George & Eve DeLange

Puno is the capital of the department of Puno. It was founded by the Viceroy Count of Lemos, and given the name of "Villa Rica de San Carlos de Puno" in 1668. This was done to end problems associated with the possession of the silver mines of Laicacota by the brothers Gaspar and Jos� Salcedo. The main features of the city are as follows: The Cathedral: Located in front of the Main Square, was finished in 1756. It has a single nave with the shape of a Latin cross. Its main facade is carved in granite with rich ornamentation, featuring native people. "El Balc�n del Conde de Lemos" (The balcony of the Count of Lemos) Located at the corners of the streets Count of Lemos and Deustua, it is a beautiful Colonial balcony located on the house of the Count of Lemos. "El Mirador del cerro Huajsapata" (The mirador of the hill Huajsapata) Located in the west area of the city on a high hill giving a panoramic view of the city of Puno and Lake Titicaca. On the summit is found the statue of the Inca Manco C�pac. "Museo Municipal Dreyer" (Municipal Museum Dreyer) Exhibition of a collection of pre-Inca pieces. It is located at Conde de Lemos Street No. 289. "Museo de Arte Popular de Puno" (Museum of Popular Art of Puno) Exhibition of popular art pieces of the region. Located at Deza Street No. 257. "Arco Deustua" Built in homage to the Peruvian patriots combatants of the Junin and Ayacucho battles. We did not have time to visit these places as we spent our time visiting archaeological sites nearby. At one time, Lake Titicaca was the main route between Puno, Peru, and La Paz, Bolivia. Beginning in the 1870s, the iron ship Yavari plied the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca high in the Andes, carrying passengers and supplies to numerous communities along its shores. Meriel Larkin had the ship restored and it is docked at the main dock on the shore at Puno. It is quite a sight to see. We found the Hotel Libertador on Esteves Island to be the best hotel in the area and we found little need to visit the town itself. We visited this city on April 19, 2006 through April 21, 2006.

It is advisable to book reservations ahead of time, as hotels, especially in high season, are quickly booked up. You can fly directly to this area but you must fly into the nearby Inca Manco C�pac International Airport (IATA: JUL, ICAO: SPJL), known as Aeropuerto Internacional Inca Manco C�pac in Spanish, located in the city of Juliaca, thirty minutes from the city of Puno at Titicaca Lake. It is run by CORPAC S.A. (Corporaci�n Peruana de Aeropuertos y Aviaci�n Comercial S.A.), a government-run organization that oversees the management of Peruvian airports. Its runway is the longest in Latin America. While it is called International; it does not serve international flights! You can fly into Peru to international airports located at Lima, Arequipa and Cusco. Then you can be flown into the Inca Manco C�pac International Airport. Then, you can be transported from the airport of Juliaca, to the town of Puno in a taxi; with an average cost of about US $20; or in a minibuse, with an average cost of about US $5 per person. The leading hotels in Puno have transportation back to the airport. This page is for information purposes only and while we have made every effort to be accurate, it is the travelers responsibility to make the appropriate choice as to which hotels to use in Peru. We found that when touring Peru, Magical Cusco Tours gave us the best service of all. They even arranged very personal tours based upon our ages and experience. They were there for us whenever we needed them. Click on any of their links on our pages and they will give you a 4% discount for taking their package tours. Mention delange.org. Merchant Code Inka2010 for your discount! We suggest letting Ana Maria handle your tour. Note: The 4% discount applies to package tours only! Discount does not apply to hotel bookings, domestic or international tickets, meals or any other service booked as a single activity. Magical Cusco Tours also has a culinary tour that you may enjoy.Click Here For: Taste Of Peru.com their culinary tour page. We also have links to Priceline.Com on our pages, in case you may prefer to use their services.