Floating Islands, Lake Titicaca, Peru

While in Puno I took the chance to do some sightseeing for a day. And the main attraction is on the lake itself, Lake Titicaca.

It is one of the most famous local attractions for tourists – a visit to the see the Uru people (los uros) who inhabit a multitude of floating islands just a few kilometres by boat from Puno. It is certainly another world. The indigenous people here pre-date the Incas, living on islands of reeds they made themselves. Even today they still make their homes and their boats from the reeds.

Tourism helps to keep these communities going, but much of it felt staged. From the welcoming sing-a-long to the information talk and the hard-sell of the local crafts I hoped the communities maintained their sense of identity, and not just a tourist facsimile. When the tourists aren’t around, the people here still have to maintain their way of life.

An inhabitant of the islands greets arriving tourists

Reeds are used in construction; nature eventually takes over and buildings can start to sink back into the water

A typical part of the Uros community

A striking locally-made boat. Tourists are taken around many of the different islands

Away from the tourists life goes on as usual

Locals build their own boats

The Uros women, always colourfully dressed, greet tourists with a little sing-song

The slightly larger islands can support a few families

Local men row the reed boats for the tourists

Sometimes assistance is required to navigate gaps in the floor

A typical Uros dwelling – predominantly reeds and a simple roof

Life here still adheres to its old traditions, despite encroaching modernity

The locals try to make a living by selling handmade items to tourists

Another typical Uros dwelling

As well as a visit to Los Uros, Puno has a few other attractions, including a ship built in the 19th century (MN Yavari) that took six years to be hauled up over the Andes from the coast and then reassembled on the lake. As well as checking its seaworthiness I climbed up the local hill overlooking Puno (Condor hill) and later relaxed in a fine cafe with a cup of local fair trade coffee.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.