Uros and Taquile Islands on New and Comfortable SpeedBoat

While the trip was fantastic, the state of the boat is anything but new. It was an old boat with limited visibility from the upper section and the toilet was barely working, with no running water or soap. I'd probably look for an alternative provider.

It is an interesting visit, although unfortunately very commercialized. It is more focused on us tourists buying and consuming (it is understandable), and that makes other cultural and anthropological aspects of those peoples remain in the background, if not as mere anecdotes. What can you do! Possibly it is what we want and what we buy, the mass of tourists who pass through there, but to me, it has seemed sad and poor. It is an excursion that lacks the cultural depth that those societies would deserve.

This was an excellent experience. Samuel was a fantastic guide from pick-up to drop-off and he provided a lot of information about the lake, its history, the Uros people, and many other things. He was a great help communicating with the locals of Uros and Taquile Island. The tour itself is very interesting and you learn a lot about how the Uros people live and make their floating islands, as well as the people of Taquile. Because of the altitude, the climb to the central plaza of Taquile is a bit challenging and I needed to stop and catch my breath a few times, but Samuel was very accommodating the whole time. I would recommend this trip 100%.

We had an amazing experience with the full day speed boat tour to Uros and Taquile islands. Our hotel pick up was on time and smooth. Samuel was our guide who did a fantastic job explaining the history of Uros and Taquile islands in both English and Spanish. He was very friendly, patient, took care of everyone on the tour. He helped us when we had trouble walking up the steep slope to the town center in Taquile. The floating islands were incredible and it was hard to believe how they survive for 35+ years. The food at Taquile island was excellent. Thank you to Samuel and Viator for a memorable and lifetime experience.

Guide Samuel provided exceptional experience. His knowledge of the local culture and the people, ability to explain and demonstrate as needed was exceptional. The lunch was very good and boat captain made sure safety is top priority while ferrying to various islands tin Titikaja and back to Puno. Overall Five star experience

Overall it was a great day out. We were met in the lobby of our hotel (the lady didn't even say hello to us, just called our name and hustled us out), then she put us on a minibus with our guide. We carefully stuck together to go on the boat - 2 sets of 16 people by my count, with 2 guides one of whom said nothing so it was really a tour of 32. We spent time on the reed island, took the optional boat (small extra fee), then went off the Taquile. Here there was a good length walk, but though the instructions said hiking boots it was not necessary. Yes, it is uphill, but the path is good and no special grip was needed. The lunch (with a great view) was very good. We then went down the slope to get the boat back. Our guide looked after us well. Some of his speeches (first in Spanish then English) seemed to go a long time (especially in Spanish) and I do recommend he speak slower in English - even if the information is therefore less, at least it will get communicated. The English-as-a-second-language Europeans got really lost, and there were times I could not catch the words. This is a general problem we have found with Spanish-speaking guides.

We had great tour of Lake Titicaca, including Uros Floating Islands and Taquile Island. Our guide Samuel was awesome, sharing knowledge and history of the area. Also really enjoyed the lunch that was organised at Taquile Island, very tasty! Would definitely recommend 😄

We didn’t do the entire tour as written, but joined this tour partway in. We were staying on the Uros Islands (which was fantastic and I’d highly recommend). The host took us to a smaller island in his community where they explained how the islands are made of reeds and allowed us to take pictures in traditional clothing. That part was great. They sold us various souvenirs and offered to take us on a ride in the “Mercedes Benz” for 15 soles per person. We didn’t feel like it. Then our host took us to a bigger, more commercialized island where we met up with this speed boat tour. The boat ride to Taquile was a solid 2 hours, we sat on the top deck which was sunny and very windy but beats being trapped inside ( I get seasick). When we got to the island of Taquile we were offered either a short walk or a long walk. 30 min or 1 hour uphill, ending up in the main square regardless. We chose the short walk and it was less than 30 min. The main square had some shops and a place where you could get your passport stamped for 2 soles. There was some traditional dancing and they had the tourists join in, that was fun. We were promised 3 activities and didn’t really see any of them. We walked past the agriculture and could by the stuff that they’d weaved. The “museum” was pretty lame and the Catholic church was closed. Then we were rushed to lunch in someone’s house (Julia). Bottled water or sodas were extra. The included food was a tea, quinoa vegetable soup, fish, and potatoes. You could also get an omelette instead. I am 99% sure the soup or tea made my husband very sick (I didn’t eat/drink it and was fine). I would be extra cautious of liquids on this island, no idea if they’re treating water. Then we walked back to the boat for another 2 hours back. Overall, I only liked the Uros islands part. The rest felt like a long boat ride (over 4 hours total) for a lunch that was mediocre at best and then made my husband super sick. If I were to do the trip again, I’d just stay on the Uros Islands.

Was a very good day lead by Samuel who was our first class guide. Be ready to buy something on Uros Island. The walk on Taquile was long and arduous. But the lunch was terrific.

A great days experience. Really showed the inhabitants of Lake Tittikaka off well.