Best Puno Day Trips & Things to Do

Puno may be better known as the jumping off point for the Uros and Taquile Islands on Lake Titicaca, but calling it a service village would be an extreme disservice to its indigenous people and rich cultural heritage. Come at the right time of year and you will be treated to a flurry of cultural activity, primarily in the form of riotous festivals, the most highly anticipated being the celebration of Puno's patron saint – Festival de la Virgen de la Candelaria – held over two weeks in early February. Other noteworthy events include Puno Week (first week of November) and Carnival (late February to Early March) - an inebriating experience filled with the sounds of Altiplano music and the movements of pre and post-Columbian dance, made all the more merrier by the somewhat tipsy revelers.