After many fun-filled days in Lima, Paracas, Huacachina and Nazca, an overnight Peru Hop bus finally brought us to the White City, Arequipa. It is called the White City, because a lot of its buildings are constructed of volcanic white stone, which just adds so much charm to its architecture. Everyone we asked about this city said: “No matter how many days you want to stay there, you will undoubtedly add at least one more”. We finally understood what it meant when we experienced it for ourselves. And yes, the prophecy came true:  we did end up adding an extra day!

Arequipa is perfect for just talking a stroll around the city and enjoying its beautiful colonial architecture and its cozy atmosphere. Here’s what you can do in and around the town:

Sit on a Bench at Plaza de Armas

This central city square common to most Peruvian cities, contains fountains and statues along with lovely landscaping. Just sit on one of the benches around the fountain, so you can chill and people watch! It is very relaxing and you won’t want to go home for hours…

Marvel at the Santa Catalina Monastery

The Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena is a monastery of nuns of the Dominican Second Order. The founder of the monastery was a rich widow, Maria de Guzman.

The buildings which make up the monastery are quite elaborate and beautiful.  Besides the architecture, you can stroll through its art galleries and enjoy numerous paintings.

The admission fee is $12.50, but it is worth every penny.

Visit Mundo Alpaca and Learn about these Beautiful Animals

Something Jenia had been mentioning since our arrival in Arequipa, turned out to be one of the most popular attractions.  This was a place called “Mundo Alpaca” (“Alpaca World”).

It happened to be basically a free walking tour where you first get to feed llamas and alpacas, which totally thrilled her!  The guide gave us bunches of alfalfa grass and Jenia loved to feed these cute and kind animals.  As we continued to walk through rooms with demonstrations and information in each area, we learned that these animals are derivative of the camel family and how their wool was grown and then sheared.  The guide presented displays of the different types of wool of varying kinds and density.  We learned that vicunas have wool that is the most expensive in the world.  Vicunas are not tame, but wild, and the ceremony of catching them and getting their wool has become a Chaku ritual.  A group of many people surround the animal and slowly move in until the animal can be safely held for the shearing process!

There is a very nice shop on hand where you can purchase any of the items including wool, alpaca, and vicuna, but you are simply suggested to shop with no pressure whatsoever.

Buy Something Cool at Mercado San Camilo

We had heard that Arequipa has three major street markets and the most famous is called Mercado San Camilo.  So we picked a day to wander again through the streets of this lovely town and lo and behold we came upon a bustling market, very busy and vibrant.  There were many areas featuring fresh meats and fish of all kinds. As we went through the market bumping elbows and what-not, there were fruits and vegetables, cheeses and herbs… we even came across farm-fresh cow heads!  Yum! 

At the end of our visit we came upon a whole row of fresh juice bars and fruits, some we had never heard of.  Then a pretty lady served us wonderful fresh fruit smoothies!  Wow!  I got to speak to local citizen trying out his English.  He was so impressed to speak with a Floridian.

This was one of my favorite experiences in shopping!

Explore Local Culinary Options

Arequipa is famous for its gastronomy and boy did we find wonderful restaurants including so-called “picanterias” where we had so many wonderful dishes.  Victoria – Picanteria Democratica is a famous local eatery that and we ended up eating there twice!

This restaurant offers regional food where you can explore Arequipa in 8 dishes.  The atmosphere is outstanding and the first visit we ordered alpaca!  It was very tasty, similar to lamb, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. For dessert we had queso helado, a local type of ice-cream. Even though the name suggests, it has nothing to with cheese. They call is “cheese” because this soft-served creamy and buttery ice is simply yellow in color.

Discover Colca Canyon

The Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru, located about 166km (99 mi) northwest of Arequipa. It is Peru’s third most-visited tourist destination. With a depth of 3,270 meters (10,730 ft), it is one of the deepest in the world!

Our tour bus took us on this journey straight to an amazing volcano viewing point.  Of all our experiences, this was most difficult due to extreme altitude, over 5000 meters!  When we got off the bus, the altitude hit us hard at first, but thanks to coca leaves and giving time for the body to adjust, we quickly snapped back. We ended up using coca leaves a lot, and had wads of the plant way back in our months all throughout the trip.  Let me tell you, it works!

TIP: Back on the bus our guide taught us how to chew coca leaves correctly. Apparently, the locals add a piece of raw Stevia and wrap the leaves around it. Sugar helps to release alkaloids quicker and more efficiently. While wrapping, make sure you separate the leaves from stems. After you put this mixture in your mouth, don’t actually chew it, but place it behind your cheek and suck the juice. Soon your cheek will become numb. It is a sure sign that the coca leaves are doing their job!

The volcanoes were truly amazing. The main volcano of several around is called El Misti.  During our whole day, we saw so many volcanoes erupting.  This was a little disturbing but so spectacular! Apparently, it’s pretty normal for this region. All over the area, you could see small stone pyramids made by the local Quechua people in honor of their gods.

We took many stops which provided many hikes along the canyon rim and I was glad to be wearing hiking boots.  At one point, we came to a popular observation spot known as Cruz del Condor. As we watched for the giant birds, that sometimes have a wingspan of nine feet, a volcano in the distance suddenly blew its top!  We saw a couple of the birds in the distance, but people ahead of us lucked out on right place right time.

While exploring the canyon, we stopped at a at a stand offering a refreshing slightly tart drink made from zancallo cactus. We learned that the fruit of the cactus is used to make a Colca variety of the national Pisco Sour cocktail. Guess the name of it? Colca Sour, of course!

Soon we made our way down to the valley where there was a village along the river offering swimming in Aquas Calientes (hot springs) and sunning with food, snacks and restrooms. We didn’t swim, but enjoyed a quiet walk around and sat near the river watching yet another erupting volcano and people zip-lining over the springs.

All in all, this was a magnificent day in nature! On the way back we stopped at some more observation points and just soaked in these gorgeous views…

Where We Stayed in Arequipa

When we looked for a hotel in Arequipa, we had heard about the Flying Dog Hostel, which has many locations throughout Peru with good reviews.  The price was very good and it was centrally located in the heart of the city, so we made a reservation and that’s where Peru Hop dropped us off.

The staff was very friendly, except the manager’s dog who kept barking, but I guess it was good security at the front door!  You walked to a lovely courtyard and just a bit further were the dining tables in another courtyard.  The inclusive breakfast was very nice.  You were allowed to use the house kitchen which was well-equipped, although we really never went shopping for food to eat due to all the fine reasonably-priced meals available just in the area. The room was a bit outdated, but nice, clean and comfortable.

In the end, we had such a great time in this lovely town that as it was predicted by our friends, we stayed an extra night. If you ever have time to explore Peru, by all means, don’t miss Arequipa! Stay even longer than we did and you will not regret it. Book a two-day tour to Colca Canyon instead of a one-day trip and enjoy a nature-filled night in the mountains. Have a cocktail at one of the rooftop bars around the main square and raise a glass to us! ✌️🤩