Half day
A cultural visit to the reed islands of Lake Titicaca
Pickup and departure to the lake: at 8:45 a.m., the Flamenco Travel team will pick you up at your hotel in central Puno and take you to the main port. There you'll board a motorboat and travel about 20 minutes across Lake Titicaca into the Bay of Puno.
Uros Floating Islands: when you arrive, families from the community will welcome you on one of the floating islands. With your guide's help, they'll explain how they build the islands from totora, a water reed they also use for their homes and boats, as food and as fuel. The islands are made by tying together large blocks of totora roots, and the top layer is constantly renewed to keep them afloat.
You'll learn how the Uros keep alive their traditions of fishing and bird hunting, their community organization and their relationship with the lake. Today they speak Aymara, and there are about 90 artificial islands in the area.
Optional ride and second island: if you like, you can take a ride on a totora reed boat, an optional activity paid separately. Then we'll visit a second floating island, where you can see and buy handmade crafts by the islanders.
Return to Puno: finally, we'll take the boat back to Puno port and then return to your hotel, arriving around 11:45 a.m.
