Located only 3 kilometers away from Puno in Peru, the Uros floating islands are the unique sets of islands in the entirety of South America. With a population of 1200 Uro people, this archipelago is a human-made habitat made up of 62 islands. These islands are situated in the beautiful Lake Titicaca. By weaving reed (locally known as Khili by the Uros), all of the islands are constructed. The weeds are not only used to make the foundations of the islands, but they are consumed by the local people over there. Uros over there also use the reeds to construct boats, wing sets, and other items. The indigenous people living in the Uros make their living by selling the handicraft items made by them to the tourists visiting there.
As the islands are situated in a lake that is located at an altitude of 3810 meters, the climate over there is dry and cold throughout the year. The reason the Uros started living in the islands is that they were decreasing in number over time, and often they were forced into slavery by the Incas. That is why to save themselves from enemies and to keep their race intact, they formed an archipelago and started living away from everyone else. Even though now the islanders use modern gadgets like TVs or radios, but still they cannot overcome poverty. The local children of the islands study in the only primary school of the island. Now, their main income relies on tourists.
Read the Reed
Yeah! You read it right - REED!! These floating islands on Lake Titicaca are made of the Totoro Reed, unique to this part of the world. Interwoven and layered on each other up to 2 meters thick, they are anchored to the bottom of the lake by thick ropes. Moreover, the bottom rotten layers are replaced with new ones every week. Necessity is the mother of invention after all. To shelter themselves from the aggressive Collas and the Incas, the Uros people built their homes by these reeds and on these reeds. They even eat them and say they taste like non-sweet sugarcane. Wanna try? Why not? They are also used to build boats and crafts. Other fancy creations are archways and swing sets. While, these are touristy and welcome outsiders, more traditional islands are further away. Hidden from the rest of the world and accessible only by private boat through a maze of channels, they house people, who prefer not to be photographed. You could, of course, choose between traditional or touristy.
The flight from Lima to Juliaca is 2 hours and will cost upwards of USD 92. The bus ride from Juliaca to Puno is 50 minutes and will cost roughly 14 SOL. The boat trips from Puno dock to the islands are better booked in advance. They cost 25 SOL and cover Islas Uros and Taquile and leave regularly at 6.00 a.m. and 7.45 a.m.
By Taxi: You will be able to reach Islas Flotantes de Los Uros quite easily by a taxi
It would cost you 9.35 Sol approximately
By Ferry: From Islas Flotantes de Los Uros, you will have to take a ferry to reach the islands
The ferry trip would cost you 35 Sol approximately
The distance between the two places is 5.3 Kilometres approximately
Sunday: Open 24 hours
Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Waiting Time
On busy weekends and holidays you might have to wait at the ticket counter at the port for an hour.
Entrance Fee
Time you can spend
3 hours to 4 hours
Weather
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