Arequipa walking tour & city guide

The White City

The Plaza de Armas, one of the most beautiful in Peru, is lined with white arcades and the cathedral. The Santa Catalina Monastery is a city within a city, with colorful streets and courtyards where nuns lived in seclusion for centuries.

Around Arequipa

The Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world, is home to Andean condors. The Yanahuara viewpoint offers views of El Misti.

A day in Arequipa

Arequipa is built of white volcanic stone called sillar and framed by the perfect cone of the Misti volcano. Start at the Plaza de Armas, one of the most beautiful in Peru, then spend a few hours in the Santa Catalina Monastery, a city within the city of colorful courtyards and narrow lanes.

Visit the Museo Santuarios Andinos to see Juanita, an Inca girl sacrificed on a volcano summit and preserved in the ice. End the day at the Yanahuara viewpoint for sunset over the volcanoes.

Good to know

Arequipa is the base for the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world, where Andean condors soar in the morning. Arequipa has a sunny, dry climate most of the year.

The city is famous for its food: try rocoto relleno, stuffed spicy peppers, and queso helado, a local ice cream.