Things to do in Arequipa
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CEICA
It charges S400 for 20 hours of private lessons per week and can arrange family homestays including/excluding meals for S265/173 a week. Call in advance and they’ll pick you up from the airport or bus terminal.
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Fez
Have you been craving authentic falafel ever since you landed in South America? Step up to the counter here and order yourself a sandwich dripping with juicy goodness. Crêpes are equally delicious. Garden tables are out back.
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Naturaleza Activa
A favorite of those seeking adventure tours, and offering a full range of trekking, climbing and mountain-biking options. One popular tour is a three- to four-hour bike trip down El Misti (US$45) including transportation and bike, helmet, guide and snacks. It’s also possible to rent mountain bikes for S9 per hour. Guides speak English, French and German.
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Los Leños
Pizzas for homesick travelers are baked in a wood-burning oven that adds warmth to the laid-back atmosphere. Rock music is the only soundtrack. If you’re more impressed by the food than we were, add your personalized scribble to the already-covered-with-graffiti walls.
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Crepisimo
A cozy place to get your caffeine fix, this cultural cafe has a crackling fireplace, balcony tables, board games and more than 100 kinds of sweet and savory crêpes filled with everything from Chilean smoked trout or wild Swiss mushrooms to exotic South American fruits.
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Cañón del Colca
Easier treks in the Cañón del Colca can be more beautifully lush during the wet season, however more remote trails, especially those in the Cañón del Cotahuasi become inaccessible during the wet season. Our best advice is that if you're already an experienced trekker and you're trekking in a well-traveled area like the Cañón del Colca, you don't need to go with a guide at all. Hiking from village to village is the simplest DIY trekking option.
In the Cañón del Colca, the main roads are scenic routes, though there are dozens of more challenging trails. The roads are a good, easy way to experience village life at a slower pace, although they are dusty and passing traf…
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Monasterio de Santa Catalina
Even if you’ve already overdosed on colonial edifices, this convent shouldn’t be missed. Occupying a whole block and guarded by imposing high walls, it is one of the most fascinating religious buildings in Peru. Nor is it just a religious building – this 20,000-sq-meter complex is almost a citadel within the city. It is a disorienting place with twisting passageways, ascetic living quarters, period furnishings and religious art – a photographer’s paradise.
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Mixtos
Tucked away in the alley behind the cathedral on the Plaza de Armas is this popular and quaint restaurant that serves mainly Italian and criollo (spicy Peruvian fare with Spanish and indigenous influences) seafood dishes. Try the enormous and flavorful sudado de pescado (fish stew) while enjoying the view from the outdoor balcony.
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Zig Zag
The upscale sister of Crepisimo, this European restaurant inhabits a two-story colonial house with an iron stairway designed by Gustave Eiffel. The expensive menu features decadent fondues, carpaccio, stone-grilled steaks and other South American game dishes.
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La Trattoria del Monasterio
A helping of epicurean delight has descended upon the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. The menu of Italian specialties was created with the help of superstar Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio, and is infused with the flavors of Arequipa. Reservations are essential.
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La Cantarilla
You'll be greeted by an ostrich statue at this rustic open-air restaurant in the southwestern suburb of Sachaca. Mostly catering to tour groups, it serves some international fare as well as good-quality Arequipeño food, including freshwater shrimp.
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Manolo’s
With a decidedly retro atmosphere, this mirror-filled cafe looks as if it were established in the early days of the Republic. Its endless menu lists coffees, ice creams, desserts, sandwiches and full Peruvian home-style meals.
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Mandala
This humble, health-minded café affably cooks up quick, quality vegetarian fare (breakfasts are huge!) in a subterranean space with tables that probably look just like the ones at your grandmother's house.
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El Viñedo
This intimate spot is one of the best places to knock back a steak or platters of traditional Peruvian food, all in an ornate Victorian atmosphere. The wine list features South American varietals.
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Río Chili
The Río Chili is the most frequently run local river, with a half-day trip suitable for beginners leaving almost daily from April to November.
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Inkari Pub Pizzeria
This pizzeria has a delicious happy-hour special of a personal pizza and a copa de vino (glass of wine) for just S13.
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El Misti
Looming 5822m (19,101ft) above Arequipa, the city's guardian volcano El Misti is the most popular climb in the area. At the top is a 10m (33ft) iron cross, which was erected in 1901. Below the summit is a sulfurous yellow crater with volcanic fumaroles hissing gas, and there are spectacular views down to the Laguna de Salinas and back to the city.
