Puno is located within the province and region of the same name. This city is the capital of the region of Puno. It is considered the tourist nucleus of the region. That, is known as the “City of the Sacred Lake”, since in its lands in the Titicaca Lake, famous for having been the Pacarina, of which, according to the myth, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo would have emerged.
Puno, has in its territory, in addition, with interesting viewpoints, one of these, is the Cerrito Huajsapata viewpoint, which is located four blocks from the Plaza de Armas. El Mirador has a maximum elevation of sixty meters, which allows you to contemplate the whole city, together with the beautiful Lake Titicaca. El cerrito, is important, for having been a source of inspiration for several artists and performers.
Into the city, we can found the Deustua Arch, which is popularly known as the Arch of Independence. a Historical Monument, which was built in memory of the patriots who fought in the Battles of Junín and Ayacucho. Another place to stroll is the Balcón del Conde de Lemos, which was built in the 18th century, and which is considered the only one, as well as the oldest in the region. Nowadays, both the balcony and the house that presents it are considered Cultural Patrimony of the Nation.
Speak about the Titicaca is to enter a world full of mystery, myth, legends and charm. Not in vain that one is considered a Pacarina by the Andean world, which, in more common language, could be translated as a “Place of Origin” and therefore Sacred, space from which, according to the book of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, it would have been the first couple of Incas that would form the powerful Tahuantinsuyo: Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo.
Outside the myth, Lake Titicaca is an important reservoir of water that has a total area of 8,562 square kilometers that reaches a maximum depth of 185 meters and in whose waters it is possible to find varieties of animals such as 18 types of snails; 22 types of mollusks, 29 varieties of fish, 21 types of amphibians and a variety of 28 species of birds, including an endemic species known as the Titicaca diver.
In this lake it is possible to find different islands, 42 of which are natural and six are artificial, last that form the complex of the Uros Islands. Of the Titicaca Islands, the most visited are those are Amantaní and Taquile Island, famous for the conservation of several Andean rituals in their territory, which are carried out in pre-Inca ceremonial centers that are located on its perimeter.
Titicaca is considered one of the highest lakes in the world. Among the activities that can be carried out in it are the navigation through its extensive waters, which allows the arrival to the diversity of islands that it presents; Another activity that can be done in it is fishing, especially of trout and silverside, and a copious amount of other fish. In the lake you can also swim, although you must bear in mind that the water temperature usually varies according to the area, so if one is not accustomed to the cold choose to submerge not in the middle of navigation but from one of their beaches as the case of Playa Huayllano or Collata in Taquile Island, whose water temperature is 14ºC. Is a unique experience that will provide whoever does it with an energy charge, so it will feel remarkably renewed.
It is possible to visit the Titicaca Lake from Puno, many accommodations are on this city in downtown or facing the lake. Also is possible to lodge in the inhabitants houses, sharing their culture and traditions in one of the most beautiful landscapes of the world.
