Lake Titicaca - Urose Floating Islands

(Local Name: Islas Flotantes) The main attractions on Lake Titicaca are the Islas Flotantes (Uros Floating Islands), often referred to as, The Floating Islands. These islands are manmade creations, built with totora reeds which are harvested from the shallow areas of Lake Titicaca. The Islas Flotantes are home to Uros Indians, as they have been since the time of the Incas. Unfortunately, today the inhabitants rely mainly on tourism to survive.

There are 45 floating islands which are anchored in the Bay of Puno, with varying numbers of people living on each island. Tours to the islands bring visitors to only two of these islands and it is a staged event designed specifically for tourism. It is hard to imagine that there is anything traditional about what is seen during these highly commercialized boat trips to the islands.

Trips to Islas Flotantes, which take about a half day can be arranged in Puno very easily through any travel agency, some of which work in conjunction with local hotels. You can also hire a boat from the docks. Islas Flotantes can also be visited as part of day trips which go to Isla Taquile and Isla Amantani.