WHAT TO DO IN TAQUILE? : The main activity is to live and share with the local inhabitants,
share their
customs, beliefs, stories, habitat, geography, their sky full of stars, the
landscape, the blue water of the lake, and of course, the weaving. There are several places whose visit is worthwhile, such as the protective hills, sacred places such as MULSINA PATA (located in Estancia suyo), PUKARA PATA (located in Huayllano suyo), TAKILLI PATA (located in the Chuño Pampa suyo), and COANI PATA (located in Collata suyo). We also strongly recommend visiting MULSINA, a ceremonial place where people make a “payment” to the Earth (which is an offering to Pachamama,
). This place is 20 minutes from the main square. It is also interesting to visit the INCA ruins, the beaches of COLLATA AND HUAYLLANO, the main square where one can see the exhibition and sale of textiles from Taquile, at the City Hall. This is also a photography exhibition and postcard sale, moreover there is a scale model of the island, with an explanation of the places to visit in each suyo summarizing the tourist information about the island. One cannot forget THE SANTIAGO kitchen community, whose proceeds are invested in the community. Neither can one ignore the private restaurants near the square, the picturesque church that has no priest working at it, just a person in charge that officiates the mass in Quechua, the ancestral language spoken on the island. It is important to remember the presence of petroglyphs.
Visitors going there between July 25 and August 5 will be able to see the Folk Fair, which includes group dances from each suyo, such as Conjunto Folklórico Melodías Isla Taquile that will be dancing their typical dances, HUAYNO LOS ARTESANOS, HUAYNO CHILCANO ARCO PATA, DANZA SICURIS, DANZA QHASWA, SICURIS TAQUILE, CARNAVAL OF TAQUILE. Another interesting group is Sicuris of Santa Cruz. There will also be textile exhibitions and typical dishes. Visitors should coordinate with the authorities either at the dock of the harbor master, or at the City Hall, to find accommodation and be appointed a Taquile tour guide in order to avoid the middlemen. We recommend visiting an off-the-beaten track place of the island, located at the eastern part, called HUAYLLANO SUYO/KOLLINO SUYO. Please, contact Gonzalo YUCRA HUATTA at Cel: 051-9965016/051-9607671 and email him at: yucra@hotmail.com. You can also ask for Valerio HUATTA, Tomás MACHACA, Juan QUISPE and/or Alipio HUATTA. We also recommend ESTANCIA SUYO, where there is a good quality bed and breakfast-restaurant, run by Alejandro FLORES HUATTA, who can be contacted at 051-9568613 and 051-9667631. He is also the owner of a private library about Taquile and a store, located at the main square (you can find it to the left side facing the City Hall). People should also consider visiting the FOLK MUSEUM, which belongs to the Machaca family. This museum is located, coming from the 532 steps before arriving downtown, on the left side. Once there, the visitor will be able to appreciate the different traditional dresses used in festivities or marriages celebrated on the island. It is open from 9 am to 15 pm. Should the visitor find it closed, please, knock on the door. The museum is also used as accommodation.