
What to see in Puno
Puno is rather a city to pass by, nevertheless there are some few things to see. Most people do a tour to the Uros Floating Islands. However this trip is highly touristic and you should be prepared for this, otherwise you will be disappointed. A three hours tour costs you about 20 Soles/6$.
Unfortunately the tour has some aspects, that are not really vegan. To show you what they eat/ate, they show you dead animals, like ducks and fishes and also eggs and recently captured fish in a bowl not much bigger than a soup plate. If you feel you cannot handle this, maybe rather leave the tour out. Furthermore they want you to buy something, as you came to visit them it would be demanded, but there are also some vegan things like ceramics and bracelets and of course you get not forced to buy anything.
You can also combine this tour with a visit to the Taquile island, where you can admire their culture and the landscapes. This is a fullday trip and a tour costs you about 55 Soles/17$.
Or if you are up to something big you can do a two day trip, where you extend it to visit the Amantani island, to see the ceremonial tempels of Pachamama and pachatata. You will spend the night with locals and therefore get a much deeper insight in their culture. This trip is around 105 Soles/32$. Don’t forget to ask for vegan food.
Since last year it is also possible to sleep on the Uro Islands, as there opened a hostel.
Another short trip around Puno is to the Sillustani Ruins. There you can see the cementery of the Pre-Inca king of the Kolla culture, it contains the most important Necropolis tombs in America. A three hour tour is about 40 Soles/13$.
I stayed in the Inka’s Rest, a nice small hostel with roof terrace. The breakfast was diverse, so that even vegans can eat something, even though the bread was not vegan. Some rooms are pretty dark, but the showers are hot.
