Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [164]
Some accommodation recommendations are given below, but it’s possible to simply turn up in town and ask around.
Community leader Félix Turpo (951-66-4828; hospedajesamary@hotmail.com) has a gorgeous garden and the Capachica Peninsula’s most spectacular view, overlooking Isla Taquile. At the time of research Félix was also the proud owner of Llachón’s only hot shower, a very high-tech affair consisting of a black rubber pipe on a warm rock. (It worked well during daylight hours.)
Magno Cahui (951-82-5316; hospedajetikawai@hotmail.com; hospedajetikawai@yahoo.com), his wife and their very cute children have six cozy cabins built around his grandfather’s stone altar, and another incredible view of Lake Titicaca.
Local legend Valentín Quispe (951-82-1392; llachon@yahoo.com) and his wife Lucila have a charming guesthouse hidden down a stone path, by an enchanting overgrown cemetery. They also rent out kayaks.
Richard Cahui Flores (951-63-7382; calixto_cahui@yahoo.es) works with lots of families and is the best point of contact for advance bookings as he will set you up with somebody else if he doesn’t have space in his tranquil farmhouse.
Chifrón
If you found Llachón a bit too built-up, tiny somnolent Chifrón (population 24), off the main road in the northeast corner of the peninsula, is for you. Drowsing in rustling eucalypts above a deserted beach, three families offer very basic accommodation for a maximum of 15 people. This is truly a chance to experience another world. Contact Emiliano (951-91-9652) to arrange a stay.
Ccotos & Isla Ticonata
You can’t get much further off the beaten track than Ccotos, two-thirds of the way down the peninsula’s east coast. Nothing ever happens here except the annual Miss Playa (Miss Beach) competition, in which the wearing of bathing suits stirs much controversy. Stay with the engaging Alfonso Quispe (951-85-6462; incasamanatours@yahoo.es) and his family, right on the edge of the lake. Catch your own fish for breakfast, bird-watch, hike to the lookout and some overgrown ruins, and relax on the beach, which is arguably Capachica’s most beautiful (but it’s a tough call).
A couple of hundred meters off Ccotos, Isla Ticonata is home to a fiercely united community and some significant mummies, fossils and archaeological sites. Isla Ticonata is only accessible by organized tour, and is a rare example of Lake Titicaca’s local communities calling the shots on tour agencies, to the benefit of all. Tours can be booked in Puno at short notice through CEDESOS (see opposite) or the travel agencies listed on Click here. Activities include fishing, dancing, cooking and helping till family chakras (fields).
Escallani
The settlement of Escallani, off the peninsula itself, on the way to Juliaca, shows the lake from a completely different aspect. Rather than pretty, it’s almost stupefyingly majestic. You could spend days staring at the view – of reed beds, cactus thickets, craggy rocks, patchwork fields and Bolivia’s highest mountain, the awesome, perennially snowcapped Illimani. There’s not much else to do, though there are rumors of rock-climbing possibilities nearby. Rufino (951-64-5325, Spanish only) and his large family have built a rambling complex of more than a dozen rustic, straw-thatched cabins high above the town. Rufino doesn’t have telephone service; to reserve a spot, call his relatives in Juliaca well in advance. This area is a little more ready than other communities to receive guests unannounced – ask around at the plaza to find his place.
The trip from Juliaca to Escallani via Pusi by local micro is highly recommended for hardy travelers. The scenery on this unpaved, little-traveled road is unparalleled – sit on the left side of the bus if heading from Juliaca to Escallani so that you can see the lake.
Getting There & Around
From Puno, catch a combi advertising either Capachica or Llachón. All will stop in Capachica (62km, 80 minutes) and continue to Llachón, 25 minutes further