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Destination ~ Puno & Lake Titicaca
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The Birthplace of the Inca Civilisation
Puno
is the commercial centre of the
lake area. The bustling town is
the main point to start any tour
of the massive lake. Lake Titicaca
is the highest navigable lake
in the world and is rich in Indian
past. It lays at an altitude of
3,856 metres (12,750 ft) and has
over 30 islands. The area has
two climates - cool and dry or
cool and wet. During the day it
can be very pleasant with brilliant
blue skies and hot sun. |
The Folklore Centre of Peru
Puno
is Peru's folklore centre, rich
in arts and crafts, costumes and
dance. More than 300 different traditional
dances can be seen performed during
the festival of the Virgen de la
Candelaria which takes place in
the first two weeks of February,
The most colourful dance festival
to be held in Peru, dancers converge
from throughout the province to
take part in the dance competitions
- here can be seen a lavish display
of grotesque masks and colourful
costumes with the festival lasting
for several days.
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main centre of Puno has a large
market selling colourful local produce
and the felt hats that are famous
in this region. A common sight will
be locals partaking in the chewing
of Coca leaves which are renowned
for their medicinal properties in
alleviating Altitude Sickness, also
taken as an infusion called Mate
de Coca, which you may find beneficial.
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Lake
Titicaca
~
'Islas Flotantes'
~ the floating islands
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Floating islands made of reeds,
known as the Islas Flotantes, are
scattered around the edges of the
Lake. These artificial islands are
home to the lake Indian population
known as the Uro Indians. The Indians
are a unique population within Peru,
however the encroachment of modern
times and poverty has caused them
to abandon their traditional practices
of fishing, hunting birds and living
off lake plants for the more comfortable
lifestyles to be had in Puno. Many
of the islanders now rely heavily
on tourism, selling their hand made
crafts and giving daily demonstrations
to tourists.
< Fishing in totora boats
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Peruvian Secrets
has some concern with regard to
the impact of tourism on this
culture as it is destroying traditional
values and putting the Indians
on display to the stares of insensitive
tourism. For this reason, only
one island is visited by us, which
is purposely made solely for tourism.
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Lake
Titicaca ~ Amantani & Taquile Islands
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The main inhabited islands of Amantani
and Taquile are both rich in beauty
and history. The islands are a four
hour boat journey from Puno and
can be visited in one day, however
Peruvian Secrets are always given
an especially warm welcome on the
Isle of Amantani, our group is invited
to stay the
night with various families
and enjoy a night of dancing to
traditional music in the local community
hall. The accommodation is very
basic but affords an excellent opportunity
to taste and feel island life. It
is for this reason we recommend
a two day tour of the islands. Inca
ruins can be discovered at the summit
of Amantani island where you have
a spectacular panoramic view of
the lake laid out before you. |
| Isla
Taquile is the more commonly visited
of the islands, a large collection
of goods made from alpaca and woollen
woven material can be purchased.
The material contains messages about
the wearers' social standing. The
cloth used is an indication of status
such as married, single or widowed.
However, this is a culture soon
to be lost as the young people become
more aware of the modern world and
fashions. |
Return
to Destinations
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Secrets Ltd · Unit
4 · Business Units · Brynsiencyn · Anglesey ·
LL61 6HZ
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administrator@peruviansecrets.co.uk
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