LAKE TITICACA AND CANYON COUNTRY

Life proceeds according to the earthy rhythms of ancient times at Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake, which stretches from golden grasslands to the snow-covered peaks of Bolivia. For many visitors, the highlight of a Lake Titicaca visit is journeying across the lake to stay with a family on either Isla Taquile or Isla Anapia, where despite the altitude of 4,200 meters (13,780 feet) villagers cultivate potatoes and quinoa on rock terraces that drop steeply toward the lake’s waters. Perched more than two and a half miles above the world’s oceans, Lake Titicaca feels at times like a sea on a planet that is not Earth. Its waters glow orange with the rising and setting of the sun and become transparent and azure at midday. From here, a new highway brings travelers in only five hours to Arequipa, a sophisticated colonial city where the Plaza de Armas, Catedral, and Monasterio Santa Catalina are built entirely of the local sillar, a sparkling white volcanic stone. A few hours away, ancient stone villages dot the rim of the awesome Colca Canyon, where the Cruz del Cóndor is the best spot on earth to see the world’s largest flying bird.

Puno

Folklore festivals: Lake Titicaca is known as the Folklore Capital of Peru, so you shouldn’t miss a chance to take in one of the local festivals. Puno’s best-known, Virgen de la Candelaria, reaches a fever pitch on February 2, when an image of the Virgin Mary is paraded through the streets amid hundreds of dancing devils, angels, and other extravagantly costumed characters. (read more)

Kayaking on Lake Titicaca: The only way to see the emerald waters and snow-covered mountains of the world’s highest navigable lake is by boat—kayaking gives you the view from the water’s edge. (read more)

Lake Titicaca

Islas Taquile and Amantaní: Staying with a family on one of Lake Titicaca’s islands is a great way to immerse yourself in the lake’s natural beauty and the ancient lifestyles of its villagers. (read more)

Arequipa

Plaza de Armas: Any tour of Arequipa should begin in Peru’s most elegant urban square, with its neoclassical cathedral, arcades, palm trees, flowers, and fountains. (read more)

Monasterio de Santa Catalina: Since the 16th century, nuns have lived cloistered amid the timeless archways and chapels of this miniature city, built entirely of white volcanic stone. (read more)

Colca

La Cruz del Cóndor: Nowhere can the Andean condor, the world’s largest flying bird, be seen so reliably as from this spot perched on the rim of the Colca Canyon. (read more)