Nightlife in Puno
Café bar de la Casa del Corregidor
Location: 576, Jr. Destua
Price: 30 soles in average
At the Casa del Corregidor you will find a place to get together to enjoy with friends, family or your couple with a warm coffee or a drink, as an aperitif for the night party. Among the drinks you can taste you have rum, pisco, selected wines, vodka, tequila, whiskey and many others, prepared with different presentations.
Smooth Jazz Bar
Location: 454 Arequipa
Price: an average of 20 soles
It's a very little bar, with a maximum capacity of 25 people, but its drinks menu is large and the music wonderful, and you can see the video clips in a TV located in a corner. The visit to this bar worths it by yourself or with somebody. You'll enjoy it!
Positive Bar
Location: 378, Jr. Lima
Prices: between 10 and 25 soles
There is good music and excellent attention in this bar, as well as a large variety of national and international drinks. There is free wi-fi, food and snacks, TV to see soccer events and a great atmosphere if you wish to dance. All of that you will find in Positive.
Dominos Megadisco
Location: 443, Jr. Libertad
Hours: opened from 8:00 p.m.
This disco has several floors. In one of them there is a karaoke. On the others you will be surprised of finding dance floors with different musical genres.
Ekeko's
Location: 355, Jr. Lima
You will find all kind of rythms among other tourists, locals or foreigners, with well-known hits, from salsa to alternative rock. Don't you miss it if you look for lots of fun.
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Where to eat in Puno?
Tulipans
Location: 394 Jr. Lima, inside the mansion Parodi
Price: 40 soles
The attention is very kind and the food varied; the menu also has dishes that aren't from the region (as pizzas, sandwiches). You have free Wi-fi access, bar, outdoor tables, and other comforts that will make your eating experience unforgettable. Make your booking in advance, in some periods is crowded.
Colors
Location: 342, Jr. Lima
Price: 37 soles
The restaurant stands out for the flavour fusion between the international dishes with the region tastes. The main dishes have Andean, Greek, Orient and Asian influences. Besides that, they have a delicious coffee, that you can taste with free wi-fi.
Los Balcones de Puno
Location: 354 Jr. Libertad, between the Plaza de Armas and the Parque Pino
Price: 59 soles
You will enjoy a varied dinner, with a menu full of typical dishes of Puno, while you enjoy a dinner-show with dances and songs of the Andean region.
Tradiciones del Lago
Location: 418, Jr. Lima
Price: from 20 soles and up
The main dishes of the menu are the most representative of Puno, but they innovate because they combine the Puno tradition with the gastronomic culture of Peru. The attention also stands out, because the staff is well trained to look after the needs of the most demanding dinner guests. You can finish your tour in Puno with the delicious desserts made with dedication and care by the skilled chefs.
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The tourist places to see in Puno are:
La Casa del Corregidor
Location: 576 Deustua
Hours: From 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Price: free entrance
This house is one of the oldest in Puno, and contains exhibitions in an art gallery. There are many activities proposed such as those exhibitions. It's also a great spot for a coffee and a tasty dessert in the restaurant, where you can rest of your walks in Puno.
El museo de la Coca
Location: 301 Deza street
Hours: From 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Price: 5 Soles
At the Museum you will learn about the healing properties of the ancestral coca leaf and you will appreciate a collection of the different typical costumes used in the traditional processions.
The viewpoint Kuntur Wasi
It's a monument built in honour of the majestic Andean condor. From there you can appreciate the whole city, the lake and the surroundings, in a spectacular view. To arrive to it you must go to the south area of the city and go up 620 stairs that separate the monument from the Puno's floor.
Puno's Cathedral
Location: in the center of Puno
Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Price: free entrance
The construction goes back to the 17 th century. It's made on the baroque architectural style and its front combines the features of the cultural fusion on the details that can be appreciated at the relief. If you like the colonial architecture and the spiritual destinations, you can't miss the Puno's Cathedral.
The floating island of the Uros
It's a group of islands inhabited by the uros, an indigenous community that is believed comes from the Pukinas (the oldest residents of America). Those islands are artificial, made of totora -large reed that grows in the vicinity of the lake-. When you visit the islands you can make homestay tourism, buy handicrafts, go for a tour in a raft and even lodge with the locals that gives this service.
