Floating islands of Lake Titicaca. A Journey Through South America

Even the schoolboy knows where the lake Titicaca is on the map. It is located on the border of Bolivia and Peru, in South America. A unique lake makes its location relative to the level of the World Ocean. The mirror of the water surface lies at an altitude of three thousand eight hundred and eleven meters. Thus, this is the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca occupies a position in the list of "most-most" natural objects on several parameters. First, it is the largest lake in South America in terms of fresh water supplies. And secondly, there are floating islands on it. And inhabited! On floating islands, of which there are about forty in Titicaca, have long been living, for many centuries, the Uros tribe. How can land swim areas and how the life of the people inhabiting them develops - read in our article. We will tell you how to get to the floating islands and what to see.

Harmony of the lake and people

First let us clarify the question of how the land areas can swim. In fact, these are not islands, but huge rafts. On the banks of Titicaca in excess grows a reed, called a totor. There are so many of them that if it were not cut off, it would cover the entire surface of the lake. But the uros tribe came up with a better use for it. Reed cut, pressed into blocks, tie them with ropes. The resultant raft is driven away to places where Lake Titicaca is devoid of vegetation. On such islands people live from generation to generation. Houses, boats and even a variety of utensils uros are also made from reeds. Of course, this material is short-lived, especially if it comes into contact with water. Boats on average serve about half a year, after which they start rotting and seeping. The same process occurs with the islands. The lower layers gradually rot and are washed out by the current. But Uros constantly build up their islands and very well follow the rules of fire safety. After all, one spark is enough to make a dry cane flare up like a torch.

History of floating islands

Indian tribe Uros is famous for the fact that its representatives never wanted to fight. In response to the invasion of the aggressors, these pacifists preferred to hide. With this defensive purpose, they built islands from cane, while the shores of Lake Titicaca were occupied by the warlike Aymara tribe. As time went by, the conflict gradually faded. The tribes began to trade with each other. Small Uros began to adopt the language of Aymara. Now this dialect is considered almost extinct. Only a few dozen people speak it. Soon, the army of the powerful Inca empire reached these highlands. Aimar entered into battle with them, but were defeated. The remaining soldiers tried to take refuge behind a reed wall that surrounded the water surface of Titicaki. Persecutors in pursuit of them and found floating islands. The Aymara Warriors of the Inca were taken into slavery, and the tribe of Uros were taxed with tribute. The later Spanish conquistadors Christianized the local inhabitants, but the way of their life remained the same.

Secrets of Lake Titicaca

On the map, this water area is located far from the Pacific coast. Yes, and it is elevated to more than three-kilometer height. But all the same once, a hundred million years ago, Titicaca was part of the sea bay. Then the magmatic activity of the earth's interior raises this lake to a height. Thanks to the tributaries of streams, the water in the water became fresh. But Titicaca still inhabits marine fish species (including sharks) and crustaceans. On the shores of the lake you can see traces of the impact of ocean storms. Scientists find there petrified remains of ancient animals, once inhabiting the sea. Uros, inhabiting floating islands, keeps a legend, as if on the bottom of Titicaki there is a city of unknown civilization of Wanaku. In 2000, Italian archaeologists conducted underwater exploration of the lake. They found at a depth of thirty meters the remains of a stone pavement, a wall stretching for a kilometer, and a stone sculpture head. According to the analysis, these finds are about 1,500 years old.

How to get to the floating islands

Traveling in South America will be incomplete if you do not see the high-mountainous Lake Titicaca and the islands drifting over its smooth surface. As the water area lies between Bolivia and Peru, you can go to places of interest from both Lima and La Paz. Russian travel agencies have developed many routes that pass through Titicaca. You can see this lake in the complex program "Bolivia and Peru" with a further beach holiday in Capacabana. There are tours of Peru and Easter Island. And how to get to Titicaca attractions on your own? Floating islands depart from Puno, a colorful town on the southwestern shore of the lake. Ten minutes on a motor boat - and you are already greeted by the hospitable tribe Uros. Up Puno from Lima can be reached by bus for forty-two hours or by plane to Juliaca with a transfer to Cuzco. From the last city you can get to the shore of the lake by the Andean Explorer train (the journey lasts ten hours).

Organized trips

Tours in Peru give travelers the opportunity to reach Lake Titicaca with its floating islands without much trouble. And on the way and see a lot of interesting things. The most exciting tour lasts eleven days. The route begins in Lima, on the Pacific coast. Then tourists rush to the Andes, where they visit Titicaca with its islands, Cusco and the mysterious Machu Picchu. Having crossed the mountains, travelers find themselves in the jungles of the Amazon (Puerto Maldonado). There are tours in Peru for sixteen and twenty days. During this time, travelers will see a bird's-eye view of the line in the Nazca Valley, the Kolka Canyon, rafting along the Urubamba River and making a track through the jungles of the Amazon to the Bora-bora tribe. There are more extreme routes, including the ascent to the Kampa peak (five and a half Thousands of kilometers above sea level). And for those who wish to combine cognitive excursions with relaxation on the beach, the program "Peru and the islands of Balestas" is provided.

