# Uros Islands

The Uros Islands are floating islands made of reeds, situated along a river-like channel through the marshy fringes of Lake Titicaca, near Puno on the Peruvian Altiplano. They are known equally as a "tourist trap" and a genuine wonder of the world.

## Understand

These islands are made from a reed, tortora rushes, as are the the more traditional of the houses on them. Part of the reed can even be eaten! In the past, the residents also used boats made of the reeds, though now this craft is only preserved for a special kind of tourist boat used between the islands.
The original people of the Uros Islands, sometimes called the "Uru", come from a culture living this lifestyle since before the Inca Empire, who once spoke their own language but now speak the major Andean tongue known as Aymara. It is thought that they may have fled to the islands to escape hostile tribes, including the Incas.
The islands can be moved, and by some accounts were moved in the 1980s because of the Shining Path revolutionary movement. Most of them had to be rebuilt after a major storm and flood in 1985-1986, and are now located along a river-like channel through the reed beds just east of Puno. Their new location serves both as an opportunity for tourism money, and as a stable anchorage as Lake Titicaca's water level has dropped due to changes in climate, leaving many of the reed beds high and dry. Still, dwindling water levels here led to a scarcity of the naturally-floating reed roots used to build the foundations of the floating islands, as well as a shortage of the largest reeds most suited for building, so traditional reed huts and floating islands are gradually giving way to wooden and sheet-metal buildings and stilt houses perched directly on the low riverbanks.
Before the 1980s, the islands were located farther from Puno, and many assume this means they were far from shore, on the open water of the lake. However, at least according to one old-timer who pioneered the current location, they were actually just located along a more remote area of the lake's shoreline. He also says they were more spread out, with families sometimes kilometers apart from each other, whereas they're now clustered into two dense rows amounting to a sizeable town on the water.

### Tourism

Since the early 21st Century the islands have developed a reputation as a "tourist trap" for being highly commercialized and, in some ways, inauthentic. But the truth is if course more complicated.
Tourism is indeed now the main income for the islands' population, and they are now crowded with guest accommodations. The various islands receiving day tours mostly all follow the same template (open area for interpretive talk, row of souvenir stands, several large and gaudy decorations made of totora reeds). And most visitors feel like they're repeatedly bring then sales pitches, and sometimes being misled about what's included and what costs extra.
But as long as you're already expecting this, there's still plenty of wonder to be had. The floating islands are absolutely real, and still maintained in roughly the same way they have been for hundreds of years, with the understandable addition of modern comforts. The location is beautiful, in the heart of a would-be remote wetland with the lights of Puno in the distance. If it helps, think of it as an open-air museum that's still largely owned and operated by the descendants of the ancient culture it showcases (though the old ways of life are still a very recent memory, with even middle-aged locals sometimes complaining that the young people don't know how to hunt and fish anymore).
The Uru people largely see the transition to tourism as a necessity, as fish and larger reeds have become scarce amid falling water levels, young people have lost interest in traditional ways of life, and many have moved to the mainland for educational and economic opportunities. However, the still-growing tourist market sustains a sizeable population of Uru holdout families who remain on the islands and adjacent riverbanks, as well as some non-Uru people who have arrived from surrounding regions to operate businesses.

## Get in

Tourists arriving in the Uros Islands incur an "entry fee" of S/8 per person, which may not be included in the price of your tour or transport.
* Dozens of agencies in Puno will arrange a visit with a guide. This is the classic "tourist trap" way to experience the islands, but is the best way to make a single-day visit, as long as you're prepared to deal with various attempts to sell you trinkets, photo-ops, raft rides, etc. Tickets for such trips can also be bought directly at the tourism pier in Puno, where they will likely be cheaper than with agencies in town. Part of the tour is an interpretive talk on one of the floating islands, so if that's important to you you should shop around for an operator that offers guides in your language. As of March 2025, tours of the Uros Islands leave Puno frequently until about 4pm each day and cost at least S/10 per person. Tours to the Uros floating islands can optionally be combined with a daytrip to Isla Taquile or Isla Amantaní (each offered only once a day in starting in the morning), or with overnight stays on either of those two islands.
* If you've booked accommodations on one of the Uros Islands, ask your hosts about transport. Some of them will pick you up at Puerto Kalapajra boat landing northeast of Puno town (it should be easy to get to by taxi, but getting back to town is reportedly more difficult). Alternatively, approach one of the tour operators at the pier and ask them to bring you along one-way. Make sure you're clear on the total price you pay (one operator in March 2025 charged S/10 per person with island "entry fee" included), and be prepared for hijinks, like the captain taking you to a free one-hour shopping stop first rather than dropping you off on the way. However, once you're in the Uros Islands neighborhood, it's possible your accommodations might be willing to pick you up for free.
* In the past, some travelers reported that you could visit the floating islands independently by asking around at the harbor around 07:00.

