- My Experience in the Amazon in Iquitos
- My Ayahuasca Experience in the Peruvian Amazon
- Chile – 17 Things To Know Before You Go
- Skip It: The Floating Islands in Puno
- Isla Del Sol on Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca
- Salar de Uyuni – One of the Most Unique Places on Earth
- Bolivia – Everything You Need To Know Before You Go
- What to Expect on the 4 Day Inca Trail Hike To Machu Picchu
- Peru – 23 Things To Know Before You Go
- South America – Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
- 14 Reasons Why You Need To Travel to South America
- How To Stay Safe in South America
The small city of Puno in Peru, on the shore of the beautiful Lake Titicaca, is considered the folkloric capital of Peru due to its traditional and vibrant festivals. Lake Titicaca, which is shared with Bolivia, is one of South America’s largest lakes and it’s the world’s highest navigable body of water.
Puno was my first stop in Peru, after spending a few weeks in Bolivia, as it’s a common stop between Cusco and La Paz or the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca.
Puno’s floating islands are manmade islands made of totora reeds, in the middle of Lake Titicaca. The Uros people are the indigenous people of Lake Titicaca, but when the Incas invaded, the Uros built the floating islands in order to escape and protect themselves from capture. Unfortunately, the Incas found them and forced most of them into slavery.
I booked a day tour to visit the floating islands on Lake Titicaca, which is the main attraction in Puno. To be honest, I wasn’t overly keen on seeing the floating villages or going to Puno at all because I hadn’t heard great things, but my backpacker friend really wanted to go, so I gave it a try.
After a 30 minute boat ride, we arrived at the Uros floating islands where it was quickly confirmed that it was undeniably touristy, and my friend agreed. It comes across like an elaborate act for tourists and the islanders are very pushy to sell tourists their handicrafts (some of which are quite cool, to be fair). Yet, life on the islands is surprisingly modern with solar panels, radios and TVs.
However, the Uros people on the floating islands only see a fraction of the tour money, so they heavily rely on the sales of their products to supplement their income. In addition, the maintenance of the islands is highly time consuming because each additional person who visits the islands adds strain and breaks down the reeds.
It just feels like a major tourist trap. And it feels like an ethical dilemma because learning about their heritage and contributing to their economy is valuable, but the approach needs to be improved upon considerably. If you do decide to visit, manage your expectations.
However, there is more to visit around Puno, like Taquille Island, which is 3 hours by boat from Puno, and Amantani Island, which is 4 hours from Puno by boat (but only 1 hour from Taquille). Travelers often combine these additional sights over a 2 day tour, along with the floating islands.
If you plan on visiting Isla del Sol on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, you likely won’t need to see both, unless you have the time.
Despite the disappointment in Puno’s floating islands, I really liked Peru right away. The food was amazing! And the locals were a friendlier in comparison to Bolivia. I expected the Andes in Peru to be culturally similar to Bolivia and while there were similarities, there were also apparent differences. Peru is more affluent and, therefore, a little pricier than Bolivia. But I still found Peru to be budget-friendly, not including the Inca trail and Machu Picchu.
NEED TO KNOW
If you decide to visit Puno, don’t forget to wear sunscreen because the sun is VERY strong at an elevation of over 3,800m.
Puno is 7-8 hours by bus from Cusco, and 4 hours from Copacabana, the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca (depending on the border).
Also check out What To Know Before You Go To Peru
It’s always sad to see when some places are overly touristic. It kind of ruins the experience 🙁
I know, it really does 🙁 There are some authentic floating islands inhabited by traditional people, but they don’t want tourists visiting them, which is understandable.
Totally. Tourism is not always a good thing…