After a fantastic visit to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, my road friend and I arrived in our final destination Puno, on the Peruvian side of the Lake Titicaca.

I had read mixed reviews about Puno and did not know anything about the floating islands or the Aymara community that lives there. However the place was on Matthias’ list and I agreed to join him before heading to Arequipa for my flight.

Once we looked up the place properly, we realised that it would make more sense to stay there than just have a day trip.

The local population has adapted the necessary evils of a modern life, like wifi, but are strongly maintaining their traditional way of living from hundreds of years ago. This means that their life is hard and they have to work very hard almost every day. One example of this is the short story I will share about the work we all had to do to move their new kitchen onto their tiny floating Island. The other reality is that, whilst the summers are very pleasant, the winter is harsh for them as they have limited heating facilities. My other observation is that their living space is very small. I could see that this could be a big problem in the winter.

I was happily surprised by their sophisticated booking system and superb customer service.

I will not tell you about the Island myself because Matthias has offered to write about it in (Swiss) German and in English. I am sharing the story as written by him. I will however write about the crazy effort we all made to help the family to move their new kitchen to their floating Island. Here is Matthias’s description of the stay on the Island both in English and German (I have translated it to Turkish).The photos are also from his sharp camera.

Thank you Matthias!!

The Uros have been living on Lake Titicaca for generations. As a livelihood they build small islands, which usually spends home to one or two families. The islands are built from the plants in Lake Titicaca, a sort of reed plant, which allows a very robust construction. The islands offer enough space for more than ten cozy cabins.

Originally the visit to the Uros should have been a daily trip. At the last minute Gülay and I decided that we wanted to stay overnight on the islands. The reason for this was a hotel entry on Booking.com, which marks a point directly in the Lake Titicaca on the map. A hotel with electricity, Wi-Fi, breakfast and all desirable amenities in the middle of the Uros? We should not be disappointed. But first we had to make our way past all the shameless tourist hunters, all of whom are just waiting for them, like vultures, to sell a supposed bargain to an unsuspecting tourist.

From the bus terminal we could walk well to the dock for the boat transfer to the Uros Islands. The large pieces of luggage we left in the depot at the bus terminal; a decision, which we should not regret and gladly recommend. There is a tourist boat at regular intervals to the Uros. However, these boats are rather intended for daily trips than for overnith stays, accordingly we had to free ourselves first from the foreign-determined tourist stream. We were taken to a small island where “el presidente”, as he called himself, explained that all happy tourists would book a tour for $ 30. The malcontents would have to wait for him in the boat. Since we really wanted to go to the hotel, we told the “el presidente” that we now want to continue to the hotel, as we were promised. El presidente clearly lost interest in us, which immediately made us realize that we had to take our luck into our own hands. Luckily, the ship’s captain helped us. He called the number given in the reservation for the hotel. We had to wait 10 minutes until Felix and Axael came to pick us up with a boat. They took us to the Sol y Luna Lodge, an island with beautiful reed houses. We immediately fell in love with the piece of idyll.

Felix lives here with his family and offers a total accommodation for 12 guests. The peace and idyll on the island is unparalleled. A few chairs and umbrellas made of reeds, offers comfort and also allows a few hours of sunshine in a deck chair. The family of Felix welcomed us warmly. The little Axael was particularly impressed by the Charango and immediately accompanied us musically. We were presented a cozy hut overlooking the water. Because we were hungry from the trip, we asked for something to eat and a bit later we got delicious corn with potatoes and chicken. In general, the kitchen turned out to be simple, but delicious and rich.

At the Sol y Luna Lodge we were able to switch off and let ourselves drift in the truest sense of the word. The mood and the atmosphere are unique and the joie de vivre of the Uros is contagious. It was a great and unique experience.

1. The Uros Sol y Luna Lodge offers a total accommodation for 12 guests and the overnight stay is a unique experience.

2. Given the circumstances, the comfort is very high: Comfortable sleeping huts, electricity, Wi-Fi, clean toilets, lounge and a lookout tower are available.

3. The food is tasty and well tolerated even for foreign stomachs.

4. For the outward journey, it is advisable to contact the family directly by phone. The family speaks English well.

5. A stay of several days is definitely recommendable. The lodge can also be visited as a family with children.