Lake тιтicaca is a major destination in Peru and it attracts travelers from around the world. However, the area around Lake тιтicaca and the lakeshore city of Puno offers other worthy attractions as well. Here’s what to do around Lake тιтicaca, including mysterious archaeological sites, cave art, a surprising church, a stone portal, and more that bring the culture and history of this high-Andes area to life.
The landscape around Lake тιтicaca in Peru, like this field overseen by homemade scarecrows, is full of dramatic beauty at alтιтudes above 12,500 feet (3,000 meters).
What to do around Lake тιтicaca, Peru
Sure, most people come to the city of Puno to explore Lake тιтicaca. Those with a little more time to spend will find that the area around Lake тιтicaca is dotted with a wide range of things to do and see that make good day trips from Puno or worthy stops on your way to or from Lake тιтicaca.
Silo-like stone block structures, called chullpas, are the main attraction at the Sillustani archaeological site near Lake тιтicaca.
Sillustani Incan archaeological site
Sillustani (15 soles/US$4 per person) is probably the most famous archaeological site around Lake тιтicaca. Located about 22 miles (35 km) (allow 45 minutes on the paved road), this Incan site is reached via a short trail from the parking lot (we did this stretch in 10 minutes at a fast clip) followed by a long undulating trail to the site itself (note that this walk may be challenging for anyone not acclimatized to the 12,795 foot/3,900 meter elevation).
Before the site was protected, looters looking for buried treasure damaged some of the chullpas at the Sillustani archaeological site.
Considered a cemetery, the Sillustani archaeological site, on Lake Umayo, is home to tall, round, stone block structures that resemble silos. Called chullpas, the structures are believed to have been made by members of the Indigenous Qualla culture to house the remains of entire families from the noble class of their society.
Loose stone ramps were built and used to transport carved stone blocks up to the level of construction as each chullpa rose higher and higher.
Experts say part of the structures, which are believed to have been built between 1200 AD and 1450 AD, are pre-Incan with evidence of fortification and repair during the Incan period. At one of the chullpas at Sillustani, visitors can see a ramp used to move materials during its construction. Unfortunately, some of the chullpas at Sillustani have been damaged–even dynamited–by looters looking for treasure buried with the royal ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. We were told that when the site was discovered in 1971, archaeologists found more than 500 pieces of gold here.
Inca Uyo Incan archaeological site
There’s no doubt that the carved stones at the Inca Uyo archaeological site (aka Chucuito Temple of Fertility) look like penises. But experts can agree on little else about this Incan site located in the town of Chucuito located about 20 minutes south of Puno toward Bolivia.
There are 86 carved stone phalluses at the Inca Uyo archaeological site near Lake тιтicaca in Peru.
The Inca Uyo site (5 soles/US$1.50 per person) is home to 86 carved stone phalluses, some up to five feet (1.5 meters) tall. But why they were made, what they were used for, and whether or not they were originally placed in the current upright position remains unclear. Fun fact: this field of phalluses is located right next to a musty, leaning church.
The field of phalluses at the Inca Oyu archaeological site sits next to a church.
Cutimbo archaeological site
The scenic Cutimbo archaeological site sits on a flat-topped volcanic hill about 20 miles (32 km) from Puno and retains the work of three different cultures–Lupaca, Colla, and Inca–produced over many hundreds of years.
The Cutimbo archaeological site offers a less crowded way to see chullpas near Lake тιтicaca.
Used as a cemetery, the Cutimbo archeological site (15 soles/US$4 per person) is reached via an uphill trail from the parking lot.
The Cutimba archaeological site is also home to a cave adorned with depictions of llamas, humans, and even a devil.
Near the top of the trail, you’ll reach a cave where you can see drawings–some more than 8,000 years old–depicting llamas, humans, and, allegedly, a devil (we never saw the devil). But the real prize comes at the end of the trail, where three reconstructed chullpa stone burial structures are found.
Look closely at the chullpas at the Cutimbo archaeological site to see decorative blocks with jaguar, snake, and monkey figures carved into them.
Two of the chullpas here are in the typical round silo-esque shape but one is square. All three are elegant and some stones have been decorated with carvings of monkeys, jaguars, and snakes.
Most chullpas are round, but visitors can see an odd square chullpa at the Cutimbo archaeological site.
