Puno is Peru's harbor town at Lake Titicaca, which lies at an elevation of more than 3800m. It is a sleepy town on the shore of the lake without dramatic architectonical highlights, but there are only a few historical buildings around the Plaza de las Armas.
The main things to do in Puno, Peru are the floating islands with the reed boats of the Uros Indians on Lake Titicaca. Most visitors visit these nearby islands, but some venture out to the more remote islands of Santa Maria, Taquile or Amantani; the latter where one spends the night with an Indian family.
A defil� at the Plaza de las Armas in front of the Cathedral.
The Puno Basilica Cathedral interior.
The Casa del Corredor is no doubt the nicest colonial building together with the Cathedral, where you find it on the right-hand side. Today, the house is used for a number of artshops. Entry is free and a must see.
Art shops at the Casa del Corregidor.
All interesting buildings of Puno are concentrated around the Plaza de las Armas.
Courthouse at the Plaza de las Armas.
Main tourism street in Puno with most hotels and restaurants. Don't expect high cuisine, but you can find a decent stomach filling meal in this street.
View of the harbor of Puno on Lake Titicaca from the Pier.
View of the harbor of Puno from Lake Titicaca.
The Uros welcome tourists at their villages where they explain about their way of life.
Specially built for tourists reed rafts, Uros take visitors on a tour through their communities.
Another highlight of Puno is the nearby Sillustani burial site, with Chullpas, pre-inca Aymara funerary towers constructed for a noble families. Chullpas are found throughout the Altiplano, pero the best conserved ones are found at Sillustani. The site is located at a beautiful overlook over Lake Umayo.
Sillustani Chullpa, overlooking Lake Umayo.
A chullpa is a pre-inca Aymara funeral tower built for a noble person or family.
Puno and Lake Titicaca lie at an elevation of more that 3800 m and one must be prepared for chilly days, particularly in the rainy season, when skies are clouded.
At the altiplano around Lake Titicaca and Puno, Peru, the dry season coincides with the summertime - thus vacation time and high season - being May to September, when the skies are blue. Around noon, temperatures will rise considerably, but at night the temperatures do fall, due to the clear skies. As you are in the tropics at a high elevation, the UV radiation on the water is tremendous and you are strongly advised to use sun block and wear hat.
If you arrive from sea level, you need to be careful to not engage in any strenuous hikes. Strange as it may sound, our experience is that young people are more sensitive elevation than older people. One may want to acclimatize for a day or so when first arriving above 2500m.
CLIMATE OF PUNO, PERU. INFO ON WEATHER & SEASONS. Graphs: hours of sunshine, overcast, rainfall, temperatures, etc.
The data of the climate for Puno, Peru. The climate is chilly, often with temperatures below 0 �C at night while rarely warm in daytime.
These climate data help you decide when it the best time for things to do In Puno, Peru & the floating islands.