- The Friendly Streets and Sidewalk Cafes of Miraflores
- Bars and Balconies in Lima, the Capitol of Peru
- Nazca and the Nazca Lines of Peru
- Touring the Monasteries and Central Market of Arequipa
- Touring the Plazas of the Ancient Inca Capitol of Cuzco
- The Challenges of Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- Puno, on the High-Altitude Shores of Lake Titicaca
- Uros and the Floating Reed Islands in Lake Titicaca
- Riding in Luxury on the Andean Explorer between Puno and Cuzco
- Travelling by Riverboat into the Peruvian Amazon Jungle
- A Refreshing Stop in Copacabana, Between Cuzco and La Paz
- The Shops, Museums, and Witch Market of La Paz
- The Delightful and Friendly City of Quito
- Artists, Waterfalls, and Condor Reserve of Otavalo
Reed Islands
There are 41 natural islands in Lake Titicaca but it is the 40 or so man-made reed islands which attract the most attention.
REED ISLANDS, LAKE TITICACA, PERU
ACCOMMODATION
Mosoq Inn
Mosoq Inn offered a friendly welcome followed by a tray of coca tea brought to our room. The rooms were clean and spacious with large windows overlooking the street. Street noise was not a concern through the night and made for interesting viewing the few times we used the room during the day. Puno can get very cold at night and the multiple blankets on the beds kept us toasty warm. The staff were outstanding in their willingness to make our time in Puno a positive experience from William at the door to Ibeth and Rebelhino who manned the front desk, supplied local information and oversaw breakfast. We spent two nights prior to going to Bolivia and one night on our return. Pleased to recommend.
Floating island Accommodations
On the second island visited, we met a young Australian woman who had just negotiated to stay in one of the huts for that night … very inexpensive. We had thought, prior to beginning this trip, that we would like to stay on one of the islands overnight; but differing reports made us question the option. As conditions (moisture, mildew and rebuilding) of the reed islands are always changing, we thought she had done it the right way; she went prepared to stay but did not make her decision until she saw the accommodation herself.
ARRANGEMENTS
Hotel: Made reservation directly with Mosoq Inn through email. Contact persons were Ibeth and Rebelhino. All went well.
Tours: At the wharf in Puno we negotiated a price for a group of four to join others on a boat going out to the floating reed islands. There was no need to involve a travel agent.
OUR TOUR
We were transported to one of the floating reed islands, where the residents spoke of their history, demonstrated (in Spanish) how the totora reed is used to build and maintain the islands and then invited us into their island homes where some were encouraged to dress in native garments for photo opportunities. The fabric arts were offered for sale along with off-island trinkets.
For a dollar we were given the option of riding in a totoro reed boat and paddled to another island. On that island there were more buying opportunities and a shop in which to purchased over-priced beer and soft drinks and a cafe for those wishing to eat. It was here that we met the young woman who was staying on the island overnight (see above under “floating island accommodations”).
Our motorized boat, with the passengers who did not want to ride on the reed boat, met us.
The whole excursion took approximately five hours.
This entry was posted in PERU, SOUTH AMERICA
