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Puno Tours

Puno tours.

Full day Lake Titicaca excursion.

Today we have a full day visit to the incredible floating reed Uros Islands of Lake Titicaca and Taquile Island, one of the main islands on the lake. The Uros islands have a unique civilization of people living on them - there are no trees, and all of their houses and boats, etc. are made of knitted reeds.

It is alleged the inhabitants fled from the mainland to escape the Inca in the 13 th Century and found refuge on these floating islands; in the middle of the largest navigable lake in the world and South America's largest freshwater lake.

Lake Titicaca is a sacred place among indigenous Andean peoples. In touch with the spirit of Mama Qota, or Sacred Mother, they believe that powerful spirits live in the lake's depths. According to Andean legend, Lake Titicaca was the birthplace of civilization. Viracocha, the creator deity, lightened a dark world by having the sun, moon, and stars rise from the lake to occupy their places in the sky.

Worthy of such mystical associations, Lake Titicaca is a dazzling sight. Its deep azure waters seemingly extend forever across the altiplano, under the monstrously wide sky at an elevation of more than (3,820m/12,532 ft.). The lake covers more than 8,500 sq. km (3,315sq. miles); it is 176km ( 109 miles ) long and 50km ( 31 miles ) wide.

Taquile, whose Quechua name some believe was Intika, was part of the Inca Empire and has a number of Inca ruins. The island was one of the last locations in Peru to capitulate to Spanish domination during the Spanish conquest of Peru. It was captured for Carlo V and eventually passed to Count Rodrigo of Taquila, who inspired the island's current name. The Spanish forbade traditional dress and the islanders adopted the Spanish peasant dress that they are known for still using today, which they combine with extraordinarily finely-made Andean-style garments (ponchos, belts, mantles, coca-leaf purses, and others).

You will have lunch on Taquile, one of the three main islands on the Lake. Around 1500 Quechua-speaking Indians continue to live in this remote community. The island, seven kilometres long, is devoid of roads and vehicles, and its terraced hills are scattered with pre-Inca ruins. The island itself is almost a living museum where the inhabitants wear traditional dress and are famed for their weaving and knitwear. Knitting on the island is primarily a man´s job!

Sillustani funerary towers excursion.

Sillustani is a pre-Inca burial ground on the shores of Lake Titicaca near Puno. The tombs, which are built above ground in tower-like structures called chullpas, are the vestiges of the Colla people, Aymara who were conquered by the Inca in the 1400s. The structures housed the remains of complete family groups, although they were probably limited to nobility. Many of the tombs have been dynamited by grave robbers, while others were left unfinished.

Ancestor worship and kinship were integral parts of Aymara culture, and the chullpas were built to emphasize the connection between life and death. The insides of the tombs were shaped like a woman's uterus, and corpses were mummified in a fetal position to recreate their birth. Some of the tombs also have lizards carved into the stone. Because they could re-grow their tails, lizards were considered a symbol of life. The only openings to the buildings face east, where it was believed the Sun was reborn by Mother Earth each day.

The architecture of the site is often considered more complex than typical Inca architecture. In contrast with the Inca, who used stones of varying shapes, the Colla used even rectangular edges. While chullpas are not unique to Sillustani and are found across the Altiplano, the site is considered the best and most preserved example of them.

2-day / 1-night package visiting Isla Del Sol on Lake Titicaca.

Day 1: The trip starts with a morning drive to Copacabana (3 hrs), with its church and small handicraft market, stopping en route at Pomata. In Copacabana, board the hydrofoil for Moon Island (30 mins), where you will visit the Iñak Uyu Sun Virgins temple, considered by some to be one of the most important ruins on the lake. From here, make the short 10-minute crossing to Sun Island. Take a 25-minute llama trek along Inca trails, before spending the night at Posada del Inca. The small hotel has 20 rooms, a restaurant and oxygen bar.

Day 2: Descend to Yamani harbour and visit the Inca stairways and Sacred Fountain, believed to give eternal youth and happiness. Lunch at the archaeological and panoramic Uma Kollo restaurant, which overlooks the lake and Andes from its balcony and original Inca wall. Cross the lake to Copacabana (30 minutes) before the three hour bus ride back to Puno.