Floating Islands of the Uros

Located five kilometers west of the port of Puno (20 minutes by boat), there are about 20 floating islands of the Uros in the bay of Puno (3,810 meters above sea level). Each island is inhabited by between three and ten Uros Aymara families who have built their houses and roofs with reed mats, although some that have replaced the traditional roofs with metal sheets. Key highlights include the Tupiri Islands, Santa María, Tribuna, Toranipata, Chumi, Paraiso, Kapi, Titina, Tinajero and Negron. The Uros call themselves kotsuña, or the "lake people," and their origins date back to pre-Incan times. They maintain the tradition of fishing, especially for carachi and silverside, and the hunting of wild birds. The men are skillful drivers of the totora reed rafts and the women are expert weavers.