Taquile Island

Taquile is a long island rising to about 4,050 metres, terraced, with no roads, no vehicles and no hotels - visitors stay in family homes, arranged through the community, which has run tourism cooperatively since the 1970s. The textiles are the reason UNESCO listed the island's craft in 2005: men knit, from childhood, producing the fine chullo hats whose style signals marital status and community office, while women spin and weave the belts and cloth on backstrap looms, and the whole community wears the result daily rather than for display. Cloth is exchanged and used in ritual as well as worn. The island keeps its own governance based on Andean principles of reciprocal labour, and shops and services are collectively organised. The climb from the boat landing to the village is several hundred steps at altitude, which surprises people every time.

What you actually see

• The knitting - men working fine chullo hats that signal status and office.
• The weaving - women on backstrap looms producing belts and cloth.
• The community system - collective governance and shared tourism organisation.
• The island - terraced slopes to 4,050 metres with no vehicles or roads.

When to go

April to November. A day trip from Puno is possible but long; an overnight homestay is far better. Two and a half hours by boat each way.

Honest expectations

The stairway from the landing is several hundred steps at over 3,900 metres and is genuinely hard. Homestays are basic, with cold nights and simple food. Day trips leave two hours on the island, most of it spent on lunch. Sun exposure is severe.

Nearby

Amantaní is nearby on the lake; Puno is the mainland base.