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Arequipa province is Peru’s big combo ticket, with authentic historical immersion and white-knuckle Andean adventure inhabiting the same breathing space. Imagine the cultural riches of one of South America’s finest historic cities just a few hours’ drive from the world’s two deepest canyons and you’ll get a hint of the dramatic contrasts here. Ample urban distractions can be found in Arequipa, the arty, audacious, unflappably resilient metropolis that lies in the shadow of El Misti volcano. Beckoning to the northwest are the Colca and Cotahuasi canyons, whose impressive depth is a mere statistic compared to the Andean condors, epic treks and long-standing Spanish, Inca and pre-Inca traditions that lurk in their midst. Other unusual apparitions include the lava-encrusted Valle de los Volcanes, the haunting Toro Muerto petroglyphs, and the barren Paso de Patopampa where a main road ascends to 16,109ft (4910m), higher than any point in Western Europe or North America.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Arequipa & Canyon Country.
Monastery
This convent shouldn’t be missed, even if you’ve overdosed on colonial edifices. 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 – the 20,000-sq-meter complex is almost a citadel within the city. It was founded in 1580 by a rich widow, doña María de Guzmán. Enter from the southeast corner.
Viewpoint
This famed viewpoint is for many the highlight of their trip to the Cañón del Colca. A large family of Andean condors nests by the rocky outcrop and, with lots of luck, they can occasionally be seen gliding effortlessly on thermal air currents rising from the canyon, swooping low over onlookers’ heads. It’s a mesmerizing scene, heightened by the spectacular 1200m drop to the river below and the sight of Nevado Mismi on the other side of the ravine.
Historic Site
A fascinating, mystical site in the high desert, Toro Muerto (meaning ‘Dead Bull’) is named for the herds of livestock that commonly died here from dehydration as they were escorted from the mountains to the coast. A barren hillside is scattered with white volcanic boulders carved with stylized people, animals and birds. Archaeologists have documented more than 5000 such petroglyphs spread over several square kilometers of desert.
Cathedral
This beautiful building on the Plaza de Armas stands out for its stark white sillar (volcanic rock) and massive size – it's the only cathedral in Peru that stretches the length of a plaza. It also has a history of rising from the ashes. The original structure, dating from 1656, was gutted by fire in 1844, rebuilt and then flattened by the 1868 earthquake. Most of what you see now has been rebuilt since then. A 'museum' tour is worthwhile.
Lake
This salt lake 4300m above sea level becomes a white salt flat during the dry months of May to December. Its size and the amount of water in it vary each year depending on the weather. During the rainy season (January to May), it's a good place to see all three flamingo species found in Peru, as well as myriad other Andean waterbirds. It's located east of Arequipa below Pichu Pichu and El Misti.
Museum
There’s an escalating drama to this theatrically presented museum, dedicated to the preserved body of a frozen ‘mummy,’ and its compulsory guided tour (free, but a tip is expected at the end). Spoiler: the climax is the vaguely macabre sight of poor Juanita, the 12-year-old Inca girl sacrificed to the gods in the 1450s and now eerily preserved in a glass refrigerator. Tours take about an hour and are conducted in Spanish, English and French.
Monastery
Bibliophiles will delight in this musty monastery's huge library, which contains more than 20,000 dusty books and maps; the oldest volume dates to 1494. Scholarship was an integral part of the Franciscans’ order; the library is open for supervised visits, just ask at the entrance. Also on the premises 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).
Church
If Arequipa’s cathedral seems too big, an interesting antidote is this diminutive Jesuit church on the southeast corner of the Plaza de Armas. Proving that small can be beautiful, its facade is an intricately carved masterpiece of the churrigueresque style hatched in Spain in the 1660s (think baroque and then some). The equally detailed altar, completely covered in gold leaf, takes the style further and will be eerily familiar to anyone who has visited Seville cathedral in Spain.
Square
Arequipa’s main plaza, unblemished by modern interference, is a museum of the city’s sillar (volcanic rock) architecture – white, muscular and aesthetically unique. Impressive colonnaded balconies line three sides. The fourth is given over to Peru’s widest cathedral, a humongous edifice with two soaring towers. Even this is dwarfed by the dual snowcapped sentinels of El Misti and Chanchani, both visible from various points in the central park.