Puno Travel Information
Location: South sierra (Andes) of Peru, in the limit
with Bolivia.
Area: 27 800 Sq miles.
Capital: Puno (12,555 feet above sea level)
The Lowest altitude: 2690 feet above sea level (Lanlacuni Bajo)
The Highest altitude: 15 502 feet above sea level (San Antonio de
Esquilache)
Climate: Annual average temperature is 50ºF (the highest altitude of
66.2 ºF and the lowest one of 35.6 ºF). The rainy season starts on
December and it lasts until April.
How to get to Puno?
By air: Domestic flights from Lima to Juliaca (1 hour and 45 minutes
approx.).
Arequipa – Puno (45 minutes approx.).
By land: Lima – Arequipa – Juliaca – Puno, 810 miles (24 hours by car
approx.)
Cusco– Juliaca (8 hours approx.).
Arequipa– Juliaca (6 hours approx.)
The department of Puno is located in the southeast area of Peru. In the
shores of Titicaca Lake and over 12 555 feet above sea level. It has an
uneven topography with the majority of cities located in the high areas
of the sierra. It has 27 947 Sq miles and a population of a million of
inhabitants.
Among the most important cities are: Juliaca, Azángaro, Huancané, Lampa
and Yunguyo. The amazing Titicaca Lake which is the most navigable lake
of the entire world with an area of 8,560 km2 and a maximum depth of 745
feet, the transparency of its waters is remarkable.
There are 36 islands and the most important are Taquile and Amantani.
The National Reserve of Titicaca has a great beauty; it has an enormous
area of Totora (an aquatic plant) that contrast with the water mirrors
of the lake. This natural area protects 87 varieties of birds such as:
flamencos, huatallas, keles and tiquis as well as 26 species of fish
(such as carachis, pejerreyes, trout, suches and ispis) and 18 species
of amphibians among them the giant frog (La rana gigante or Keli) that
lives just in the depth of the lake. Puno is the folk capital of Peru
because its variety and the beauty of the music they have and obviously
its dances (it has more than 300 different dances, among them la
endiablada, la morenada, la llamerada, la marinera puneña and la
pandilla puneña). Now days, Puno is an important agriculture and
livestock region, owner of a great tourism potential. A great group of
floating islets of Totora making the Floating Island of Uros, an island
where the inhabitants continue living as their ancestors did, ¡Over the
water!. The drought season, ideal to visit Puno, is between May and
August. The highest temperatures are between November and February and
the lower ones are between June and August. It is advisable to combine
your visit to Puno with the destinations of Cusco and Arequipa.