Cooking on a flotilla of reeds is a complex process

Imagine living on a lake on a flotilla of reeds, never stepping foot on land unless you had to.

The Uros - an indigenous people of Peru - have lived afloat on Lake Titicaca for hundreds of years. They cultivate a special kind of buoyant reed called the Totora, which is lashed together in large clumps to create man-made islands and canoes.

Traditionally the Uros adapted to life floating on the water of Lake Titicaca to escape persecution from the Inca who inhabited the area. Today tourism keeps their unique way of life alive and the floating islands are definitely worth a visit.

Around 3000 descendants of the Uros are alive today, but only 300 still live on the islands. The reeds on the bottom of each island rot away quickly so new reeds are continually added to the top in a perpetual cycle. One island can last 30 years.

You realize once you're on the islands the complexity of living on an organic construction. All cooking is carried out on a bed of stones and monitored closely to stop fires breaking out. There are small toilets where the waste is collected and dried in the sun to prevent polluting the water. They also bury their dead on shore.

Many operators make trips daily to the islands from Puno - a ramshackle, nondescript town built on the shores of Lake Titicaca.