If you want to avoid the crowds that flock to see the chullpas at the Sillustani archaeological site and would prefer to see some chullpas in peace, come to Cutimbo instead–we had the site to ourselves. And be on the lookout for soaring falcons and eagles, and rock-dwelling rabbit-like vizcachas while you’re there.
A surprising church in the town of Lampa
In the town of Lampa, about 48 miles (77 km) from Puno and 21 miles (34 km) past Juliaca, you’ll pᴀss many crumbling adobe buildings often surrounded by yellow peligro (danger) tape. . Most are little more than facades now, tilting with age and their tile roofs collapsed but still sporting their carved stone lintels.
Just a few of the crumbling adobe structures in Lampa.
The Iglesia de Santiago de Apostol in Lampa, on the other hand, is a glorious building that’s full of surprises and well worth a visit.
There are many surprises inside the Iglesia de Santiago de Apostol (Church of Saint John the Apostle) in Lampa.
Inside this large and somewhat squat stone church, which dates back to the late 1600s, you’ll find a life-size depiction of the Last Supper and a statue of Santiago (Saint James) astride a taxidermied horse.
This plaster copy of Michelangelo’s pietà is displayed near the Iglesia de Santiago de Apostol in Lampa.
The church is also home to a copy of Michelangelo’s pietà, which was added to the church in the 20th century when engineer and politician Enrique Torres Belón designed a tomb for himself and his wife.
An aluminum copy of Michelangelo’s pietà was placed on top of this mausoleum inside the Iglesia de Santiago de Apostol in Lampa.
An aluminum copy of the pietà masterpiece was made and installed on top of the Belón mausoleum dome. The plaster version of the pietà copy is in the municipal building near the church (it was too heavy for the top of the dome).
Yet another surprise in the Iglesia de Santiago de Apostol in Lampa: bones from hundreds of human bodies artistically arranged within the mausoleum dome.
Another surprise awaits inside the Belón tomb where bones from hundreds of bodies–perhaps unearthed during excavation for the church–have been meticulously arranged.
The Lampa colonial bridge
The town of Lampa is also home to a bridge built by Spanish conquistadors during the colonial era.
The Lampa colonial bridge was gloriously intact when we visited, but has since collapsed due to damage caused by the rushing river below it.
The bridge was known for its symmetry and beautiful stonework before natural erosion from water flowing in the river below it undermined the structure and caused the bridge’s elegant arches to collapse.
Cueva de los Toros near Lampa
Cueva de los Toros (Cave of the Bulls) is located just a couple of miles outside of Lampa via a dirt road.
Cueva de los Toros–also known as Cueva del Puma and Cueva de Tenzora- near Lampa is home to ancient cave art depicting humans and llamas.
A short trail then leads visitors up to the cave itself where you can see llama figures and human figures scratched and pigmented on the cave walls.
Few human actions seem more pointlessly destructive than defacing ancient cave art.
Unfortunately, we also saw a lot of places where idiot visitors had scratched their names into the rock, defacing the ancient art on the walls of the Cueva de los Toros, which is also known as Cueva del Puma and Cueva de Lenzora.
The Aramu Muru Portal
Most ancient sites have some element of mystery about them. The Aramu Muru Portal, 43 miles (70 km) south of Puno, is steeped in mystery.
The Aramu Muru Portal near Lake тιтicaca is a striking mystery.
Discovered by a local guide in 1990, this 23-foot (7-meter) tall slab of red rock has a 6.5-foot (2-meter) tall T-shaped indentation carved into it at ground level, and it continues to mystify researchers. Who made it? When was it made? What was it used for? Theories range from aliens to Incas and ideas about its use range from a temple entrance to a portal to the gods.
When we visited the Aramu Muru Portal near Lake тιтicaca in Peru a video was being sH๏τ there featuring traditionally costumed locals.
Visit the Aramu Muru Portal (also known as Hayu Marca or Gate of the Gods) and the dramatic boulder field surrounding it for a dose of mystery.
El Bebedero del Inca
Alongside the highway near the turnoff for the Aramu Mura Portal is El Bebedero del Inca (The Inca Drinking Fountain).
Little is known for sure about the El Bebedero del Inca tower.
Built into a section of the same 2-mile (3.2 km) long slab of rock that the portal is built into, this mysterious tower-like structure is believed to have been created by the Incan leader Tupaj Yupanqui who was known for his hearty consumption of a beloved fermented corn drink called chicha. Experts believe the tower was perhaps used as a place for worship, sacrifice, and ceremony.
