Puno stands on the shore of Lake Titicaca at about 3,800 metres, and it is the capital of the Peruvian side of the lake and of Andean folk culture. It is a city of about 116,000 people, a bustling, cold, windswept place with a cathedral in baroque style, a busy port and streets that climb steeply from the water. It began in the seventeenth century as a silver-mining town, and the colonial wealth is visible in the stonework of the churches. Today it is best known for its festivals, notably the Candelaria in February, a spectacular fiesta of dance and music that draws thousands of dancers in elaborate costumes.
The lake is the great presence. Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and one of the largest in South America, and its water is a deep, cold blue under a sky that seems to be closer than it should be. Out on the water, the Uros people live on floating islands made of totora reeds, which they renew constantly, and the island of Taquile is known for its knitted textiles. Boats leave from the harbour in Puno for both, and a day on the water is an essential part of any visit.
Puno has everything a traveller needs, including fuel, workshops, supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels at every level, and it is the best place for resupply on the Peruvian side of the lake. Try the trout from the lake, grilled or fried, and quinoa soup, which is warming in the cold. Altitude is the main concern, and visitors arriving from the coast often feel its effects, so drink plenty of water and move slowly.
The ride along the lake is an unusual one, flat and open, with views of the water and fields of potatoes and quinoa. The road is paved and mostly good, with some rough patches, and the wind off the lake is cold and strong. Mornings are bright, with frost on the ground in winter, and the dry season from May to October is best. Atuncolla, a village about twenty-two kilometres away, stands close to Sillustani, where tall stone burial towers, built by the Colla people before the Incas, stand on a peninsula in a lake. It is an eerie, beautiful place to end a day.