To have the best travel experience, you can interact with locals, enjoy taking pictures, eating food, and buying souvenirs too. Getting in touch with locals is one of the best cultural experiences you can have when you visit Peru.
However, how and where can you maximize your trip while interacting with people? As the title of this post says, let’s first see what experiential tourism is, also, what destinations are best to experience the best of Peruvian local culture?
What exactly is experiential tourism?
Experiential tourism is a travel trend that goes beyond traditional sightseeing, tourists don’t just visit places, as they experiment with tourism in immersing in the culture, traditions, and daily life. This kind of tourism lets visitors connect with the community as it offers real experiences that leave a lasting impact, as they get to meet local people.
Visitors learn about their customs, traditions, and locals’ way of life. This could involve joining cultural festivals or ceremonies or just sharing a meal with a local family. Experiential tourism often includes activities, where travelers can get their hands dirty, doing things like cooking, crafting, or farming. For instance, you might learn to make traditional pottery, cook a local dish, or help with the harvest on a farm.
The focus is on authenticity and genuine experiences, instead of staying in a standard hotel, you might choose a homestay or a locally owned boutique hotel. Instead of eating at a touristy restaurant, you might dine at a family-run eatery that serves home-cooked meals. Engaging in experiential tourism often leads to personal growth as travelers gain new perspectives.
They also gain a deeper understanding of other cultures building close connections with the people they meet. Experiential tourism fosters a deeper connection to the place you’re visiting making your trip more meaningful and memorable, thanks that you create unique memories that go beyond the typical tourist experience.
By doing experiential tourism, you support local communities and economies and help to preserve their culture and way of life. In summary, experiential tourism transforms your travel into an enriching adventure. It’s about living the destination, not just visiting it, as you come away with stories and experiences that last a lifetime.
Best Places to Do Experiential Tourism
Madre de Dios
This region is often called the heart of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest; beyond the attractions that Madre de Dios offers, you can have the chance to know Indigenous communities in the jungle. Puerto Maldonado, which is the main city of this region, will be your gateway to coordinate visits with these people.
From here, visitors can arrange visits to communities like Queros and Masenawa, where you will learn about the ancestral crafts, traditions, and cuisine of the locals. The native community of Queros, for example, offers unique experiential tourism attractions, they do everything from traditional rituals to crafting with 100% Amazonian materials, immersing you in a deep cultural experience.
This kind of tourism in Madre de Dios is not just a source of income but also a tool for conservation, these communities prove that tourism can help the economy and protect local biodiversity and culture. Visiting these Amazonian communities is not just a trip, it’s an immersion in a culture and nature that captivates those who experience it.
It’s a way to travel with purpose, you can learn, and help. You contribute to the well-being of communities that protect one of the planet’s greatest treasures: the Amazon.
Amantani Island
In Lake Titicaca, there’s a place where a new adventure is waiting for you on Amantani Island. This island is one of the sea’s natural islands, guests can fully immerse themselves in the locals’ culture, and it gives a peek into the island’s everyday life. This is thanks to the 2-day homestay Viagens Machu Picchu provides.
This experience includes visits to other places along the way. You’ll explore the Uros Floating Islands, a place that houses over 100 man-made islands made of totora reeds. You’ll learn about how they were built and about the daily life of the Uros community, which dates back about 3,000 years. Next, we’ll head to Amantani Island, where you’ll stay with a local family.
Although the accommodations are basic, with little electricity and running water, you’ll immerse yourself in the islanders’ daily activities and culture. As the economy here relies on agriculture and tourism, you can consider bringing food staples or school supplies as gifts for your hosts, as dental care is scarce.
On Amantani, you can trek to an archaeological site to watch the sunset from over 4,000 meters above sea level. The next day, you’ll visit Taquile Island, known for its beautiful textiles and happy inhabitants. Taquile’s economy is mainly based on tourism, with agriculture and fishing also important.
Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is the group of villages before getting to Machu Picchu’s old citadel. It was considered sacred because it is close to the towering Salkantay and Veronica mountains, which are called “Apus”. This valley was also sacred because of the area’s fertility, in Inca mythology, the Apus were the “spirits.”
The Incas guarded the nearby territories keeping their people, livestock, and harvests safe. With over 800,000 visitors annually, the Sacred Valley of the Incas continues to be one of Cusco’s most popular tourist destinations. You can immerse yourself in the history and culture of this real place, doing many activities here.
These include staying in a glamping site with a local community, as Qhispikay Glamping offers luxury camping in the mountains. You can learn about the Viacha and Huiloc Andean communities while participating in their activities.
Ayacucho
There is a lot to learn about the over 3,000 varieties of Peruvian potatoes, which originated in the Andes of Peru: Ayacucho, a village 8 hours away from Lima. The potato is spreading throughout Peru and the world, thanks to the Peruvian government’s efforts. As an initiative, “the potato route”, a concept for agrotourism in the Ayacucho area was created.
It would teach tourists about potatoes, they’ll learn about their history, origins, cultivation, and cooking. The journey starts in Toccto village, an area known for its vibrant fields. Tocto houses 910 types of native Peruvian potatoes that come in colors from yellow to red, blue, and white.
The fields also have 53 types of Mashua, 50 kinds of Ocas, and 20 kinds of Premium Ollucos. Visitors will see scenic locations that include the Pumapaqcha waterfall, also, the bird observatories at the Valenzuela and Condorccocha lakes.
We hope you can enjoy experiential travel and experiment with the real essence of Peru. Viagens Machu Picchu can make your dreams come true in our country; you can contact us to start living your adventure!
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