Puno, at 3827 MASL, on the lake bank of the Titicaca, is the capital of the Peruvian folklore and the venue for the Festival of the Virgin of the Candelaria, celebrated every year during the first half of February. It gathers together dancers from more than three hundred folklore groups.
 
In Puno, don't miss great monuments as the Cathedral, the Conde de Lemos's Balcony, the Deustua Arch, the Municipal Paintings Room, the Dryer Museum and the Popular Art Museum.
 
It is a great place for shopping and walking by its local markets and streets, one of them full of restaurants and cafes.

Titicaca Lake

This lake is very important in Andean mythology, according to legend, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, sons of the sun god and founders of the Inca Empire, emerged from its waters. It covers an area of 8559 km2 (3305 miles2) with a maximum depth of 283 meters (928 feet). The lake warms up the temperature of the region making life possible at this altitude.
 
Titicaca is notable for the people who live on its artificial islands made of floating reeds (totora, a plentiful found reed in the shallows of the lake), preserving their old customs and traditions. These islands (Uros, Taquile, Suasi, Amantaní) have become a major tourist attraction of Peru, drawing excursions from the lakeside city of Puno. Their original purpose was defensive, and they could be moved if a threat arose. Many of the islands contain watchtowers largely constructed of reeds.
 
The Titicaca National Reserve (36,180 hectares) protects extensive stretches of totora reeds and several species of plants and animals.

Floating Island of Uros

Floating island located 10 km far away from Puno's port, its inhabitants live over totora reeds and they are competent fishermen and handicraftsmen.

Taquille Island

Taquille is a beautiful 12 km extension island with about 1.200 inhabitants, who work on textiles and agriculture.
 
We suggest you to spend the night on the island, where people themselves will give you lodging. Here you can see how they lived hundreds of years ago: the houses, the customs and language. The typical customs and the music from Taquile are known worldwide.

Sillustani

The famous Chullpas stand out in this haughty necropolis.
 
They are cylindrical monuments of approximately 13 meters high made of stone by the pre-Inca Tiahuanaco civilization, keeping human rests of the noble Mallkus or Lords of the place.
 
Many great funerary bales have been found inside of them, leading us to two main theories: they were either tombs or places to live in.
 
It is the Puno’s most important archaeological patrimony.
 

Pucara

106 km to the north of Puno, this village is famous for its pottery, especially the well-known “Toritos de Pucara” (Little Bulls of Pucara), considered symbols of the Andean identity. They are placed in the top roof of the houses, since it is believed that they protect the families. The Pucara Stone Museum, displaying a group of stone monolith-like sculptures, steles, zoomorphic sculptures, ceramics, and other objects, and its Church, located in the Main Square, are also worth a visit.

Archaeological Complex of Kalasaya

It is located 1 km far away from Pucara. It’s a Ceremonial center of the Pucara culture, built around 200 B.C. Two sectors can be distinguished: a ceremonial area composed by nine pyramids, and an urban zone.