Just over 20km from Puno, this dramatic site has an extraordinary position upon a table-topped volcanic hill surrounded by a fertile plain. Its modest number of well-preserved chullpas (funerary towers), built by the Colla, Lupaca and Inca cultures, come in both square and cylindrical shapes. You can still see the ramps used to build them. Look closely and you’ll find several monkeys, pumas and snakes carved into the structures. Go in a group and keep an eye out for muggers.
This remote place receives few visitors, which makes it both enticing and potentially dangerous for independent travelers. Thieves are known to hide behind rocks at the top of the 2km trail that leads steeply uphill from the road.
Combis (minibuses) en route to Laraqueri (S3, 30 minutes) leave from the Terminal Zonal in Puno. You can’t miss the signposted site, which is on the left-hand side of the road when facing towards Laraqueri – just ask the driver where to get off – from where it's another 20-minute walk uphill. Otherwise, the pricier options from Puno are taking a taxi (about S80 return with a one-hour wait) or a three-hour package tour (S100 per person, minimum two people).