Lake Titicaca 2-day homestay tour: Stay with local family

You sleep in a family's house on an island in the world's highest navigable lake.

A 2-day boat tour from Cusco to Lake Titicaca that includes an overnight stay with a local family on Amantani Island, guided tours of the Uros floating islands and the island community, meals, and return transport to Cusco. The tour runs four days total because the first and last nights are overnight buses between Cusco and Puno, the lake's departure point. A bilingual guide leads the experience. You'll participate in intercultural activities with your host family and have the option to hike to Pachatata temple at sunset.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Travel from Cusco to Puno

• Depart Cusco by overnight bus
• Arrive in Puno early morning

Day 2: Tour Uros Islands and Amantani

• Pickup from partner hostel in Puno
• Boat to Uros Floating Islands tour
• Boat to Amantani Island
• Guided tour of Amantani Island
• Lunch with local family
• Intercultural activities with family
• Optional hike to Pachatata temple
• Dinner with local family
• Overnight stay with local family

Day 3: Visit Llachon Peninsula and return

• Breakfast with host family
• Boat to Llachon Peninsula
• Explore rural community and free time
• Lunch on Llachon Peninsula
• Boat back to Puno
• Free time in Puno
• Depart Puno by overnight bus to Cusco

Day 4: Return to Cusco

• Arrive in Cusco early morning
• Taxi to accommodation near city center

The experience

The tour begins with an overnight Peru Hop bus departing Cusco at 9:30 pm, arriving in Puno around 6:00 am. After a few hours at a partner hostel, you're picked up between 7:15 and 8:15 am to board a boat headed for the Uros floating islands. Reed structures built and inhabited by the Uros people. A guided tour shows how these islands are constructed and maintained, then the boat continues to Amantani Island, a remote mainland community about an hour away.

On Amantani, you'll have a guided tour of the island at 1:30 pm, learning the traditional history and lifestyle of the community. Lunch is a typical meal cooked by your host family from natural products, eaten in their home. At 3:00 pm you participate in intercultural activities (the specifics depend on the season and what the family is doing that day), and you can choose to hike up to Pachatata temple to watch the sunset. Dinner is at 7:00 pm, and you spend the night with the family.

Breakfast with your host family runs from 7:00 to 8:00 am on the final morning. At 9:00 am you board the boat to Llachon Peninsula, a one-hour ride, where you'll witness the seasonal activities of another rural community and have free time until lunch at noon. The return boat to Puno departs at 1:30 pm, arriving around 4:00 pm. You have free time in Puno until 9:00 pm, when the Peru Hop bus leaves for Cusco, arriving around 5:00 am. Taxis from the bus to your accommodation near the city center are covered.

What’s included

• Accommodation with a local family on Amantani Island.
• lunch and dinner on the island.
• breakfast with your host family the next morning.
• guided tour of Amantani Island and its community.
• guided tour of the Uros floating islands.
• boat transfers between the islands and to Llachon Peninsula.
• bilingual guide in English and Spanish.
• air-conditioned overnight bus from Cusco to Puno and back.
• free high-speed Wi-Fi on the Peru Hop bus.
• restroom on board.
• taxi from Puno bus station to your Cusco accommodation near the city center.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 20:30 and 21:00

Book up to4h before

GroupUp to 40

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Peru Hop

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to stay overnight with a local family and experience daily island life firsthand rather than visit as a day-tripper. The overnight homestay and the intercultural activities are what set this apart from the standard floating islands tour. You're not watching from a distance, you're eating and sleeping in the community.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What exactly are the Uros floating islands and how do people live there?

The Uros floating islands are reed structures built on Lake Titicaca by the Uros people, who have inhabited them for generations. The guided tour on day two shows how these islands are constructed from totora reeds and how the community maintains their traditional way of life on the water.

What will I do during the intercultural activities on Amantani Island?

The intercultural activities on Amantani depend on the season and what your host family is doing at the time. You'll participate in whatever is part of their daily routine, whether that's farming, weaving, cooking or other traditional practices. This gives you a direct look at how island life actually works.

Do I need to be fit to hike to Pachatata temple?

The hike to Pachatata temple is optional and takes about an hour to reach the sunset viewpoint. The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, and you can decide whether to go after your afternoon activities with the family.

What meals are included and what if I have dietary restrictions?

Lunch and dinner on Amantani Island are included, cooked by your host family from natural local products. Breakfast with the family is included on the final morning. Dinner in Puno on the return evening is optional and costs extra if you want it.

Why does this tour take four days when it's called a 2-day tour?

The 2-day refers to the two full days on Lake Titicaca and Amantani Island itself. The first and last nights are overnight buses between Cusco and Puno, the lake's departure point, which adds two travel days to the total journey.

Is the reed boat ride on the Uros islands included?

The guided tour of the Uros floating islands is included. A separate reed boat ride (Kontiki) costs 10 Peruvian soles and is optional if you want an additional experience on the water.