The Pongobamba community in Chincheros creates a sustainable model of community-based tourism on the shores of Lake Piuray

Eight years ago, the land belonging to Basilia Quillahuaman Condori, a long-time artisan and weaver, became the starting point for a new local economic model. Through a strategic partnership between the community and businessman Álvaro Bedoya, from the Explorandes agency, the Piuray Outdoor Center was born, a venture divided into 50% community participation and 50% private ownership.

The proposal emerged after Bedoya identified the region's potential and proposed an innovative joint venture. The agreement included not only the rental of the land, but also the direct involvement of residents in tourism operations, from food preparation to welcoming visitors.

“It was a two-sided learning experience. We empowered the community in cooking, food handling, and safety, and they taught us about hospitality and ancestral traditions,” explains Francisco Seminario, a water sports guide and member of the project for two years.

Tourism that redistributes opportunities

The cooperative model benefits 160 Pongobamba families, with 15 of them working on a rotating basis in the center's activities. Each season, the center receives up to 300 visitors per event, boosting the local economy and strengthening the sense of belonging among residents. “Everyone works here. If there's a large group, we call the neighbors. That way, everyone wins,” says Basilia Quillahuaman, who manages the space alongside her children and husband, who is responsible for cultivating the potatoes and agricultural products served in the restaurant.

Agricultural heritage and diversity that fuels the experience.

Meals follow the ancestral ritual of pachamanca, led by Amílcar Quillahuaman, son of Basilia. The technique, which consists of cooking food under heated stones for four hours, is a collective spectacle.

Among the delicacies are potatoes native to Peru — a country that is home to more than 4,000 varieties of the tuber and 8 main domesticated species. All are cultivated between 3,000 and 4,200 meters of altitude, exactly where the community lives.

A replicable example of inclusive tourism.

Located 3,435 meters above sea level, on the shores of the Piuray Lagoon, the Pongobamba community proves that it is possible to combine modern management, environmental respect, and cultural strengthening.

Today, the Piuray Outdoor Center is more than just a business: it's a living laboratory of sustainability, where companies and communities walk together, weaving, like the fabrics of Basilia, a new paradigm of Andean development.

Reporting and photo: Mary de Aquino.