Location
Lake Titicaca, Puno Region, Peru
On Lake Titicaca near Puno, totora reeds provide material for floating islands, homes, and boats. Water shapes the routes and routines of the family featured in this chapter.
Chapter 04 · Lake Titicaca · Elevation 3,812 m
Floating Islands
Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca
The story
A home made and remade from reeds
An Uros family living on a floating island of reeds on the highest navigable lake in the world explores their culture.
On the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, home is built from the reeds that grow around it. The Uros have developed skills in weaving and maintaining islands, boats, and houses, living with the lake as an everyday presence.
Luis and his family share their world through fishing, travel by boat, and life on the island. Their story offers a personal perspective on a place often seen through tourism, revealing the work and knowledge involved in sustaining a home on the water.
Environmental focus
Land, climate, and continuity
Life on the islands depends on continuing care for reed structures and a close relationship with the lake. Family traditions, livelihoods, and adaptation meet in a landscape that must be maintained over time.
In this chapter
A closer look
Time with Luis and his family follows the rhythms of the lake, from fishing trips to everyday journeys between boats and islands.
The documentary seriesComing October 2026
Get a first look at the six-part journey across Peru.
Watch the trailerContinue the story
Support work connected to this place.
Learn more about an organization related to the themes and geography of this chapter.
Visit Uros Balsero