The standout half-day trip from Puno. Sillustani is a hilltop necropolis of pre-Inca and Inca funerary towers — chullpas — built by the Aymara-speaking Kolla people to house the remains of their nobility. The towers stand on a promontory above the small, deep-blue Lake Umayo, about 35 kilometres north of Puno and around an hour by road.
The largest chullpas are 10 to 12 metres tall, perfectly cylindrical, and built from stones precisely fitted without mortar — among the finest examples of pre-Hispanic stonework outside Cuzco. Many are decorated with relief carvings of lizards, condors, and pumas. From the top of the promontory the views across the lake to the round island in its centre are extraordinary, and even the half-day trip is worth it for the setting alone. Most agencies in Puno run an afternoon tour for around 50 to 70 soles per person including transport and a guide; combine with a homestay on the Capachica peninsula if you want to make a full day of it.