Where to Stay
Every captivating tailor-made itinerary needs a perfect base. Our team has handpicked this collection of properties to give you luxury options in styles to suit any adventure.
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Steppes Travel is made by the people who work here. Incredible holidays are made possible because of their vast travel experience and the great enthusiasm they bring to their work.
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We carefully select our experts based on their knowledge, companionship and influence, ensuring that you can travel with the most knowledgeable leaders in the field.
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The people who lead the way when it comes to those things which matter to us: exploration, the environment, women’s empowerment and education.
Lake Titicaca
Situated at an extraordinary 4,000 metres above sea-level, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is also one of the most beautiful.
Lake Titicaca is sacred to the Aymara and Quecha people who inhabit its shores and islands. To walk along the lake edge, sail its waters or stay on the islands, is to reconnect with an unchanged past. Puno is the departure town for boat trips to the floating Uros Taquile and Amantani Islands as well as Bolivia, but also for the thrilling Andean Explorer train that journeys across the altiplano to Cusco.
The Birthplace of the Sun
Lake Titicaca
According to Andean folklore, Lake Titicaca is the birthplace of the sun. It is not difficult to imagine this legend, as the engulfing sun beats down from above and is reflected back from the deep blue lake. The dramatic mountains of the Cordillera Real also make for an impressive back-drop. The lake is an essential source of life for the people who inhabit its shores and islands and whose ancient cultures still thrive today, despite the passage of time and the encroachment of modernity.
Reed Islands
Life on Los Uros
Life on the Los Uros islands revolves around the Totora reed. Each island is thought to last approximately thirty years and is consistently reinforced with fresh layers of reed to keep the spongy mass dry underfoot. The reed is also harvested to construct the distinctive and often elaborate boats, and to build homes. Totora is also life-giving, providing an essential source of food, thought to be rich in iodine, in addition to being used for temperature control and medicinal purposes.
The Men Who Knit
Taquile Island
Relatively untouched for over a 1000 years, the small island of Taquile is an attractive, isolated slice of rural Peru with an almost Mediterranean feel. However, the inhabitants here uphold an unusual tradition of men knitting. Each man on the island wears a “chullo”, a knitted hat with a tail that depicts both marital status and mood. If the hat is red and white, the male will be single, but if all red, married. If the tail sits to the left he is worried; to the right, happy and to the back; he’s busy. Prowess is also judged on how tightly each stitch is knitted.
Experiences
What do you really love doing? We’ll tailor your itinerary to suit you.
Idea
Peru
Machu Picchu & the Galapagos Islands
Encompassing the highlights of Peru, a stay in Quito and a Galapagos Islands cruise, this adventure tracks from colourful Cusco to the iconic Inca citadel of Machu Picchu before moving to Ecuador’s historic capital city and the enchanting Galapagos Islands.
Idea
Peru
Family Amazon & Inca Adventure
This family-focused adventure journeys between the thrilling Amazon Rainforest, heaving with mysterious mammals and camouflaged creatures, and the dramatic Inca sites and cities of Machu Picchu and Cusco, considering everything from pizza nights to gentle acclimatisation.
Idea
Peru
Highlights of Peru
Uncover the highlights of Peru while travelling between colonial-era cities and deep river canyons, taking a train to Machu Picchu, the incredible Inca citadel perched high above the cloud forest, interacting with locals living traditional lives on remote Lake Titicaca and sipping…
Idea
Peru
Machu Picchu & the Galapagos Islands
Encompassing the highlights of Peru, a stay in Quito and a Galapagos Islands cruise, this adventure tracks from colourful Cusco to the iconic Inca citadel of Machu Picchu before moving to Ecuador’s historic capital city and the enchanting Galapagos Islands.
Idea
Peru
Family Amazon & Inca Adventure
This family-focused adventure journeys between the thrilling Amazon Rainforest, heaving with mysterious mammals and camouflaged creatures, and the dramatic Inca sites and cities of Machu Picchu and Cusco, considering everything from pizza nights to gentle acclimatisation.
Idea
Peru
Highlights of Peru
Uncover the highlights of Peru while travelling between colonial-era cities and deep river canyons, taking a train to Machu Picchu, the incredible Inca citadel perched high above the cloud forest, interacting with locals living traditional lives on remote Lake Titicaca…
Peru
GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca
Positioned on the shores of Esteves Island and benefiting from 360-degree views of Lake Titicaca, Hotel GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca showcases its unapologetic devotion to the surrounding landscape by gracing the majority of its walls with…
Peru
Suasi Island Hotel
Situated on a private island that rises from Lake Titicaca, Suasi Island Hotel is accessed by a four-hour sailing from Puno on a navigation that routes via Uros and Taquile islands, allowing guests to meet the…
Meet our experts
A passion for travel runs right through every one of our experts - meaning they're always ready with first-hand insight about their specialist countries.
Paul Bird
Reaching the sun gate and marvelling over Machu Picchu unveiled one of the most impressive landscapes that Paul has seen in his global travels.
Talk with our experts
- 01285 880 980
Roxy Dukes
If your passion is the outdoors and you are looking to delve into South American culture, Roxy recommends one of the lodge-to-lodge hiking programmes to explore the Sacred Valley and beyond. Hopping between the quiet mountain towns, meet the locals that live off the grid and immerse yourself in the welcoming spirit of Peru.
Talk with our experts
- 01285 880 980
Start planning your trip
Explore other regions
Colca Canyon
This barren and largely inhospitable landscape is carved by the powerful Rio Colca as it snakes its path through an enormous volcanic…
Machu Picchu
Both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu is one of the most…
Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley of the Incas is a fertile valley that follows the Urubamba River from Pisac in the east to Ollantaytambo…
Arequipa
Perched spectacularly on the flanks of El Misti, Chachani and Pichu-Pichu Volcanos and beneath the predominantly blue skies of southwestern Peru, Arequipa…
Cusco
Cusco is a stunning combination of ancient Inca and colonial Spanish influences. Attractive churches, monasteries and convents are interspersed with perfectly preserved…
Huaraz and Central Mountains
The city of Huaraz is known as "the Switzerland of Peru" due to the beauty of the spectacular Cordilleras Blanca and Negra…
Lima
Founded in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro, in colonial times Lima was considered the City of Kings, and UNESCO designated it as a…
Nazca and Southern Coast
Tucked away on the southern coast of Peru and overlooked by the enormous Cerro Blanco sand dune, this sleepy town was hastily…
Northern Peru
Northern Peru is a fascinating area of the country that very few tourists visit. It is rich and varied in terms of…
Peruvian Amazon
The sparsely populated Peruvian Amazon Rainforest blankets more than half of the country in northern Peru and is quite literally teeming with…
Why Choose Steppes?
Our knowledge and expertise set us apart. So too our curiosity. It is this that drives us to create a journey that is really bespoke to you, all the while ensuring we travel and operate sustainably.
Are you ready to discover extraordinary once again?
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