Among the Indians on floating islands of Titicaca with Findlocaltrips

Lake Titicaca is located on the border between Peru and Bolivia. Indigenous people who speak various languages and profess different religions live on its islands. One of the most interesting tribes is the Uros tribe; its people build their own floating islands and have been living on them for centuries. We had the opportunity to visit them and see these artificial islands with our own eyes.

Titicaca is one of the largest lakes in all of South America and also the waterfront that is located at the highest altitude in the world. It lies at an altitude of incredible 3800 meters above sea level. It is of tectonic origin and the locals even believe that it’s bottomless. Many large and small islands are located on the lake, on which the native inhabitants usually live very traditionally. The temperature of the lake is around 10°C, so it warms the surrounding land substantially; the land would otherwise be much colder at this altitude. This is one of the reasons why local people are able to grow potatoes, barley and corn. The most interesting one is the Uros tribe – its people build their own floating islands directly on the lake itself.

Cruise on Lake Titicaca

For our boat ride on the lake and a visiting the local people, we have chosen tours provided by the company Findlocaltrips, which offers tours all over South America. As well as a booking site, the company’s website also functions as a search engine for travel agencies, which offer various excursions and trips. Simply input a location into the search engine and the website will show you several available offers. The individual activities are rated by the users themselves, so you can simply choose based on the ratings.

Our ship, we used it to transport between islands

Our two-day trip included a visit to the floating islands of Uros as well as an introduction to the local culture and indigenous people on the Amantani and Taquile Islands. We stayed the night on Amantani Island in a little house owned by locals because there are no hotels or any other accommodation on the island. This was probably the strongest experience for us since we could gain insight into the lives of people who inhabit these islands in the middle of such an enormous lake.

Local used colored boats from reed to transport between islands

If you want to experience the trips to the islands, it’s necessary to get to the town Puno, which was built right on the shore of the Lake Titicaca. All the trips around the lake area are organized from here. We were picked up by a car very early in the morning at our hotel, which took us straight to the port. There, our guide Roger introduced himself to us – we immediately took a liking to him. As soon as we boarded, Roger immediately told us what awaited us.

The Floating Reed Islands

After an hour of the voyage, we finally approached the floating islands; there must have been dozens of them. The local women welcomed us cheerfully, dressed in colourful traditional clothes. As soon as we stepped onto the island, a pleasant fragrance of straw welcomed us. Roger explained that the local Uros tribe used to inhabit the fertile shore of the Titicaca Lake, where they focused on fishing and keeping livestock. During the Spanish colonization, the people tried to escape the violent Christianisation and decided to find shelter directly on the lake. They were lucky to discover that the lake was covered with a type of reed called totora. The roots of this plant are massive and they float right below the surface of the water.

Local people showed us how the island is built

Roger, together with the chief, showed us how such an island, made from a floating plant, is built. First, the locals cut the reed that grows from the roots and they prepare the roots to make the ground beneath their feet. After that, they lay out the reed on the roots, so the subsoil becomes even stronger. All that is left to do after that is to build houses in which the locals can live. These are, of course, also made of reed. Since the roots rot from the bottom it’s necessary to continuously keep making new layers of reed. This way it’s possible to live on the island for up to 10 years before building a new home is necessary.

Romantic reed houses

Our guide Roger also showed us what the locals eat and how they spend their time. We could even look into their little houses. For a small fee, they took us on a boat trip on their typically coloured boat to their main island. Once there, we received a stamp to our passports to show that we visited the floating islands of the Uros tribe.

Stamp in the passport of the Uros islands

Visit the local people on the island of Amantani

Noon was slowly approaching and we still had a long journey ahead of us, this time to an actual island of Amantani. The boat ride there took around three hours and we were looking forward to a hearty lunch with the locals. As soon as we arrived at the shore, the family that we were supposed to be staying with welcomed us. Together with two young Germans, we set out to their house. The elderly couple lived in a two-storey house and we got assigned a cosy little attic room to stay in. But then the lady of the house was already calling us to lunch. Immediately, we felt as if we suddenly moved back in time several centuries.

For the day we became part of the family

The lunch was served in a separate room, where the lady of the house cooked on an open fire. We had a hearty soup and then the main course was served. Our guide warned us that even though the locals keep cattle on the island, they are strict vegetarians. Which is why we weren’t surprised when we had several different potato dishes, cheese, vegetables and rice for lunch. Still, we really enjoyed it.

Our modest dinner, which we enjoyed

The sacred Temple of Pachatata

After lunch, we set out with our group to one of the island’s temples. Roger explained that locals have the same religion as the ancient Incas and they actually also speak the same language – Quechua. Their beliefs are focused on worshipping the mothers of earth and water. Since the island has two mountains, a temple was built on each of them. One was dedicated to Pachamama (mother of the earth) and the other to Pachatata (Father of the earth). We decided to visit the peak of Pachatata, which is located at an altitude of 4200 meters above sea level. The climb wasn’t all that easy, but in the end, we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the lake and the snowy peaks of Andes. There was almost nothing left of the temple, but we didn’t mind. We enjoyed all the views, as well as the magical sunset. When it got dark, we returned to our little home away from home. For dinner we had soup and then some kind of a potato-vegetable stew with rice.

A gate leading to the Pachatata Temple and a view of the sunset

Indian party only in a local costume

The real fun began after the meal, however. The lady of the house brought us local traditional costumes and carefully dressed us. The men were given knitted ponchos and the women dressed in colourful skirts and blouses. We couldn’t really go to a local party in our western clothes, could we? When we arrived, the fun was already in full swing. The beer was served at the bar and no one was holding back; everyone just had to dance to local folklore music. Anyway, see for yourself.

The way to the island of Taquile

The breakfast served in the morning was pancakes with marmalade. We had just enough time to say our goodbyes to the locals and gift them with several trifles. The boat ride to the next island went by quite fast. Another island, another traditional clothing, and different customs. Truthfully, we were slightly confused about it all. Together with our group, we set out for a walk around the island; we visited a local market as well as a square. Roger explained that there were several restaurants for tourists on the island and that they all serve the same food. This is why he takes each group of tourists to a different restaurant to be fair. This time, he took us to a restaurant with a garden, from which we had a splendid view of the whole lake. We almost couldn’t believe that the vast water surface is actually just a lake and not an ocean.

Lunch in restaurants with a beautiful view of Lake Titicaca

Roger began to tell us about the tribes that inhabit the island. He explained that wearing the traditional clothes here is actually very important. Based on the wearer’s clothes you can find out whether the man or the woman is single or married, but also sad or cheerful. Then he showed us one miraculous herb that the locals use as a natural shampoo. He explained that the herb is also the reason why no one on the islands has grey hair. It’s a shame that this plant doesn’t grow in Europe as well.

After the interesting discussion, it was time for lunch. The soup was served and we could also choose a fish or an omelet. The locals on this island weren’t vegetarians. Well, I’ll admit we were getting a bit lost at that point. We both ordered fish and it was so delicious that no Michelin-star restaurant would be ashamed to serve it.

The trout was very well prepared

Back to mainland

After lunch, we set out on a several-hour-long boat trip to the shore. We arrived to Pune at around three o’clock and the transport took us back to our hotel. This two-day trip was an incredibly culturally enriching experience. We liked how these people were able to live peacefully next to each other even though they worshipped different gods or had different cultures altogether. It seems we still have a lot to learn.