6 days in Cusco Region & Puno Region Itinerary

Most visitors take a trip to Cusco Region for a chance to explore the eponymous city, capital of the mighty Incan Empire for over three centuries. Aside from discovering the World Heritage-listed city, which draws two million annual visitors, most Cusco Region tours involve visits to the legendary Machu Picchu. Known to many history buffs as the "Lost City of the Incas," these photogenic ruins remain one of the world's most visited archeological sites. A comprehensive Cusco Region vacation also includes an exploration of local cuisine, famed for specialties like the alpaca steak and roasted cuy (guinea pig).

Puno is a region in southeastern Peru. It is bordered by Bolivia on the east, the Madre de Dios Region on the north, the Cusco and Arequipa regions on the west, the Moquegua Region on the southwest, and the Tacna Region on the south. Its capital is the city of Puno, which is located on Lake Titicaca in the geographical region known as the Altiplano or high sierra.Puno was the territory of the Tiahuanacos (800 A.D. – 1200 A.D.), who were the highest cultural expression of the Aymara people who established themselves in what is today Peru and Bolivia. The Incas took over these lands in the fifteenth century, and the Spanish, attracted by the mining industry developed there, left an important Colonial legacy throughout the entire area.GeographyThe Puno region is located in the Collao Plateau. The western part of Lake Titicaca, which is the world's highest navigable lake, is located in the region. The Andean mountains make up 70% of the region's territory, and the rest is covered by the Amazon rainforest.The lake contains numerous islands whose inhabitants continue to live as their ancestors have in custom and tradition. The Uros an example of this; this people group lives on "floating islands" that they have artificially made entirely of totora reeds, and they navigate in their traditional boats also made out of totora reeds. Taquile, Suasi, and Amantaní are known for their kindness of their residents, their ancestral skill in weaving, their pre-Columbian constructions, and lovely countryside. The Titicaca National Reserve (36,180 hectares) protects extensive stretches of totora reeds and various species of plants and animals.