## Get around

If on a tour, you'll be moving between islands with the provided boat. Most islands can be walked across in about 10 seconds to a minute.
When staying overnight, simply ask someone on your island for a ride to anywhere else you want to go, and ask if there's a cost. There is no public transit between the islands.
Some accommodations will rent you a kayak (example price in March 2025: S/30 per person per hour). Going anywhere beyond the main rows of floating islands probably requires more than an hour.
But mostly, plan not to go anywhere - relax, take in the view, feel the island indulate subtly under your feet as bigger boats go by, and have your meals (price not included) at the island's own restaurant.

## See

You're here for the floating reed islands and the bustling, unique tourist mecca. Slow down and just take it in.
* Reed artesanry Artwork built from the reed (totora) - The same plant being used for the houses and for the island.
* Fishermen in the morning Available only if sleeping on one of the islands and with coordinating it with one of the locals ahead. Best time is at dawn (05:30) - if the lake is calm the sunrise will be unforgettable.
* The view A busy river channel on one side, miles of reed beds on the other, and beautiful hills in the distance.

## Do

* Ride in a giant reed boat Most tours include a ride between islands in a huge, gaudy yellow, double-hulled reed "raft" (balsa) with twin puma heads at the bow. This part of the tour may or may not be mandatory, and as of 2025 may or may not cost an additional S/15-20 per person or solicit donations. These boats, though based on the smaller canoe-like, single-hull reed rafts used until the 1960s by the Uru people, are the modern invention of a local Uru man, inspired by Bolivian reed-boat expert Paulino Esteban, who designed similar boats for trans-oceanic expeditions by controversial Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl in the 1970s. The newest ones are filled with recycled plastic bottles and coated with a layer of fiberglass, in an attempt to make them last longer (the pure reed ones, becoming uncommon as of 2025, become waterlogged in less than a year and have to be discarded and replaced).
* Shop for souvenirs You can't visit the Uros Islands without being confronted by souvenir stands (some visitors report being pressured to buy, while others don't). These sell a variety of trinkets and local handicrafts, reportedly at higher prices than on the mainland, so it's up to you who you want to support.
* Get photos in traditional Uru clothing Many tourists like to make this part of their visit. Expect to pay an additional price for it unless you've negotiated otherwise with your tour operator.
* Birdwatching Because it's located in a wetland, there are a lot of wild birds around. The best birding is actually on the boat ride from Puno, but even among the islands it's often possible to find the unique Titicaca Grebe (found only here and on nearby lakes in Bolivia).

## Buy

On all islands one visits as part of a tour, souvenirs are offered.

## Eat

* Trucha (trout): Available only on the islands that have a restaurant, which is now a lot of them. Because takes time to prepare, available only when there is a long stop or when staying overnight.
* Reed: The bottom part of a fresh reed (colored white) is actually edible, and surprisingly not so bad - worth a try if your guide offers it
Local people have traditionally eaten other fish species, wild wetland birds, and their eggs, but these don't seem to be available to tourists (perhaps thankfully, for the good of those species' populations).

## Drink

* Muña mate A tea made from a herb growing in the environment of Titicaca lake. It is said this herb helps to cope with the high altitude, but even if not it's tasty minty taste is worth it.

## Sleep

As of 2025 the community appears to be largely made up of waterfront tourist accommodations, many on floating islands but also some built in stilts sunken into the riverbanks.
* Isla Quechua (aka Urosfood & Titiqaqa Lodge, Casa de Yolanda, various names with “Quechua” in them), Lago Titicaca, Puno, ☏ +51 942 256 841. Check-out: 10am. A real floating island occupied half by an Uru extended family and half by semi-rustic tourist accommodations. Staying here overnight must be one of the most authentic experiences you can have on the islands, and some of its cabins are also among the cheapest. Called “Quechua” because of a Quechua man who married into the family, but the island’s matriarch, Yolanda, is an Aymara-speaking Uru who still remembers the old ways. Next to the busier Hanan Pacha island, but not connected by walkways, and apparently not affiliated with the tour companies. Electricity and warm water available. US$22 and up.
* Qananpacha Hospedaje A new option offered is accommodation on one of the islands called Qananpacha. The rooms are equipped with double bed and made all out of reed, also available is a restaurant and a post office. Prices are very affordable - S/15 for a bed, and S/40 including a dinner and a breakfast. Not all tour agencies stop at this island, so better contact the hospedaje directly to make reservations: +51 951-835264, +51 950-951489 $^{[deadlink]}$. Also a pickup from puno harbor can be arranged.
* Uros Khantati (Hotel Cinco Esteras con Camas Flotantes), Lago Titicaca, Puno, ☏ +51 51 951 695121, +51 951 472355, uroskhantati@hotmail.com. This is one of the only floating reed islands where the money goes directly to the community and not a tour company in Puno. The cost is S/165 each a night and this included pickup from the hostel, boat ride to the island, some lessons on the local history and their way of life, cultural events, fishing and 3 meals. S/165 pp.

## Connect

As of 2025, some accommodations on the island have wifi, but don't expect it to be great. Claro 4G barely works here (don't count on it for anything more than sending messages), but Movistar gets you 3-5Mbps in at least some areas.
On the island Qananpacha there is a post office where you can send a postcard. The owners claim it is the only floating post office in the world. Not all the tours get there, you need to ask before booking if there will be a stop there.

## Go next

* Isla Taquile
* Back to Puno