Islas Uros

Bullied by the Collas, then the Incas, and later the Spanish, the Uros people did the unthinkable in the name of cultural preservation: they isolated themselves by constructing floating islands out of the tótora reeds that grow abundantly around the lake. Today 32 islands still bob on the water's surface in a cluster about a 30 minute motorboat ride from Puno. The largest island manages to support a clinic, school, and Seventh Day Adventist church! To keep the islands afloat, the Uros must frequently rebuild the top layers, as the bottom layers rot and return to the lake’s bottom. The pungent odor unique to the islands stems from the decomposition of the lower layer of reeds.

Like their ancestors, the Uros people continue to uphold their unique traditions and way of life. Family units are governed by a grandfather and marriages are often prearranged—often from birth. The massive Viking-esque tótora rafts, adorned with carved dragonheads, are the same vessels used centuries ago. Most inhabitants subsist by hunting and fishing, though the advent of tourism has significantly altered the economic structure of the islands. Twenty of the islands have managed to secure deals with tourist agencies in Puno, and now garner much of their daily income from trafficking tourists.

The flourishing tourism industry, which first sprouted on the islands in the late 1960s, has created a dynamic tug-of-war between the positive and negative effects on the local culture. To a great extent, tourism has rescued the Uros from the threat of poverty and helped sustain their current population of several hundred. However, it has also created an undercurrent of aggressive adults and suppliant children who pressure tourists to by their trinkets, or pay for posed pictures. A good rule of thumb for any visit to Islas Uros is not to give begging children money. Instead, give them fruit or buy one of their goods.

Tours to Islas Uros can be arranged through most Puno tour agencies, or you can catch a boat to the islands from the Puno public pier.