Things to do in Puno

Puno stands at 3,827 metres on the north-western shore of Lake Titicaca. It was founded in 1668, and in 1985 Peru officially named it the capital of its folklore. Things to do in Puno start at the lakefront.

Plaza, steamship and viewpoint

The old town is compact. The Plaza de Armas lies a short walk up from the water.

• Cathedral. Andean Baroque, finished in 1757.
• Jirón Lima. The pedestrian street of cafés and shops that leads to the plaza.
• Yavari. An iron steamship built in England in 1862 and launched on the lake in 1870. It is now a museum in the bay.
• Kuntur Wasi. A condor sculpture on the hill above town, reached by several hundred steps.

On and beside the lake

Boats for the islands leave from the town. The lake is shared with Bolivia, and its surface lies at 3,812 metres.

• Uros. Reed islands about 5 km offshore.
• Taquile. An island 45 km out. UNESCO proclaimed its textile art in 2005.
• Sillustani. Pre-Inca burial towers up to 12 m tall on Lake Umayo, about 30 km north.

What gets booked

Tours in Puno, as sold here, are private cars. They run to Cusco, Arequipa, Chivay in the Colca valley, and Oruro in Bolivia. Some add stops, and one stops at the Uros islands.

Practical

• Weather. Afternoons stay between 15C and 18C all year, and nights average 6C or less. The dry months, May to August, are nearly rainless, with June and July nights near -1C. Rain falls from December to March, up to 160 mm in January.
• Altitude. Puno stands about 430 metres above Cusco, so people arriving from there climb again.
• Getting here. Juliaca airport lies 45 km north, about an hour by road. Cusco is about 390 km away, roughly six hours by road, and a train from Cusco takes about 10.5 hours.
• Candelaria. The Virgen de la Candelaria festival has been on UNESCO's list since 2014. It runs through the first half of February, with the main day on 2 February. Two contests draw thousands of dancers and musicians.