Straddling the border between Peru and Bolivia, at an elevation of 12500 feet (3,800 m), Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable large lake in the world. This ancient body of water is also said to be the birthplace of the Inca civilisation. However, what inspired me to visit the lake were pictures of, and articles written about, its floating islands of reeds.

Lake Titicaca was the next stop on my Peru itinerary, after Machu Picchu. I used the company, ‘Peru Hop’, which as the name suggests allows you to hop on and hop off their buses along many routes around Peru (and Bolivia and Ecuador). The flexibility this gives is really fantastic when you’re long term travelling.

For me, it involved an overnight bus from Cusco to Puno, and then boarding a boat bright and early, for the 2-day lake trip.  My impression of Puno that morning was of a somewhat ramshackle town, whose main selling point was that it was the gateway to the floating islands, and Lake Titicaca. 

The Floating Islands of Uros

I was terribly excited as we arrived at a floating island, a couple of hours after departing Puno. Located northwest of the mainland, these islands are inhabited by the indigenous tribe, the Uros. The Uros are said to be the earliest inhabitants of Titicaca. They fled land in the 16th century and built these islands far away from the coasts, to avoid being raided by the Incas and other aggressive civilisations.  

The amazing thing about the islands is that they are made of reeds. Yes, you read that right. Fully man-made, made of ‘Totora’ reeds.

The roots of the Totora reed are woven together to form a layer and then multiple layers are added until the base of the island is between 2-4 metres thick. The islands are then moored to the lake bed with eucalyptus stakes and rope. So the tribe can literally pick up and move their island to whatever part of the lake they desire. They have lived in this way for over 3 centuries.

There are between 50 to 100 of these islands scattered around the lake. Each island is tiny, less than 20 m and contains a cluster of houses (often no more than 3-5 extended families inhabit each island). 

We disembarked and were treated to a 20-minute ride in one of the traditional boats (also made of Totora reed.You had to pay for the privilege), serenaded by one of the children (her singing voice was middling but we all applauded her entrepreneurial spirit, as she passed a hat round afterwards for tips) and then sat to listen to a brief history of the islands given jointly by one of the elders and our tour guide.

I found the history thoroughly fascinating. However I do have to say that the actual experience of visiting the island and the people felt a little contrived and dare I say inauthentic. It felt like a ‘show’ solely put on for tourists, with the aim of getting as much money out of them as possible. It raised questions for me about when ‘tourism’ becomes ‘exploitation’. By this I mean, we the tourists exploiting the locals, their culture and traditions where the only response (and they only way they can survive economically) is through the commodification of their lifestyle. I left with a slightly bad taste in my mouth, but I am still impressed by the ingenuity that created these islands.

Thankfully, the rest of the Lake Titicaca tour felt much more genuine.  

Isla Amantani

Our second stop was Amantani. A beautiful island, with gorgeous views of the lake and surrounding Andean mountains, it is mainly inhabited by people of Quechua origin.  Here we had the opportunity for an overnight stay with a local family. 

We were warmly greeted at the docks by an elder, and a group of women dressed in traditional clothes.  We were split into groups of between 2-4 guests, each matched to one of the local women.  I was with 3 fellow travellers, Jana, Beth and Josh, and we followed ‘our mother’ to her home. 

Our family was warm, and welcoming. Our rooms were surprisingly modern – with electricity, a shower, and flushing toilet, and simply decorated with two comfortable single beds. The views from the balcony were so beautiful. During our stay, we met the father, mother and one of their daughters. The women spoke a little Spanish but the father didn’t. They showed us his arthritic fingers, and spoke about how difficult farming had been on him. The community grows potatoes, quinoa, wheat and vegetables. (Interestingly, everyone on the island is vegetarian!) Families in the community take turns in hosting tourists and the income received from this business is a lifeblood for many. Our family told us it had enabled them to build additions to their house, and send their children to school in Puno. 

We had a tasty lunch of quinoa soup, cheese with potatoes, cucumber and tomatoes. Well, the others did. At this point, I was heartily sick and tired of soups (which seemed to be offered at every lunch and dinner in Peru) and felt nauseous at their sight. After a brief siesta, we walked to the main square, to meet with the rest of the group for a sunset hike.

Amantani island is topped by two mountain peaks which the locals refer to as Pachatata (Father Earth) and Pachamama (Mother Earth). We hiked to Pachamama. Surprisingly it was a well-maintained paved path, so fairly easy to navigate…if one didn’t also have to deal with the altitude. Amantani is approximately 4000m (13000 feet) above sea level and the peaks are at 4150m. I was still traumatised from my Inca trail hike, and struggling with the altitude. I was not particularly enthused to have another uphill walk and was therefore one of the stragglers at the back of the pack. However the hour-long hike gave me time to fully appreciate the serene and bucolic views over Amantani and the lake. 

At the peak, there are ruins of the Pachamama temple. Our guide had told us that if we walked three times counterclockwise at the temple, and made a wish, it would bring us luck. I didn’t, because I’m a Nigerian Christian, and you know we don’t joke with praying to other ‘gods’! Instead I wandered around the periphery of the walled ruins and then sat to enjoy a spectacular sunset, with the most magical colours. 

Afterwards, we made our way back to the main square and grabbed a drink at one of only two cafes/bars. We were picked up by our mother and taken home for dinner. Dinner was vegetable soup, with rice, potatoes, vegetables and eggs. It was simple fare but delicious. 

Unfortunately I developed a terrible migraine during dinner and could barely speak, so I had an early night. The rest of the group got dressed in traditional clothes and went off to the main hall for a night of traditional dancing. They got to see the most dazzlingly clear night sky, filled with thousands of brilliant stars. I was pretty upset with myself the next morning, for missing out on the experience. I am still smarting about it, as I write this post. I guess it’s one reason to go back to Amantani!

The next morning we were treated to delicious pancakes at breakfast and headed to the harbour to set off for Taquile Island.

I absolutely loved this cultural experience on Amantani, and would highly recommend it. Although it was an organised tour, the families seemed genuinely happy to have us share their home and we had the opportunity to learn a bit more about life on the island. It was also great to see the economic benefits that tourism had brought while the community still retained their unique culture and lifestyle. Long may that continue.

Visited April 2022.

Have you observed unexpected downsides to tourism? What was your experience? Comment below.

Also, come back next week for Day 2 of the Lake Titicaca tour – Isla Taquile.

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