Some 100,000 tourists are expected to visit Arequipa during its month-long celebration of the city’s 474^th anniversary. As part of the events this year, 2 thousand locals will dance the Carnaval de Arequipa in an attempt to make it into the Guinness World Records Book. Festidanza, which attracts artists from diverse countries as far as the African continent, will last 5 days

The pinnacle event, the famed Friendship Parade (Corso de la Amistad) will have its route reduced to about 3 kilometers this year to prevent it from lasting more than eight hours. That’s still a lot of folk dancing! The parade also includes live marching bands and parade floats. About 5,000 local artists participate each Aug 15^th.

Events have already begun, and tomorrow Miss Arequipa will be crowned. Here are our choices from the vast program, which has already begun and which we’ve cut off at August 20^th although the events continue for a week more.

Sun Island (Isla del Sol) is the most popular attraction on Bolivia’s side of Lake Titicaca, and the largest island on the entire lake. It was considered sacred by the Aymara and the Inca after them, whose creation myths began with the god Viracocha emerging from the water at this location and creating the sun. Hikes on the island showcase Incan ruins, beautiful scenery of green hills contrasted against clear waters and the Andean Cordillera Real in the background, and the simple hallmarks of island life, such as grazing llamas, burdened donkeys, and adobe mudbricks being produced. What you won’t see on this tranquil island are cars or motocycles!

Travelers who enter Peru through Bolivia tend to travel from Puno to Cusco, while those who enter through Lima do the same trip in reverse, after first visiting Machu Picchu. There are several buses working the Cusco-Puno route, offering direct overnight trips and day trips with guided stops at sites of interest along the way. You shouldn’t have any trouble contracting your transport from Cusco, although you will have a lot of options to choose from:

The most popular daytrip from Puerto Maldonado is Lake Sandoval, which one can reach by traveling along the Madre de Dios River by motorboat. After disembarking at a rustic dock, there’s a two-hour hike to the lake along one of the trails of the rainforest. There’s an observation tower and a ranger station where one registers before reaching the lake, where one can explore along the shores or enter by canoe.