylillas, Raqchi and La Raya Pass, at 4,335 m.
On the lake, besides Amantaní, you visit Chucuito, the Uros on a reed boat, and Llachón, where you stay with another family. On the last day you get your hands in the earth: adobe, medicinal plants and kayaking with a local fisherman.
The practical side
- Altitude: the trip ranges between 3,400 and 4,335 m. If you can, arrive in Cusco a day early to acclimatise.
- Effort: it isn't a trek. There are short walks and simple activities, suitable for anyone in normal health.
- Group: 8 to 10 travelers, with an Inkateam leader traveling with the group.
- Meals: as per the program in each community, plus group dinners in Cusco and Puno.
Is it for you?
- You need to truly slow down, not just change the scenery.
- For you, luxury is no longer exclusivity, but authenticity.
- You travel as a couple or as a family and want to live something real together.
- You already know Machu Picchu and want a different reason to come back to Peru.
If you said yes to any of these, Amantaní is probably waiting for you. You'll go home with something money can't buy: a way to reconnect with the ground beneath your feet.
See the Andean Adventures 2027 departures and reserve your spot. If you'd rather talk first, message us on WhatsApp or book a video call.
