Français Nederlands Español

Peru Tourist Guide
Back

SOUTHERN PERU:
Puno: Titacaca See     Uros Floating Islands     Amantani Island (Titicaca)     Taquile Island (Titicaca)     Sillustani Gravetumbs    

Floating islets of the Uros

 The Uros are a pre-Incan people that live on approx. 40 self-fashioned floating man-made islets in Lake Titicaca. The islets themselves are made of totora, cattail and reed. The area of the Uros takes in the biggest part of the National Reserve and reaches from the bay of Puno to the Capachica Peninsula. Once the Uros built their floating islands to escape from the Incas and the Collas who regarded at them as if they were inferior creatures. The totora is the most essential plant for the Uros. While they eat the younger plants they use the older ones as fuel. Of course all the houses, boats and islets are made of this material as well and have to be renewed regularly. Furthermore the small floating islands own a kindergarten, a primary school and even an observation tower.

The UROS-people (lake-people in AYMARA-language) even today keep using boats made of TOTORA reed
Reed-boats are also calles BALSAS. They can be used for about 1 year, then they start to rot
 
The UROS people still live on reed (TOTORA)-islands. Every 6 months the bundles of reed have to be replaced with fresh ones.
The swimming platforms on which the UROS build their little reed huts, have a flotation depth of about 80 cm.
 
On the UROS-islands people cook, wash, fish, live and die....as they do on the mainland
The biggest reed-boats are called CHATCHA and can accomodate up to 15 people – tourists can join a small trip in those TOTORA-Boats

Back
All information presented on the Per Guide section of our website (Peru Tourist Guide) are for information only and are no comercially biased offers.

Website with quotes
Cultural Peru Packages
Adventure holidays, trekking, mountaineering


RECOMMENDED BY:



Lonely Planet

Footprint South America