Puno is located at 3820 m above sea level, surrounded by the Machallate, Cancharani, Azoguini and Pirhua Pirhuani hills.
It is an important port city on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, and the starting point for tours to the islands of Uros, Taquile and Amantani.
It has an important cultural heritage and has been named Capital of Peruvian Folklore!
Puno is one of the tourist destinations in Peru where you can enjoy the friendliness of the people and learn about their culture and traditions. The most important to know its tourist attractions that are unique and impressive.
The Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral of Puno (1757) were built on an ancient ceremonial site called "Supay Kancha", the circle of the Devil or Devil's Enclosure in Quechua.
The interior of the front of the cathedral is made of silver, and there are magnificent paintings of the Cuzco School. On the exterior façade there are some interesting elements such as mermaids, flowers, pumas and the sun.
A perfect place to go for a walk, watch the sunset and enjoy the weather.
Lake Titicaca, shimmering at the top of the Andes Mountains, is a tourist attraction, a spiritual oasis and a cultural center all in one. It is also the highest lake in South America (at 12,507 feet / 3,812 meters) and the largest (with a staggering 3,230 square miles / 8,366 square kilometers), as well as the highest navigable lake in the world.
The small island of Taquile in the middle of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, has a spectacular rocky topography crowned by windswept pre-Columbian ruins. The island has become a tourist paradise due to its famous weavings and textiles, designated as elements of UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Adventurers planning to travel to the well-known Lake Titicaca from the city of Cusco will probably find themselves traveling along the famous Abra La Raya Pass. Located high in the Andres Mountains, the rugged terrain of La Raya is known for its picturesque sloping hillsides, purple peaks and tranquil freshwater pools. Popular passenger trains designated for tourists make a quick stop at 4,000 feet, where travelers can take breathtaking photos of epic panoramic views that are sure to capture this rare natural beauty.
Puno's most enigmatic attraction is located 35 km (21 miles) from the port city, overlooking Lake Umayo with a worthy mystery. Tours are easily arranged; consider coming at sunset and staying to enjoy the starry sky.The Chullpas of Sillustani are a collection of impressive funerary towers, among the finest examples of such architecture in the Andes. Although no one can be sure of their age, they appear to have been under construction just before the Inca conquest of the local Aymara-speaking Colla people, around 1300 A.D. However, they more closely resemble the neat stonework of the Tiwanaku people, who controlled the southern shore of the lake from about 500 A.D. to 1100 A.D.More advanced than even the finest masonry of the Incas, these towers extend with perfectly square geometric regularity into the clear, high desert sky.
If you want to see the magnificent costumes of La Candelaria but are not in Puno in February, you will find your bliss at the Museo de la coca y costumbres de Puno.
Part of the museum is dedicated to the coca leaf, which has been very important in Peruvian and Bolivian cultures for thousands of years.
Most impressive is its collection of costumes of the different dances of the altiplano (morenada, diablada, achachi, tinkus, rey caporal, llamerada, cullawada, wacawaca, cholita puneña, china morena), with the typical hats, chullos and skirts, as well as the many colorful masks.
The most important island in the lake, according to pre-Columbian tradition, is Isla del Sol, "Island of the Sun". It is the largest of the lake's islands (14.3 square kilometers or 5.5 square miles) and is considered sacred to the Andean sun god and Inca patron deity, Inti. Today, its dramatically sculpted terrain is home to some 800 families, 180 pre-Columbian ruins and several kilometers of ancient trails to explore.It is said that after a great flood cleansed the Earth, Viracocha, the god of creation, rose from the sacred lake and arrived on this island.
For those who wish to avoid the tourist-heavy island of Taquile, but still enjoy a hassle-free operating system of homestays and a taste of the traditional lake lifestyle, Isla Amantani is the perfect choice. The 26-mile (38 km), four-hour journey and dearth of infrastructure (electricity, running water, cars) have kept the island of some 3,600 Quechua-speaking inhabitants somewhat isolated from Titicaca's tourist industry. Amantani has been communal property since shortly after Peru's independence from Spain, after which indigenous residents, used as low-paid labor by landowners of European descent, took a page out of their oppressors' handbook and organized a revolution of their own. Since then, the island has been managed as a commune of sorts, a tradition that extends to tourism today.
Luxury lovers eager to spend the night on one of Lake Titicaca's magical islands may be put off by the prospect of the basic hotels and even simpler homestays that make up most of the lake's accommodations. However, there is one private island that is home to a truly excellent hotel, part of the Casa Andina chain of five-star properties. Isla Suasi (Suasi Island) is a charming little islet (43 hectares or 106 acres), the only private parcel on the lake. Its rocky outcroppings, breathtaking views and cascades of blooming bougainvillea are patrolled by wandering vicuñas and alpacas, as well as hotel guests.Although lavishly decorated, the hotel's rustic adobe and flagstone architecture, thatched roofs and commitment to eco-friendly amenities, such as solar power and wood-burning stoves, stay true to the Earth-conscious spirit of Titicaca tourism.
Peru has been catalogued as one of the best culinary destinations in recent years and the gastronomy of Puno reaffirms this designation. Puno cuisine is characterized by its preparation in wood-fired ovens and clay pots, giving us a closer connection to mother earth.
Legend has it that Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo took advantage of the local inputs that nature kindly offered them, such as quinoa, tubers, chuño, herbs and grains. The traditions were maintained and were the pillar for the Puna gastronomy that we know today. Although it has been influenced and refined with different techniques, it still maintains the culinary art of the altiplano.
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