Lake Titicaca is a major destination in Peru and it attracts travelers from around the world. However, the area around Lake Titicaca and the lakeshore city of Puno offers other worthy attractions as well.  Here’s what to do around Lake Titicaca, 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.

What to do around Lake Titicaca, Peru

Sure, most people come to the city of Puno to explore Lake Titicaca. Those with a little more time to spend will find that the area around Lake Titicaca 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 Titicaca.

Sillustani Incan archaeological site

Sillustani (15 soles/US$4 per person) is probably the most famous archaeological site around Lake Titicaca. 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).

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.

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 dead. 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.

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.

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.

Used as a cemetery, the Cutimbo archeological site (15 soles/US$4 per person) is reached via an uphill trail from the parking lot.

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.

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.

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 pass 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.

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.

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.

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 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).

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

 

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Here’s more about Archaeological Sites in the Americas

Here’s more about Cultural Travel in the Americas