Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [161]
All travel agencies in Puno offer one- and two-day tours to Uros, Taquile and Amantaní. Even with the better agencies, island-hopping tours tend to have a cookie-cutter, cat-herding vibe, and some are even exploitative. It’s easy – and recommended – to travel independently instead. All ferry tickets are valid for 15 days, so you can island hop at will. See the boxed text (Click here) for more tips about responsible tourism on Lake Titicaca’s islands.
Islas Uros
Just 5km east of Puno, these unique floating islands (admission S5) are Lake Titicaca’s top tourist attraction. They’re built using the buoyant totora reeds that grow abundantly in the shallows of the lake. The lives of the Uros people are interwoven with these reeds, which are partially edible (tasting like hearts of palm) and are also used to make their homes, their boats and the crafts they churn out for tourists. The islands are constructed from many layers of the totora, which are constantly replenished from the top as they rot from the bottom, so the ground is always soft and springy. (Be careful not to put your foot through any rotten sections!)
Some islands also have elaborately designed versions of traditional tightly bundled reed boats on hand. Be prepared to pay for a ride or to take photographs.
Intermarriage with the Aymara-speaking indigenous people has seen the demise of the pure-blooded Uros, who nowadays all speak Aymara. Always a small tribe, the Uros began their unusual floating existence centuries ago in an effort to isolate themselves from the aggressive Collas and Incas.
The popularity of the islands has led to shocking overcommercialization, and controversy rages over their authenticity, with many puneños claiming that islanders sleep on the mainland.
It’s worth noting that more authentic reed islands do still exist. These are located further from Puno through a maze of small channels and can only be visited with a private boat. The islanders there continue to live in a relatively traditional fashion, and prefer not to be photographed.
Getting to the Uros is easy – there’s no need to go with an organized tour. Ferries leave from the port for Uros (return trip S10) at least once an hour from 6am to 4pm. The community-owned ferry service visits two islands, on a rotation basis. Ferries to Taquile and Amantaní can also drop you off in the Uros.
Nearly the only, and certainly the best, accommodation provider on Uros is Cristina Suaña (951-69-5121, 951-47-2355; uroskhantati@hotmail.com; r per person S120), on Isla Khantati. The tariff is steep but includes top-notch accommodation, three meals, fishing, lots of cultural activity, and the pleasure of the company of the effervescent Cristina. Book in advance so that she can pick you up from Puno in a private boat – if you catch the public ferry you may end up on the wrong island. Highly recommended by readers.
Isla Taquile
Inhabited for thousands of years, Taquile Island (admission S5), 35km east of Puno, is a tiny 7-sq-km island with a population of about 2000 people. The Quechua-speaking islanders are distinct from most of the surrounding Aymara-speaking island communities and maintain a strong sense of group identity. They rarely marry non-Taquile people.
Taquile has a fascinating tradition of handicrafts, and the islanders’ creations are made according to a system of deeply ingrained social customs. Men wear tightly woven woolen hats that resemble floppy nightcaps, which they knit themselves. These hats are closely bound up with social symbolism: men wear red hats if they are married and red and white hats if they are single, and different colors can denote a man’s current or past social position.
Taquile women weave thick, colorful waistbands for their husbands, which are worn with roughly spun white shirts and thick, calf-length black pants. Women wear eye-catching outfits comprising multilayered skirts and delicately embroidered blouses. These fine garments are considered some of the most well-made traditional clothes