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How to get there
By plane: daily flights Lima-Juliaca 1h 45 min
By bus: daily connenctions to Cusco (6h), Arequipa (6h), La Paz
(6-8h)
By train: monday - wednesday - saturday from Cusco (10h), Arequipa-Puno
only on request for groups and charter (10h)
Best time to travel
All over the year. Recommended period for journey: April to November.
In Puno it is quite cold throughout the whole year. In dry season
temperatures drop to 0 degrees celsius .
Activities
Nearby Puno has lots of mountains providing rock climbing facilities.
Festivals
Fiesta de la Diabladas, at least two days in February. Amongst other things
there is a performance of different traditional dances originating
in Puno and its region. Puno is known as the capital of folklore
in Peru.
Accommodation
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Altitude: 3860 m
Population: about 100,000
The town is starting point for fantastic boat trips on Lake Titicaca.
In the surrounding area of Puno, the monumentous burial towers of Sillustani
are a fascinating place to visit and to observe the majestic panaramic view. These stone towers stand as a testament to the Collas tribe who built them before the Inca conquered this area of the country.
Puno, the capital of the province of Puno, was founded in 1668 and nowadays
is an important commercial centre on Lake Titicaca. This is because
boats commute to both islands Amatani and Taquile and people come
from all regions in order to sell their goods at market. Moreover
the region is known as an important agricultural centre in Peru.
Puno is famous for its festivals. Especially la Fiesta de la Diablada
in February, which attracts visitors from far. The descendents
of the Aymara, with 300,000 individuals, is the biggest of several
ethnic groups that live in Puno. Therefore most people in Puno are bi-lingual and speak both Spanish and Aymara. The city is known to be the cradle
of the Inca culture. The legend tells that the first Inca rose out of Lake Titicaca's waters and founded the Inca realm on a devine command.
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The Cathedral
The cathedral is situated in Puno's Plaza de Armas. Constructed in 1754 this
marvelous building's baroque architecture is fascinating because of its . A
visit of this building should complete your
stay in Puno.
Museum Carlos Dreyer
This small museum exhibits precious ceramics, weaved crafts, fabrics
and commodities of different materials from the pre-inca epoche,
mainly the Tiahuanaco culture.
Address: Esquina Conde de Lemos y Jr. Deustua 289 - Puno.Tel: (051)
35-5232
The funeray towers in Sillustani
One of the most impressive archaeological sights in Peru is located
approximately 30 kilometres out of Puno: the so called Chullpas
of Sillustani. At about 3900 metres above sea level the Chullpas, which translates as
"grave towers" in Quechua,
are rising aloft to be the central focal point amongst the landscape.
In total there are 35 towers, which are distributed across
an area of 150 hectares. Unfortunately only a few are completely
intact. At up to 12 metre high, the Chullpas were built with
high precision, in which astronomical knowledge was taken into consideration.
For the Colla people, Sillustani was a holy place. In each grave
tower human remains have been found, suggesting to archaeologists
that these buildings were funerary towers, where eminent people
of Colla society and their family members were buried with all of their
personal effects. On a few stones of the Chullpa, mostly towards
the top of the tower, one can find the image of a lizard which is
a symbol for life. Almost all of the Chullpas have an entrance pointing
to the east, towards the sunrise.
The Inca used the quarrel between the Colla civilization and the
neighbouring Lupaca tribe, taking advantage of their weaknesses
and conquered both civilizations and the surrounding lands. They
also took over the Chullpas and the corresponding rituals, using
them for their own burials. Therefore some Chullpas belong to the
Inca, having been carved in a much more rectangular fashion rather
than that of the rounded Colla style.
The uniqueness of this place is also in part due to its surrounding
landscape. Located next to lake Umayo, the vista is spectacular.
A visit is well worth being undertaken in the later afternoon or
early evening when the sun slowly disappears beyond horizon and
the area is encapsulated in a mystic atmosphere. To preserve this
special place, the area around Sillustani and the Umayo Lake is
under national nature conservation. Tours can be booked from Puno.
Address: Complejo Arqueológico de Sillustani - Atuncolla
- Puno
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