Floating Islands of Uros & Taquile Island

At 7:30am We'll come pick you up at your hotel and depart for the Puno port, where we will embark on our motorboat on the suprisingly transparent, flat and cold waters of giant Lake Titicaca (3821m above sea level). Along the way we'll keep our eyes peeled for the lake's highly diverse bird species, which include the parihuana, whose colors inspired the colors of the Peruvian flag.

After half an hour on the lake we will arrive at the famous Floating Islands of Uros. We'll spend an hour exploring these fascinating thin islands constructed of the lake's most prevalent plant, tortora reeds, the same reeds used to build their houses, boats, for tea and food. We'll learn how the Uros, also known as kot-suña (people of the lake), subsist through fishing, weaving, and tourism.

Returning to our boat, we will then continue on to our second stop, the traditional island of Taquile, which still retains pre-Inca ruins and stone terraces. After fierce resistance it was integrated into the Inca empire as Intika and was one of the last places to fall to the Spanish Conquistadores. Converted into a prison in colonial times, it was only recently returned to the Taquile people in 1970. With a society based on a community collectivist model, the Taquile people subsist through fishing, farming, and tourism. They retain Inca as well as Spanish customs, as evidenced by their Spanish peasant dress with indigenous Andean accents. We'll have a 1 hour hike up to the town. While exploring the town we'll make stops at the artisanal center where you can view their lauded textiles and the local museum. During our time on Taquile we'll stop to enjoy our lunch in a local restaurant.

Afterwards we'll descend 530 steps along the opposite side of the Island and make our way to our boat in order to return to Puno, where you will be dropped off at your hotel.