Uros Floating Islands, Puno Region, Peru

3Laluz71 5:00 PM Dec 6, 2022

Don't go to Puno just to visit this islands
We decided to go to Puno just to visit Uros floating island and decided to sleep on one of the islands, which was whole other experience. Our host organized tour of other islands and we visited Taquile island with local agency (not recommended). Floating islands are cool as they are and if you are already in Puno it would be shame to miss it, but it is all about tourism nowadays and going there just for islands it's not worth it. You will pretty much be treated like money bag all the way so be prepared. The island we visited had some young couple apparently living there which invited us to "their" house which was just bed and whole bunch of souvenirs, telling us they have a little baby and asking to buy some souvenirs from them because it's their main source of income (the price is around 10x higher than in markets). They practically forced us to local boat ride and send some little girls to sing and ask for contribution for their "education" which then went to buy some snacks and ice-creams on the island we visited next, right in front of us with the money we gave them. We paid 15 soles per person for boat ride (they said it was discounted price because we slept on the island, and it's usually 20 soles, but I read comments here about ppl paying 10 soles). It's not about the money, but the feeling about being ripped off every it's just discussing. Honestly, knowing what I know now, I would skip the Puno area all together, there are much better places in Peru.

3WorldTravellerSoon 5:00 PM Jan 9, 2020

Commercial more than residential
We joined the Gate 1 Peru tour and visiting the floating island was the last included activity of the whole trip. We stayed at the hotel at the lake front and the group went to the lake in the morning when it was still crispy cold. The boat ride was about 30 minutes. When we were on the island, it needs a little effort to balance in the first 2 minutes. After a while, you will be fine. We were introduced to the President of the island. He said that there were only 5-7 families on every island. He and other people showed us how the island was built by reed and how they caught fish and birds for food. Then there were ladies sitting next to us and did embroidery. And they had already set up tables selling handicraft that they made (which they claimed) before we arrived. We visited the house of the President. It was a very small hut with a just a bed. We asked him how he learned English and he said that he learned from the tourists. He also said that the people on the island really referred simple life and food and nothing else. While the ladies selling souvenirs urged us to buy “for the help of the children”. Then I realized that there was a satellite dish and some modern equipment. Our tour guide said that they could not be denied modern technology. This I totally agreed. However, the whole thing looked like a “performance” to me. It might be how those people lived many years ago but I don’t believe they still live like their ancestors. And if you want to stay on the island for 1 night, it was over US$100. Some people of our tour group bought souvenirs from the women. One person bought a tiny reed boat souvenir (60 soles) that the President claimed he made it himself for a living. However, at the main town of Puno, I saw a lot of the same small reed boats in most of the souvenir stores. At the end of the visit, people tried to persuade us to take the traditional reed boat (with motor now – 10 Soles) to go to another island. Some did and we did not as I might have motion sickness. I think the floating island was a unique way of living of people in the past and it is still good to visit. But it turns into a tourist place to make money now.