El Misti is technically one of the easiest ascents of any mountain of this size in the world, but it's hard work nonetheless and you normally need an ice ax and, sometimes, crampons. It's best climbed between July and November, with the later months being the least cold. There are several routes, but none are clearly marked and…
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Museo Santury
Officially the Museo de la Universidad Católica de Santa María, this museum exhibits ‘Juanita, the ice princess’ – the frozen body of an Inca maiden sacrificed on the summit of Nevado Ampato, a snow-covered volcano to the northwest of Arequipa, more than 500 years ago. Multilingual tours (available in Spanish, English, French, German and Italian) consist of a video followed by an examination of various burial artifacts, culminating in a respectful viewing of the frozen mummy, preserved in a carefully monitored glass-walled exhibition freezer. Although Juanita is not on display from January to April, another child sacrifice discovered in the mountains around Arequipa is …
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Monasterio de la Recoleta
This musty monastery was constructed on the west side of the Río Chili in 1648 by Franciscan friars, though now it has been completely rebuilt. Scholarship was an integral part of the Franciscans’ order, and bibliophiles will delight in the huge library, which contains more than 20,000 dusty books and maps; the oldest volume dates back to 1494. The library is open for supervised visits; just ask at the entrance. There is a well-known museum of Amazonian artifacts (including preserved jungle animals) collected by the missionaries, and an extensive collection of pre-Conquest artifacts and religious art of the escuela cuzqueña (Cuzco School). Guides who speak Spanish, En…
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Arequipa Canyon Trekking
The spectacular canyons offer many excellent hiking options. Trekking agencies can arrange a whole array of off-the-beaten-track routes to suit your timescale and fitness level. Although you can trek year-round, the best (ie driest) time is from May to November. There is more danger of rockfalls in the canyons during the wet season (between December and April).
If you're nervous about hiking solo or want to tackle more untrammeled routes, there are dozens of tour companies based in Arequipa that can arrange guided treks. Be sure you book with a reputable company, never exchange money with touts on the street and always ask to see your guide's guiding card and booklet list…
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Arequipa Mountain Trekking
Superb mountains for climbing surround Arequipa. Adequate acclimatization for this area is essential and it's best to have spent some time in Cuzco or Puno immediately before a high-altitude expedition. Lack of water can also be a problem, as can the icy temperatures, which sometimes drop to -29ºC at the highest camps. The best months for mountain climbing are between April and December.
Though many climbs in the area are not technically difficult, they should never be undertaken lightly. Watch for the symptoms of altitude sickness and if in doubt, go back down. You should be well-informed about medical and wilderness-survival issues, as many guides are dangerously untra…
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Carlos Zárate Adventures
This company was founded in 1954 by Carlos Zárate, the great-grandfather of climbing in Arequipa. His son, Carlos Zárate Flores, is also an experienced guide. Guides generally speak Spanish or English, but are available in French when prearranged. The company offers all manner of treks and climbs all the local peaks. Prices vary depending on group size and method of transportation; they charge around S150 per person for a group of four to climb El Misti, and S365 for a three-day trek in the Cañón del Colca with private transport. They also rent all kinds of gear to independent climbers and hikers including ice axes, crampons and hiking boots.
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Casa de Mauro
This convenient base camp for rafting the Río Majes is in the village of Ongoro, 190km by road west of Arequipa. The lodge offers one- to three-hour trips for beginner to experienced rafters (S70 to S140 per person). They can also organize multiple-day trips in the upper Río Colca (from S900 per person) and treks to nearby ruins (from S600 per person). The lodge offers camping (S10 per person) or rooms with private bathrooms (S30 per person). It is cheapest to take a Transportes del Carpio bus from Arequipa’s terminal terrestre to Aplao (S10, three hours, hourly) and then a combi (S1.50) or a taxi (S12) to Ongoro.
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Yanahuara
The peaceful neighborhood of Yanahuara makes a diverting excursion from the city center. It's within walking distance: go west on Av Puente Grau over the Puente Grau bridge, and continue on Av Ejército for half a dozen blocks. Turn right on Av Lima and walk five blocks to a small plaza. At the side of the plaza there's a mirador (lookout) with excellent views of Arequipa and El Misti.
The round-trip walk from the city center should take around two hours, but there are also combis (minibuses) to Yanahuara from along Av Puente Grau (and returning from Yanahuara's plaza to the city) every few minutes to speed you along.
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Chicha
Famed chef Gastón Acurio arrived in Arequipa with Chicha. As with the astutely crafted menus he is celebrated for elsewhere in Peru, Chicha’s selections turn the freshest local ingredients and regional specialties into noteworthy flavor fusions such as the cuy laqueado (guinea-pig appetizer with Arequipan touches of corn and rocoto pepper) and the rocoto relleno (in this dessert version red peppers are stuffed with cream cheese and dulce de leche ). The experience is rounded off with a tantalizing list of cocktails and service that leaves no detail unattended to.
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