History of Isla Amantani

Similar to the Taquileños, the inhabitants of Amantaní are also known for their textiles, as well as their ceramics. Most of the inhabitants live in houses of adobe. There is a small health clinic and school on Amantaní, and, while there are no hotels, some families offer meals and overnight lodging to tourists. In return, guests are expected to bring food (such as rice or sugar) as a gift. The island has no cars but does have a generator, though it is no longer functional.

Some of the families on Amantaní open their homes to tourists for overnight stays and provide cooked meals, arranged through tour guides. The families who do so are required to have a special room set aside for the tourists and must fit a code by the tour companies that help them. Guests typically take food staples (cooking oil, rice, fruits) as a gift or school supplies for the children on the island. Sweets and sugar are not recommended as regular dental care is uncommon on the island. They hold nightly traditional dance shows for the tourists where they offer to dress them up in their traditional clothes and participate. Women of the families also offer self-made alpaca-hats to their visitors as cover for the night-breeze, which the visitors are most welcome to buy at the end of their stay