Kknown as the city of the winds , and of course for having the sacred lake the “Titicaca”, the city is located at 3 855 masl. This lake is very important in Andean mythology since, according to legend, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, children of the sun god and founders of the Inca Empire, emerged from its waters. the titicaca lake is the highest navigable lake in the world (3810 masl / 12.497 fasl). It covers an area of 8559 km2 (3305 miles2), Peru and Bolivia share sovereignty over this navigable lake. On the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, there are several islands; artificial islands are the ones that the Uros people have built, which are made of kind of plant called “totora, which grows Along the shores of the lake, the natural islands include Amantani, Taquile, Soto, and Anapia, and the where different birds and fish like the carachis, ispis, bogas, umantos, suches (an endanger specie), silverfish, and trout call home. All these species are native of the area and are prized for their high nutritional value. Daily flights from Lima, Areuipa or Cuzco or by land from Arequipa it is just 6 hours; from La Paz –Bolivia it is just 7 hours ( La Paz –Copacabana – Puno)
*Floating Islands of the Uros, located at 5 km /3 miles west of the Puno, around 20 islands are located in the Bay of Puno. Three to ten Uro-Aymaras families live on each one. They roof their houses with totora reed carpets, although some families have replaced their traditional roofs by metal ones. They hunt wild birds and maintain traditional fishing methods, especially those used for the carachi and the silverfish. The men are skillful handlers of the totora reed boats, and the women are expert knitters.
*Amantani Island, located at 36 km / 22 miles northeast of the Puno Amantani covers some 9 km2 (3.5 miles2). Eight communities live on the island and make their living from growing potatoes, corn, oca, quinoa, lima beans, and green peas, and their most representative handcrafts are textiles and stone carvings. Among its natural attractions, there are two lookouts on the highest part offering where you can see the lake completely as well part of Bolivia, some pre-Hispanic remains, ceremonial centers and a mummy cemetery. The flora is characterized by the presence of bushes like the muña, the patamuña, the sage, the tola and the kantuta.
*Taquile Island, located at 35 km / 22 miles east of the Puno Its approximate size is of 6 km2 (2 miles2), Taquile, is characterized by its friendly inhabitants, who maintain their customs and traditional clothing. They distinguish themselves by their detailed, fine, and colorful textiles with symmetrical decorations and symbols that reflect their way of life, customs, or if their are single or married.
Pre-Inca vestiges are found in the highest part of the island. During the Colonial period and up to the first years of the twentieth century, it was used as a political prison, until the island became property of the Taquile people in 1970.
*Anapia Island, located at 18 km / 11 miles Puno Punta hermosa port (which is a 120 km /80 miles fromPuno), There are ecological plots of native flora unique to the region, abundant fauna, and sand and pebble beaches. Yuspique Island, the biggest of the archipelago, is used by the people of Anapia to breed vicuñas. You can see crops, vicuña breeding grounds, and archeological remnants, as well as practice trekking, try typical lunches, go on boat rides, and listen to folkloric music. The local customs are rich and the most outstanding include the Challa, or payment to the earth, the Casarasiri, the town traditional marriage ceremony that lasts three days with the participation of the entire community, and the Rutuchi, or “hair cut”, given to newborns in the presence of their godfathers
*Community of Cambria and Suasi Island, the community located at 157 km / 98 miles northeast of Puno by car, located on the shores of Lake Titicaca and you can participate in farming activities with the people, fish, and watch artisans create textiles there. There are also nice walks to take around the town. And from its port, there are row-boats taking passengers to the Suasi Island that will takes just 20 minutes, which features a lodge built with stones, wood, straw, and totora reeds from the region and completely ran on solar energy. This island is 43 hectares in surface and houses a great variety of plants and wildlife. You find aromatic, medicinal, and grass plants, natural pastures, bushes, and trees. There are protected areas for birds, such as choccas, cormorants, ducks, grebes, hummingbirds, caracaras, Andean ibises, and more, as well as vicuñas and vizcachas, and also , oca, quinoa, potato corn and lupine farming plots
*Chucuito, just at 18 km / 11 miles south of Puno, It is also known as the Royal Treasury City because it used to be the tax collection center during the Colonial era. Here we can find the fertility temple , main square and the Renaissance churches of Santo Domingo and La Asuncion of the seventeenth century
*Sillustani Archeological Complex, located at 34 km /21 miles north of Puno by car. It is famous for its chullpas, large circular fortified burial towers for the main leaders of the early villages of the Collao plateau. Some are 12 meters high (39 feet), and remarkable for their shape, thinner at the base and wider at the top. This complex stands on the shore of Lake Umayo.
*Llachon, located at 74 km / 46 miles northeast of Puno, by car, on the shores of Lake The place offers experimental tourism, “living tourism”, allowing visitors to stay with families of the community too. This community of around 1300 inhabitants still maintains its customs and native cultural manifestations, and its main activities are farming, cattle breeding, fishing, and handicraft.
