Exclusive | Mayan New Year at Lake Titicaca

If you do not mind the cold and want to celebrate the Mayan New Year with locals, try an adventure to Copacabana, Lake Titicaca. The Mayans celebrate June 21 as their new year and, as luck would have it, and with the assistance of local women, an offering to Pacha Mama made the experience all the more worthwhile. A customary ritual is to make your desires or wishes known in the form of a simple gift wrapped up much like a Christmas present. And guess what, those wishes are already coming true. Thanks Pacha Mama.

In South America, Lake Titicaca is the Number 2 tourist destination behind Macchu Piccu. It is easy to experience both destinations in one trip if you allow for at least ten days. One could fly into La Paz and see Copacabana first and then cross the lake to Puno, Peru via boat or simply take a bus from Copacabana to Puno. From Puno, it is easy to take a bus to Cusco and then make your way to Machu Piccu.

Be forewarned, altitude sickness is almost a guarantee at on Lake Titicaca since the altitude is 12,000 ft above sea level.

As for hotels, Los Olas is run by a lovely German man (who teaches English to the local kids for free) and is located in the best spot for viewing the lake in town. There are a few vistas that you can climb to for even better views.

Celebrating the Mayan new year with the locals in Copacabana is quite the event and is hard to compare to any other travel experience to date. -- Michael Siebert