Bolivia: tours to the lake Titicaca

This Latin American country is poorer than Peru. But in Bolivia the tourist business is developed. There is also a well-established air service, because this country is very mountainous, and many settlements can only be reached by air. All routes invariably begin in La Paz, the most high-altitude capital of the world. Further the route runs through the most important sights that Bolivia has. The tours last from five to thirteen days. During this time, travelers visit not only Lake Titicaca, but also other interesting places: the island of the Sun, Sucre, Potosi, Kolchani. Particularly beautiful is the world's largest solonchak Uyuni. The surface of twelve thousand square kilometers is covered by unusual crystal formations. Tourists visit and the Pescado Lake, whose banks cover thousands of tall, cactus-sized trees. The age of some specimens is a hundred years.

The cost of tours to the lake Titicaca and the floating islands

Traveling in South America is not a cheap pleasure. Especially expensive flight to the southern and western hemisphere. Even in Bolivia, a country that is poor but colorful, the stay will cost one hundred and sixty thousand rubles a week. A grand tour, covering the entire "Triangle of the Andes" (Chile, Peru and Bolivia) will cost the traveler five thousand one hundred and seventy US dollars. This trip lasts two weeks. The cost does not include intercontinental flight. And he does not cost less than sixty-one thousand rubles at both ends. Also need to take into account that in Bolivia Russian tourists need a visa (twenty dollars), and when you leave for home, you also need to pay a fee of $ 25. Of course, a self-made trip will cost less. But it must be taken into account that Bolivia has a rather dangerous criminal situation.

Modern life of the Uros tribe

This nationality today has about two thousand people. But to live from birth to death on a raft, though big, is quite difficult. All days, the "islanders" spend their time patting and arranging their piece of land. After all, straw quickly rot. Therefore, many representatives of the Uros tribe migrated to the shores of Titicaki. The remaining inhabitants produce daily bread for fishing and hunting for water birds (flamingos, ducks). But these branches of management are gradually receding into the background. The decisive factor that significantly influences GDP is tourism. Guests are always welcome here. For them, residents wear colorful, bright colors, traditional costumes, carry them on straw boats and feed them with coron dishes. By the way, the main ingredient of the dishes is the same cane reed. Soup is cooked from it, steamed tea, chewed by a hangover, etc.

Excursion

Most motor boats and boats depart from Puno, the main port town on Lake Titicaca. And the lion's share of excursions is the largest floating island. Uros keep even cattle there, feeding him a totor. The sight of floating islands is unforgettable. The cane bleached everywhere by the mountain sun - houses, boats, fire-fighting sentinel turrets are made only from it. But even more emotion is caused by the descent from the side of the boat to the floating island. It is extremely flat, and rises above the lake surface only a few centimeters. "The Earth" springs under your feet, like a water-filled mattress. It just makes me feel dizzy - it seems that my legs are about to break through the fragile straw bedding. But there is nothing to worry about. The whole design is very sturdy. On the big island there are many souvenir stalls. There you can buy different crafts. The question of what served as a material for woven figures or dishes is truly rhetorical.

Uros and civilization

Getting on the floating islands, do not cease to be surprised by the amazing mixture of patriarchal way of life and modern technology. Reed huts are electrified. And to them do not stretch the trivial wires of power lines. On the islands there are solar batteries, supplying the current to all residents. Excellent catch mobile phone networks and the Internet. And it seems very strange the presence on the thatched roof of a satellite dish. Local residents gladly drive visitors to their homes. Huts look miserable only from the outside. Inside, they are furnished quite modern. The standard of living of "islanders" who receive income from tourists, allows them to get a refrigerator, TV and other electrical appliances.

Shores of the lake

Floating islands are not the only attraction of the reservoir. Here it is worthwhile to stay a few days to see the towers with the remains of the leaders of Silustani. There are quite real islands on the lake. Такиле is interesting because yarn and weaving are dealt with exclusively by men. On the island of Amantani there are temples of Pachatata and Pachamama, which are located at an altitude of 4200 meters. It is also worthwhile to make an ascent to the village of Chukito, in order to see the ancient church of Santo Domingo. Twenty kilometers south of Puno is the ancient port of Tiahuanaco with the pyramid of Acapan, the stone of Kalasasaya and the Gates of the Sun. The town of Chukito (eighteen kilometers from Puno) is another tourist attraction of Titicaki. In this town you need to see thirteen phallic symbols sticking out from under the ground in the Inka-Uyo fertility temple.