Arequipa is the perfect destination to enjoy a vacation full of nature, adventure, history and delicious gastronomy. Named as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity, this city is, without a doubt, one of those places you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. Here we leave you 8 tourist attractions in Arequipa that you must know. Cover photograph by Adrián Sissa.
1. Misti Volcano
Arequipa has one of the most impressive destinations for the most adventurous travelers: the Misti, a volcano of 5,822 meters, more than 800 thousand years old and one of the 16 active and potentially active volcanoes in Peru.
If you're looking for a maximum adventure plan, we recommend climbing the Misti Volcano, a two-day trek surrounded by incredible landscapes, camping at over 4,000 meters above sea level and with a completely unique arrival at your destination: the view of the Misti crater.
How to get there: although you can appreciate the Misti from practically any part of the White City, if you want to trek to the summit we recommend hiring a tour, since it's a demanding hike, at high altitude and one in which you need to be accompanied by a guide who knows the area and can accompany you throughout the entire journey.
2. Santa Catalina Monastery
In the heart of the city of Arequipa stands one of the great architectural works of colonial Peru. It is the Santa Catalina Monastery, a cloistered convent built in the 16th century and featuring more than 20 thousand square meters that you can explore from end to end.
Its colorful streets, its interesting history and its amazing architecture have made the Santa Catalina Monastery one of the main tourist attractions in Arequipa.
How to get there: the Santa Catalina Monastery is located just a few blocks from Arequipa's Plaza de Armas. If you want to visit it on your own, you just have to follow Santa Catalina street (located on one side of the Arequipa Cathedral Basilica) and continue along it for four blocks. If you prefer, you can join our City Tour in Arequipa, which includes a guided visit to the monastery and other places in the city.
3. Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve
Among the great natural places to visit in the surroundings of Arequipa is the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve. It is home to the majestic Arequipa volcanoes we mentioned earlier, to animals typical of the Andean highlands such as llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and guanacos, and to large lagoons inhabited by birds such as flamingos.
Additionally, in this place you can find the Sumbay Caves, where more than 500 rock art paintings are preserved dating back between 6,000 and 8,000 years. Among the drawings you can observe here are the typical camelids of this Andean region in a state of rest.
How to get there: to reach the Salinas and Aguada National Reserve you will need to take a taxi from downtown Arequipa that takes you to Chiguata, 25 km from the city. Once here, you have two options: continue with the taxi to the reserve or make the journey on foot, in an easy hike of around two hours duration.
4. Yanahura Viewpoint
If you're one of those who likes to have a 360-degree view of the city you visit, you have to know the Yanahura Viewpoint. Located in the picturesque district of the same name, this viewpoint offers one of the most spectacular views of Arequipa, with the city at the feet of its three most representative volcanoes: the Misti, the Chachani and the Pichu Pichu. Besides, another attraction of this place are its characteristic white sillar arches, where you can read phrases from illustrious figures of Peru.
How to get there: the Yanahuara viewpoint is located just 10 minutes on foot from downtown Arequipa, so you can reach it by walking.
5. Choqolaqa Stone Forest
The cover photo of this article and one of the 10 places in Peru you didn't know existed. The Choqolaqa Stone Forest looks like a landscape from another planet, the setting of a Hollywood Martian fiction or even a surrealist painting by Dalí. It is also known as Nueva Arequipa, and the legend says that one day its inhabitants stopped respecting their Apus and as punishment everything turned to stone.
How to get there: From Arequipa you should head to Tisco, a journey that takes around 5 hours. From Tisco you can ask the locals how to get to Choqolaqa, which is about two hours away. Due to the complexity of getting there, we recommend hiring a tour operator that offers this visit from Arequipa.
6. Sillar Route
One of the main characteristics of Arequipa is the whiteness of the walls of its most important buildings. This color comes from the material they are built with: sillar, a famous stone originating from the city's volcanoes that has served as a construction element for hundreds of years.
If you want to know how the extraction process of this stone works, we recommend doing the Sillar Route, a tour through a quarry on the outskirts of the city where, in addition, you can observe the work of carving, cutting and mega-cutting.
How to get there: there are buses and taxis that take you to the sillar quarries, but also organized excursions, such as our Sillar Route tour which also includes a visit to the Culebrillas petroglyphs.
7. Colca Canyon
It's unavoidable: when we think of tourist attractions in Arequipa, the first thing that comes to mind is Colca Canyon. This impressive jewel of Peruvian nature is the main tourist attraction in the Arequipa region, and for good reason! At 3,600 meters above sea level, the Colca is one of the deepest (and narrowest) canyons in the world. You can do practically everything there: from enjoying the flight of the condor to relaxing in its hot springs, discovering the origin of pre-Incan terraces, or sleeping under an authentic blanket of stars surrounded entirely by nature.
How to get there: although you can make the trip on your own, taking public buses or taxis, we recommend taking our Colca Canyon excursion, where the experience will be more comfortable and complete. Additionally, you can also do a two-day trek through Colca Canyon exploring its most spectacular corners.
8. Stone Forest of Imata and Pillones Waterfall
The Stone Forest of Imata is a place where the action of wind and rain transformed the rocks found here into large natural sculptures. Taking a walk through this place is a truly thrilling experience. Very nearby is one of the most novel and spectacular tourist attractions in Arequipa: the Pillones Waterfalls, another great wonder of nature where you'll want to spend the whole day taking photos and enjoying its pure, fresh air.
How to get there: These two places are located 145 km from the city of Arequipa, so the best option to get there is to take a full-day tour, which will take you directly to the destination and allow you to enjoy the experience to the fullest.
Do you know other tourist attractions in Arequipa that we should include in this article? Leave your recommendations in the comments!
If you like to travel and discover places, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Join our travel community!
Be the first to comment
Your comment opens the conversation