Lake Titicaca in South America

30 floating islands in Lake Titicaca would meet tourists

Between Peru and  Bolivia there is the largest lake in South America, as well as the high mountain lake in the world - Titicaca. Translated from the local dialect Titicaca means «the sacred stone». The main attraction of the lake, besides its natural qualities, is floating islands, which were created and are used by the Indian tribe Uros. The history of the emergence of floating inhabited islands delves back into the ancient history.

In the II century the tribe Uros  lived on the shores of Titicaca, being drawn into the enmity of two warlike tribes of Aymar chuli and lupakas. Because of the short population and not warlike spirit they steamed on large reed boats from the coast. However, due to the non-stop confrontation the Uros tribe, who could not return to the shore, decided to build floating islands. This is done in following way, the layers of cane, called tortora, are mixed with the humus and strengthened roots of plants, but rotten cane segments have to be constantly removed and new to be added.

Today on Lake Titicaca there are 48 islands of the Uros tribe. They attract a huge number of tourists (about 700 people visit the island each day). Local authorities have decided to reduce the number of available for tourism islands to 30. This was done to improve the quality of tourist service, as on some islands live very small population of indigenous people, and they can’t cope with the servicing of the visitors. So because tourism is the main income item of the region, the development of high quality recreation is a priority. Recently, on the shores of the Lake opened a new modern boutique, the hotel, which includes 18 suits meeting the highest standards, the availability of wireless internet, minibar, floor heating, modern appliances, as well as the cylinder of oxygen, makes the stay in it comfortable and unforgettable.

Date: 11/03/2009