Amantani Island Homestay

On the two-day Lake Titicaca tour you sleep on Amantani, a natural island of about 9 km² some 36 km northeast of Puno, in the house of a local family who cook your lunch, dinner and breakfast. The point of the night is what happens after the day boats leave: a walk up to the hilltop temples for sunset, a quiet evening with your hosts, and Taquile the next morning. The tour at the top of this page costs from $60 in current promotion (usually $65), rated 4.5 from 770 reviews (checked October 2026), and includes the Uros, the homestay, three meals and the fees for all the islands.

Check dates for the Amantani homestay

The island

According to the Peruvian Congress’s profile of the Puno region, Amantani lies at 3,817 m at the shore, covers about 9 km² and is home to eight communities who farm potatoes, maize, oca, quinoa, broad beans and peas on its terraces; their crafts are weaving and stone carving. Its two summits carry pre-Hispanic remains and ceremonial sites, with viewpoints over the whole lake. The tours walk to the temple of Pachatata on one of them, at about 4,130 m, so the walk up climbs about 300 m from the shore. Go slowly.

There are no cars on Amantani. The houses are adobe and the rooms simple.

What the night is like

Your host meets you at the jetty and walks you to the house. Lunch is a simple meal from the island’s own crops. In the late afternoon the group gathers to walk up to Pachatata for sunset, which on a clear day lights up the lake and the snow peaks on the Bolivian shore. Dinner is with the family, and some tours end the evening with an hour of music and dancing for visitors, a peña.

Be prepared for basics: expect a simple room with a bed and several heavy blankets, shared toilets and no hot water or showers, and some homes have no drinking water or electricity. The nights are cold: at this height the dry-season nights drop close to freezing. Bring a torch, a warm hat and something to sleep in.

Is the homestay worth it?

Yes, if you have two days for the lake and want more than a quick visit: the night is the only way to see island life when it is not on show. It also splits the boat time across two days, which is easier on the body at altitude. Skip it if you have one night in Puno, if you need a private bathroom, or if you have just arrived from sea level and have not slept at altitude yet: the classic day shows you the Uros and Taquile and has you back in a hotel that night.

Bringing a gift

Your host family is paid through the tour, but many visitors bring a small gift for the kitchen: fruit, rice, cooking oil or other staples from the market in Puno, rather than sweets. Ask your guide the day before; they will know what the family needs.

Which two-day tour?

• The tour at the top of this page is the classic version: the Uros, Amantani and Taquile, three meals, from $60 in current promotion (usually $65). Lunch on Taquile on day two is extra.
• The Uros, Amantani and Taquile with meals and lodging runs a similar route and includes lunch on Taquile on the second day, from $56 in current promotion (usually $80), rated 4.6 from 34 reviews (checked October 2026).
• Another overnight from Puno: the two-day Amantani homestay from Puno, from $90.

What to bring

• A small backpack only: leave big luggage at your Puno hotel; you carry your bag up from the jetty.
• Warm clothes for the night, a torch and toilet paper.
• Soles in cash: for the reed boat at the Uros (S/15), drinks, lunch on Taquile and textiles.
• Your passport: carry it on the trip.

How these facts were checked

Amantani’s distance from Puno, altitude at the shore, area, communities, crops and hilltop sites are from the Peruvian Congress’s profile of the Puno region (congreso.gob.pe), read 27 October 2026. The summit height, the itinerary, the meals and the S/15 reed-boat fee are from the GetYourGuide listing, checked October 2026, as are the tour prices and ratings.