Certain areas in Puno could reach the - 27 degrees C. during the winter.
Over the 3,500 meters some areas could reach the -15 degrees. Although most of those areas are in the Puno district and quite isolated, some warning should be kept in the areas above 3500 meters in the districts of Ayacucho, Arequipa, Cuzco, Moquegua, Tacna and Puno. (North region).
Only Puno is well above 3500, Cuzco is a bit less than that, 3400, ranging up to 3600 on its highest point Saqsayhuaman.
The NAtional Service said its not so different than other years and definitely not as bad as in 2002 and 2004.
rafgar
1
rafgar
<blockquote>Quote
<hr>the districts of Ayacucho, Arequipa, Cuzco, Moquegua, Tacna and Puno. (North region)<hr></blockquote>
It's SOuth Region.
2
hi_jinx
how the hell do the people living on the lake on the floating islands survive that kind of cold????????
3
goodtimebob
They don't...they just die too slowly for you to notice. Those folks are perpetually damp. Locals have adapted to the altitude by getting larger lungs. As a result pulmonary diseases are rampant. Next time you are out there and see someone who appears to be in their 90s...ask their age. Probably in their 50's.
4
lazarosj
Wow - I had no idea the winter was so harsh in this area. I'm heading down that way in about a month's time, and was really hoping to do the floating islands/Anamati tour. Do these tours run during the winter, and if so, is it so uncomfortable that it might not be worth it?
5
tacocat
Puno is at 3,855m/12,750ft. However, winter is (in general) the dry season, so the sun provides good warmth, because of the tropical latitude. I did encounter a thunderstorm during my one-night stay on Isla Amantani. Finished off with a hailstorm on the corrugated tin roof of my accomodations! Next night in Puno there was a snowstorm!! I bought some knitted mittens from a cholita on the street. Then she convinced me I needed to buy a couple pairs of sox. By that time, I was getting so cold I would've had to buy the sweater she was pushing on me, if I hadn't decided to dash for a restaurant.
6
rafgar
Fog is also a concern during this time, but because of the unusual cold temperatures it gets really hard to see in short ditsnaces which makes bus travel somewhat less safe. There's recent notice of a bus accident in Nazca apparently during the night at first hours fo today (tuesday 12th) a foreign passenger among the injured; national news reported that there's an inmediate action taken to return the passenger to her country this same afternoon.
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