Puno

The Peruvian city of Puno has approximately 130,000 inhabitants and is close to the Bolivian border. It is the capital of the Peruvian region with the same name. Puno is a port city, also called The Folkloric Capital of Peru. The popular Festival “Virgen de la Candelaria” takes place in Puno every year in February and attracts many visitors from all over the world as well as travellers in Peru and Bolivia.

The most famous tourist attraction of Puno is not the city itself, but Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,888 meters above sea level. The Titicaca National Reserve – home to a unique flora and fauna – covers a total of 36,180 hectares. Here, we can find a variety of birds, fish and amphibians unique in Peru. From Puno, many visitors take one or two day tours to the islands of Lake Titicaca. The most visited islands are the Floating Uros Islands, Amantani, and Taquila.

In the city of Puno itself, visitors can visit the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the San Juan Church. Puno also hosts a museum: the Museo Carlos Dreyer, that offers a collection of historic artefacts including metal work and paintings and gives an interesting insight to history and culture of the Puno region. Carlos Dreyer himself was a German artist. Puno, known for its herds of llamas and alpacas, offers some good options for souvenir shopping, including “(baby) alpaca” sweaters and other textiles.