Peru

Arequipa

This southern city is the second largest city of Peru, with a population of nearly 900,000 people and a large number of tourists every year.

A great combination between urban sights and outdoor landscapes offers you a unique list of attractions such as: thermal hot spring, active snowy volcanoes, salt lakes, high elevation deserts and deep canyons such as canyon Del Colca (a great place to observe Condors). 

On the urban side the city has a large and magnificent plaza (Plaza del Armas) which is the city center, beautiful architecture and live night life along many casinos and good restaurants.

 

 

Where to go:

 

Plaza De Armas – The city center is a beautiful plaza some new some well restored but the architecture and the colors are a true party for the eyes and cameras. Some of the city’s best restaurants and bars make it a great option for the nights

 

Casa de Moral – Old house build in 1730, in its courtyard you could find a 200 years old mulberry tree, and a nice map collection showing how South America has changed throughout the years. It’s also a great place for info on anything around the area as the people there are very helpful and knowledgeable. 

 

Museo Historico Municipal – Go to San Agustin University where this museum is at, and observe a well preserved 500 years old mummy.     

 

Santa Catalina Monasterio – A small town in the middle of the city, this convent spreads over a few blocks and is extremely well preserved and maintained. High walls surrounding small backyards with tiny streets and alleys lead by mysterious staircases all along beautiful and colorful buildings and plazas make you feel like you are visiting a forgotten corner of the world, not long ago this place was unavailable to the public until opened by the nuns a few years ago.

 

Canyon Del Colca – This is one of the deepest canyons in the world but apart from the great views it’s a great place to watch Condors. There are two ways of going there and two different tours you can choose from.
A two day or tour which combines a great short hike through the canyon, oasis, waterfalls, hot springs and Condor observation spending the night in tiny oasis bungalows or the small village of Chivay then return to Arequipa.
The one day tour includes going to Cabanaconde and the Condor observation point (Cruz Del Condor).

No matter which of the two you choose, it’s easy to find a guided tour, but if you are a little experienced with travelling, doing it by your self is much cheaper and quite convenient.

In order to go there you take a bus from Arequipa to Cabanaconde where you would start the trek.

 

 

When to go:

Weather is really a big factor when visiting Arequipa, as the temperatures are convenient throughout the whole year. January to March is a wet season but it’s still fine if you travel Peru anyway this time of the year.

What you ought to consider are the many events taking place in Arequipa.

 

 

How to go:

• Plane: to/from Arequipa there are daily flight to Lima and Cuzco, main destinations outside of Peru are also available but it changes by the season.
• Bus: There are buses available to/from Santiago (Chile) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) few times a week. Domestic Buses in Peru are available to most destinations in the country. Most buses take off from Terrapuerto terminal.
• Train: The service is between Arequipa Juliaca and Puno but it’s very often cancelled and not a good option to count on.

* Travelling around Arequipa is very easy either by foot or by taxi both are very convenient. 

 

 

Tips:

§         Arequipa has a bad reputation when it comes to non registered taxies. Both at the airport and city, so be sure to take a registered one for you own safety.

§         2300 meters is the city’s altitude so if you are coming from Chile, lower Peru or any other low altitude area take it easy and let your body acclimate.

§         If you like going out or gambling take advantage of Arequipa as it has fine places for that.

§         When going to Canyon Del Colca we really recommend taking the 2 day trek and spending the night at Chivay. If going on your own make sure you check on bus times before (there aren’t too many every day) but more than all make sure you have a map of the trek because travelers tend to go lost without it.