Floating Islands of Los Uros

We set sail from Puno, Peru on a collectivo motor boat headed to a nearby cluster of floating islands known as Los Uros. Each island is made of hollow totora reeds which the Uros people replenish weekly with new reeds from the lake. The Uros people are one of the oldest surviving indigenous groups in Peru and are thought to be descendants of the Tiwanaku empire. In their incredible world of over 40 islands supporting around 5 families each, everyone speaks Aymara, an official language of Peru and Bolivia. We listened to an explanation in Spanish of how the islands are built with the reeds stacked on top of connected dirt blocks. We visited their small reed houses and took a short ride on a traditional totora reed boat. The experience was otherworldly.