Other Tourist Scams in Puno

Altitude Sickness Medicine Overpricing

Pharmacies and street vendors near the Puno main plaza and along Jirón Lima pedestre sell Soroche Pills (acetazolamide) and coca tea supplements at wildly inflated tourist prices. Some street sellers offer loose unlabeled tablets claiming to be altitude medication — these have no verified content and could be anything from glucose tablets to diuretics. At 3,830 metres above sea level, taking unverified medication while genuinely ill is a safety risk, not just a financial one.