Puno's main attraction is definitely the floating reed islands on the famous Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable lake in the world), which we went to see the day after arriving. It was interesting to be on the islands but disappointingly the inhabitants didn't really show us their way of life on the islands and were always trying to give tourists a harder sell than was necessary.
After Puno, we had a very long 12 hour trip to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. There were some spectacular sites along the way such as the high plateau surrounded by snow-capped peaks and impressive Inca ruins.
In Ollantaytambo we did a few things like horse-back riding and mountain biking and walks in the surrounding area which lead up to small Inca ruins. It also has a lovely main square with nice cafés and restaurants bordering it but our favourite restaurant was definitely Hearts Café, a non-profitable café/restaurant which donated its earnings to Andean women and children who struggle to make ends meet. Its a very laid back place where you can relax but most of all the town is only a two hour train ride away from Machu Picchu.
The train ride alone meanders through typical, Andean mountains and secluded villages but once you arrive at the station and take the bus ride up to Machu Picchu you realise how far away you are from this lost Inca city.
The view from the top is exactly the same as you see on postcards yet the place is absolutely packed with people from across the globe trying to get their picture with it and making ridiculous poses. Before going into the city itself we walked along a very precipitous path to the Inca drawbridge. Although the bridge wasn't very impressive the path certainly was. Then we went into Machu Picchu itself where you felt almost transported back to Inca times and marvelled at how they built such a thing on a platform surrounded by huge drops. We also went to the official museum which was unusually very quiet and learnt loads about the construction of it and the Inca's way of life.
The rest of the week was relaxed but whilst we were there, there were election campaigns taking place which were interesting to watch. By the time we had to go, like Galapagos, we wanted to stay for longer because only a few days later we would be on the plane back home.