Titicaca lake
It's the most important historical lake in Peru, besides being one of the highest of the planet. Inside the lake there are some islands where you will live unique tourist experiences and of great cultural value. This lake has a lot of myths and legends. The most well-known is the one that tells that in the lake emerged Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, both founders of the Inca Empire. The lake is also home of different species of birds and fishes that live on the area.
The Amantaní island
This island is located at about 22 mi (36 km) of the Puno port. In this island live a community of 800 people, dedicated to the agricultural activity. Its flora is rich in sage, tola and muña, which are natural herbs very used in the traditional medicine. Pacha Tata and Pacha Mama are the most elevated points of the island, and there are located the archaeological remains of pre-Hispanic cultures. From those sites you can obtain a panoramic view of the lake and its extension, not to be missed by the explorers that like to immortalizing landscapes with their camera.
Taquile island
This island stands out among the others for the kindness of its residents, who are also famous for the traditional dresses that are inherited from generation to generation. For the women, the clothing is made of many skirts of different colours covered by a bigger black skirt. On the head they have a cloak, also black, that is useful for protecting the neck and the face of the sun rays.
The clothing for men is also black mostly (the trousers), although they use a white shirt that is accompanied by a little and tight vest. An interesting detail is the use they do of the chullo (a wool bonnet) by the men, because this hat means that they are married or single (the tail of the hat can even indicate if a man is looking for a partner).Those features on the clothing are the sign of one of the main activities of the locals, the textile, they are recognised worldwide (the UNESCO appreciates the textile art of Taquile as masterpiece of the Intangible and Oral Heritage of Humanity).
Chullpas de Sillustani
Location: at 21 mi (34 km) on the North-West of the city
Hours: the whole day
Price: 5 soles
The chullpas are funeral towers more than 12 meters high where the high social status dead people were put. It's believed that the Pukará inhabited this area, although the Tiahuanaco influence arrived to this land. Later the Collas dominated Sillustani, but they fell down before the Inca power, who incorporated chullpas to its funeral rituals.
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The things to do in Puno
Party and Folklore
Puno is considered the Capital of the Peruvian Folklore, due to the more than 350 ancestral dances that make part of the main festivals. The best month to visit the city is February, when the Fiesta de la Candelaria takes place with its activities. Furthermore, during the year there are many celebrations as the Huchuy Poqoy carnival, the Festividad de las Cruces (Crosses Festival) and the Anniversary of the City (November).
Colonial architecture
The Historical Center of Puno is one of the examples of the remains of the colonial architecture. Places as the Puno Cathedral, the Balcony of the Lemos Count and the Museum Carlos Dreyer are the main tourist places to go through; at the museum Carlos Dreyer are exhibited pottery pieces, gold, silver, textiles, pre-Inca and Inca sculptures and objects of the colonial period.
Nature and adventure
You can't miss the visit to the Cerro Huajsapata, which is a natural viewpoint from where you can contemplate the city and the Titicaca lake and even the Amantaní and Taquile islands. You can't either forget the National Reserve of the Titicaca lake, the National Park of Bahuaja Sonene and the Chacas lacune, natural places that keep the diversity of flora and fauna of the area. If you look for adventure, you can also practise parascending, aquatic motorcycle and water skying at the Titicaca lake; besides, you can go through walks by bycicle on the beautiful landscapes under the Puno sky.
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Typical dishes in Puno
Trucha frita (fried trout):
The dish is prepared based on a fish of sweet water that can be found at the Titicaca lake or the rivers of the Andean area. It's very appreciated for its flavour and high nutritional value. It's served fried with potatoes, salads, freeze-dried potatoes and rice. A great delight!
Chupe de quinua:
It's a mixed soup based on quinoa, fishes and shellfishes, of high nutritional value and a concentrated flavour, due to the preparation step by step.
Caldo de cabeza (Head clear soup):
The main ingredient of this soup is the lamb or pig head, cut off in pieces and mixed with vegetables, boiled with freeze-dried potatoes, garlic and potatoes. It comes with spicy pepper (ají), onion and tomato (the accompaniment can change).
Chicharrón de alpaca:
The alpaca meat is cooked on steam and then fried with its own fat, to be seasoned with vegetables and the other ingredients.
Cancacho:
Cancacho is roasted lamb or piglet marinated on pepper (ají) and dry leaf of maize (panca). It's served in the cities of Ayavirí and Puno, being very popular among the dinner guests for lunch.
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