Day 1: Uros Islands & Puno
Floating Uros Islands
Take a boat from Puno harbour (S/ 15–25 for a group tour, 30 min) to the Uros floating islands — artificial islands made entirely of totora reeds on Lake Titicaca. The Uru people have lived on these islands for centuries, rebuilding the reed surface every few weeks. Families demonstrate reed construction, traditional fishing, and daily life at 3,812m above sea level on the world's highest navigable lake.
Puno Town Walk
Return to Puno and walk the compact centre. The Plaza de Armas features the baroque Cathedral (1757) with its ornate stone façade. Walk Jirón Lima — the pedestrian street of shops and restaurants. Visit the Museo Carlos Dreyer (S/ 10) for pre-Inca artifacts from the Titicaca basin. The Mirador Kuntur Wasi (condor viewpoint) above town offers a panorama of Puno, the lake, and the altiplano stretching to Bolivia.
Altiplano Dinner
Dinner at La Casona (S/ 15–30) for quinoa soup, alpaca steak, and trucha (Lake Titicaca trout). Or Mojsa (S/ 12–25) on the plaza for Peruvian-fusion dishes with lake views. Try mate de coca (coca tea, free at most hotels and restaurants) — the legal, mild stimulant that helps with altitude. The altiplano night sky above Puno is stunning — thin air at 3,800m means exceptional stargazing.
