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Colonial Lampa: Little-known Lampa, near best-overlooked Juliaca, is a historic colonial town, with a spectacular stone Cathedral (which has a labyrinth of catacombs, a unique color-tile roof, and even an exact copy of the Vatican’s La Pietá). |
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Yavarí ship: This restored steamship, built in 1862 in Birmingham, England, sailed Titicaca for 100 years and today sits inactive on the shore. It has now been converted into a small museum and bar. ( www.yavari.org). |
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Chucuito Fertility Temple: Chucuito, an ancient Aymara town on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca, has a peculiar claim to fame: Inca Uyo, a collection of dozens of large, mushroom-shaped phallic stones—which were said to be erected for fertility rituals, though, as many now acknowledge, are in fact a giant hoax, a joke among friends that became a tourist attraction. Given their dubious authenticity, they are most often visited in concert with Juli and Pomata (which has an extraordinary colonial church). |
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Juli: A small town 84 km (52 mi) from Puno that was an important center for Jesuit and Dominican communities; their principal attraction is four 16th and 17th-century churches: San Pedro Martir, San Juan Bautista, Santa Cruz de Jerusalén and Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. |
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Circuito Tarukani - Tinajani – Pucará: Quite distinct from the Puno lake experience is rural Puno. The Circuit of the Bosque de Puyas de Tarukani and the “stone forest” of Tinajani comprise one of the most interesting elements of the Andean south. With a bit more time, you can visit Ayaviri and its famous cheeses; Pucará, with its archaeology and celebrated little bulls (tourists can even sit down with ceramists to make similar toritos). This circuit is on the way to Cusco, and can be done traveling in either direction between Puno and Cusco.
Tarukani is a forest of Puyas Raimondi, massive prehistoric plants that row as high as 3 meters (10 ft) and known for the thousands of small flowers they produce and pollenized by legions of insects and hummingbirds. The Puyas flower just once every 100 years, producing an enormous spike that shoots 10 meters (30 ft.) high, after which the plant dies. To see all this giant puyas spread in the altiplano mountains is an incredible spectacle.
The Stone Forest of Tinajani is a huge extension of rock and canyon formations with secretive pre-Incan burial places. It’s a spectacular spot for a picnic, hikes, biking or horseback riding.
Pucará, a small village between Lampa and Ayaviri, is the birthplace of altiplano civilization with the Pucará culture. There’s a small site museum and an important archaeological center. Pucará is known for the “toritos de Pucará,” small ceramic bulls placed on the roofs of houses.
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Fundo Chincheros: An ideal spot for breakfast or lunch, very close to Puno. Its attractive architecture includes an area for alpacas that live onsite, and offer an opportunity for rowing across the lake for birdwatching, an activitity offered by the neighboring Huerta Huaraya community. |
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| QUICK LINKS |
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| Casa Andina Hotels in Puno |
| Isla Suasi Travel Guide |
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More than 15 years of publications, including 220 books and guides about Peru and its environment. |
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More than 15 years of publications, including 220 books and guides about Peru and its environment, five encyclopedias and more than 1,000 articles in magazines in Peru and abroad. He is considered the most prolific publisher on ecological topics in the country in the last decade. Forest engineer, journalist, publisher, professional photographer and analyst of environmental topics, Wust is the only Peruvian to publish five articles in National Geographic magazine. Currently he is the director of Wust Ediciones. |
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Ten years crisscrossing Peru, producing 240 TV programs on diverse topics. |
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Ten years crisscrossing Peru, producing 240 TV programs on diverse topics. A journalist and writer, for nearly a decade he has directed and hosted the TV program Tiempo de Viaje, in which he travels throughout Peru (and occasionally other countries), documenting natural, historical and human scenes infrequently visited by conventional tourism. His perspective is not that of a tourist, but of a traveler, who immerses himself in what he finds and shies away from nothing in his reporting. He is also the author and/or publisher of an extensive series of books about Peruvian culture. |
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The author of 15 travel guides to cities and countries around the world, including 4 editions of Frommer’s Peru. |
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The author of 15 travel guides to cities and countries around the world, including 4 editions of Frommer’s Peru, and articles on subjects ranging from the travel industry to food and wine. A travel writer, journalist and photographer, Schlecht first traveled to Peru and trekked to Machu Picchu as a student in 1983, and he has returned repeatedly to Peru over the last two decades. He has also been a consultant on international development projects for the European Union and USAID, as well as a correspondent for a Spanish art magazine. |
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With nearly 15 years of travel experience, and having lived in different places in Peru. |
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With nearly 15 years of travel experience, and having lived in different places in Peru. Agronomist, theologist, and holding an M.A in Amazonian anthropology. He’s lived 7 years with the Aguarunan people of Alto Marañon; also in Huanchaco (Trujillo), Urubamba (Cusco), and Madre de Dios. Consultant in tourism, collaborator for several media resources and professor of Sustainable Tourism Diploma at Ruiz de Montoya University. |
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