At some time in the distant pre-Colombian past, when the Incas expanded their lives onto their land, dark-skinned Uros people migrated out of the Amazon and found themselves on the shores of Lake Titicaca.
Because lands around the lake were most occupied and population was increasing, these Amazon people moved into the middle of the lake onto small floating islands that they made from many layers of cut totora, a thick reed that grows abundantly in the high altitude fresh water. Get to know more about Lake Titicaca 1-Day tour in Puno!
Reed – For the living of Uros people
Reed for locals is not only a material to make their homes, their furniture, boats and islands they live on, they use it for making fire, and eat the green roots. The boats which locals made themselves are shaped like canoes, but with animal heads at the prow, they’re used for fishing and to bring visitors. The boat is a must have for surviving on the island and very important for everyone’s life.
Uros people hand made boats and houses from reed.
In the shadow of the Andes, on the world’s highest navigable lake, they make their living from fishing and from selling their reed handicrafts to tourists.
Uros People Moving closer to civilization
Until the mid 1980s, Uros Island was located about 9 miles out in the lake, away from any civilization, locals couldn’t bother visitors. But a huge storm hit the Uros in 1986 and destroyed most of the islands, which obliged people to rebuild their new homes closer to the shore, near the comparative security of the largest city near Lake Titicaca: Puno. You will find on the link more information about Titicaca and Puno tours. Once Uros people moved closer to the city, new visitors and new opportunities appeared.
Each island is tiny, about 50×50 feet size, and each of them has a collection of simple, all hand made reed houses, typically belonging to members of a single extended family, and the biggest one has a watchtower. Originally, furniture was used as a defense mechanism.
Uros Islands Hospitality
The Uros islands rotate their hospitality services on a daily basis. Actually, there is a limited number of visiting tourists for each island every day, to keep balance between tourism and regular life. So each day, half of the island is open up to tour boats, while the residents of the other half have their normal life of hunting, fishing, and making handicrafts.
There is a limited number of tourists for each island to visit per day
Despite the traditional lifestyle, the Uros people are not against modern amenities. Some families use motorboats for faster communication between islands or getting to Puno. Solar panels are used in some islands for a few hours of music on the radio and to have a limited access to the outside world.
We think reading our article about the best months for the 2-Day Lake Titicaca Tour will be also quite interesting and helpful to you.
TOUR IN PERU invites you to explore the Uros islands and get to know local Uros life in a closest view. Contact us to organize your unforgettable package!
