Tiwanaku Full Day

Tiwanaku and Lake Titicaca Excursion: Our staff from Puno, including tour guides and drivers, will meet you at your hotel at 5:30 a.m. to begin the Tiwanaku excursion. Warm clothing and waterproofs are essential, as the climate in the Andes is freezing.

The journey from Puno to Desaguadero takes approximately two hours and 40 minutes; from Desaguadero to the Tiwanaku ruins, another 40 minutes, making the total trip approximately three hours and 20 minutes. Upon arrival in Desaguadero, visitors must register at both the Bolivian and Peruvian immigration offices to present their visas and continue their journey. There are two different immigration offices; visitors should be aware of this at both locations!

In Desaguadero, we used a local Bolivian vehicle to reach the Tiwanaku ruins. We began the guided tour with the resident guide of Tiwanaku, exploring the splendid ancestral ruins of Tiwanaku, the fantastic Tiwanaku lithic museum, and the megalithic blocks of Puma Punku.

At the end of the guided tour of Tiwanaku, we will have free time to stroll around Tiwanaku or go for lunch to taste typical Bolivian dishes for tourists before starting the return trip to Peru, towards Puno.

Features of the Tiwanaku Sun Gate
Tiwanaku was the oldest culture in America, dating back twenty-seven and a half centuries, from 1580 BC to 1172 AD. It is accessed through a flight of seven steps in the center of the eastern wall.

Tiwanaku is the most important Andean site in Bolivia. The remains of the Tiwanaku temple culture are found in an area of ​​30 hectares. The site includes a plateau between two mountains, some agricultural fields, and local communities.

Tiwanaku Ruins I / Tiwanaku Titicaca Tour
Semi-subterranean Temple: There are three monoliths; 175 heads are visible on its interior walls.
Kalasasaya Temple: We have:
The Ponce Stele Monolith (in the center of the inner courtyard)
The El Fraile Monolith (at one end)
The famous Inca Gate of the Sun, a “Tiwanaku sculpture.”
The Akapana Pyramid is an imposing pyramidal structure of the Altiplano culture. Akapana has a perimeter of 800 meters and, according to chronicles, housed beautiful buildings at its summit. In 1753, the Spanish explorer Diego Ayardeburo excavated the pyramid in search of treasure and destroyed the apex. In 1900, the La Paz-Guaquil railway used the platforms as a quarry during the construction of the railway.
Tiwanaku Ruins II
Agro-fields (sucacollos): crops formed by elongated strips of land.
Kantatallite: Its name comes from Aymara and means “light of dawn.”
Putuni and Khery Qala: The ruins of two buildings, Putuni (Palace of the Coffins) and Khery Qala.
Bennett Monolith: This piece measures 7.30 meters and weighs approximately 20 tons.
Winter Solstice at the Temple of Tiwanaku: A grand manifestation of Andean religion and local customs of sun worship. The main event takes place every June 21 (winter solstice) inside the Kalasasaya temple at Tiwanaku. At dawn, those present gather at the temple and await the sunrise with their hands outstretched toward it.
Tiwanaku Ruins III: Mysterious Artifacts of Puma Punku
It is difficult to imagine a more inappropriate place for the development of an advanced civilization of the Altiplano. The earliest traces of the Altiplano culture (Aymara-Inca) date back to 400 BC. At its peak, 400,000 people lived in the area.
Puma Punku is not an adaptation. There’s no point in making that kind of adaptation.
The Pumapunku culture flourished between 300 and 1000 AD.
The ancient blocks fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
The stones are the size of a mammoth.