The Uru reed-dwellers of Lake Titicaca.

Next up on our Latin American trip was the legendary Lake Titicaca – the vast high-altitude (elevation: 3812 meters) freshwater lake…

That photo’s a bit ahead of the story, as it was taken from the Bolivian side of the lake; we were still on Peruvian territory…

Our main goal was to visit the floating reed islands of the unique Uru (Uros) people. Let me first tell you a bit about them…

A long time ago – even before the rule of the Incas – these people lived on the shores of Lake Titicaca. But as the Inca Empire expanded, conquering more and more land, it eventually reached around here. The Uru didn’t have many options: either perish fighting against the much stronger invader – or surrender (into slavery).

But the Uru found another solution: they got into their boats and sailed out across the lake to hide in the reed marshes several kilometers from the shore. And since the Incas had come to stay, the Uros remained in the reeds. They built islands and houses and lived there so as to escape the conquerors. When they were eventually discovered, the Incas didn’t wipe them out (perhaps they were satisfied with their conquests by then) but instead imposed a small tax on them.

Centuries passed – the Incas were wiped out by the Spaniards, Peru eventually gained independence from Spain, and much water has since flowed from Lake Titicaca – yet the Uros people continued to live on their floating islands, and still do to this day! Something like this:

Well, we just had to visit such an unusual settlement, of course! So we jumped into a boat and set sail!…

Check out the tourism logo of Peru (one of the Nazca Lines) on the glass of our boat. Like! ->

It’s about 2.5km across open water from the port to the reed marshes, then the same distance again through a canal:

And here we are! A tourist entrance fee is required:

And here’s the settlement. The floating islands vary: some are small (just for one family with reed huts), while others are larger, with more stable structures – obviously built for tourism. By the way, if you take a closer look you can see that some houses don’t float on reeds but on metal barrels. If in the past the Uru relied on fishing (and hunting birds) to survive, these days – judging by the number of guesthouses and tour boats – their main business is clearly tourism ->

Reed houses and… solar panels – an interesting combination! ->

Another small island in the foreground against a backdrop of tourist cottages. We dock and disembark:

Traditional reed huts – this is where families traditionally and comfortably live ->

And these cottages are where they accommodate tourists:

Looks like this family’s doing well – for it’s building another “tourist cluster” “round the corner” ) ->

All very cool and unusual. And the best bit… – we’re spending the night here!

Ok. Intro – done; now for some details…

First – these really are floating islands. If you jump up and down hard enough, the “island” trembles slightly – as you’d expect from a floating object of moderate size.

Second – regarding their construction…

According to the internet, the Uru cut reeds, dry them, re-wet them for more elasticity, and from this material build islands, boats, huts, and everything else. And as luck would have it – there’s an endless supply of construction materials here (all of which I reckon cost nothing at all – zero soles) (see the next pic!)! However, we were told by the Uru themselves that islands are built using reed blocks like these – together with their roots and the swamp mold that clings to them (in the next-but-one pic). The necessary number of blocks are tied together, and voilà – a floating island’s ready!

So which version is the correct one?

Most likely – both. That is, an island is initially formed from “living” reed blocks – if you look at the photos you can see bushes of reeds growing out of the islands. This means there are living roots – not just cut reeds. Then, over time, the island is reinforced with layers of cut reed stalks. And the final structure looks like this:

Then the new raft is anchored so the wind doesn’t blow it away – and that’s it. Ready for living!

There are small islands for a single family, and larger ones for multiple families and tourist purposes. Some islands even have lakes ->

A fisherman’s paradise: cut a hole in the island, drop a line, and catch fish without leaving the comfort of your home! And there were plenty of fish: they were biting constantly!

By the way – it was the district’s “mayor” who told us how the islands are built, what folks do here, and other details. Spasibo! ->

Next we were invited to take a look inside a traditional local home. No surprises here. A mattress on the floor (probably made of reeds), some clothes hanging on the wall, a simple table – and that’s it ->

Meals are cooked outside:

Of course, the inevitable souvenirs; well why not?! ->

Meanwhile the fisherman keeps on reeling in fish, one after another ->

Now, about our tourist accommodations. I’m not sure if all the guest houses here are this fancy – but here’s where we stayed:

A luxury suite – surprisingly nice! Who would’ve thought it – on a floating reed-island out in the ~~sticks~~ reeds in deepest Peru! ->

Gas heater: nice (since it gets quite chilly at night); however, they forgot to refill the gas tank! So instead they gave all guests hot water bottles before bed!

Sunrise-viewing spot. Unfortunately, in rainy season sunrises aren’t that spectacular…

But the facilities weren’t bad at all:

A simpler room:

Fellow traveler MB was amazed at the quality of the accommodation. Earlier, she’d been soooo not keen on coming here – unsure of the where or on what she’d be sleeping! ->