Known as WHITE CITY, because of most of the buildings were made on volcanic stone or “sillar”, it is located at 2 300 masl /7333 fasl, the good weather of this beatiful city is semi-arid and temperate climate with a maximum temperature of 21.7ºC (71ºF) and a minimum of 6.9ºC (44.4ºF). The rainy season starts in January and ends in March. by land at 1003 km / 623 miles from Lima, by plane at 1 hour from Lima; 30 minutes from Cusco or Juliaca. Daily flights are available.
This beatiful colonial city has a great deal of volcanoes, the same city is surrounded by 3 huge volcanoes, there are many things to do here like trekking into the Colca or Cotahuasy canyon( the deepest in the world),climbing, biking. Motorbiking, horse riding, rafting and of course its delicious cuisine, without any doubt a place that you can not miss!!!, here some examples:
*Main Square, city of Arequipa, the most beautiful main square of Peru, bordered by various arched walkways and the Cathedral, the Main Square possesses a beautiful bronze fountain of three plates crowned by the figure of a sixteenth century soldier. Around the square, you see three granite portals
*Cathedral, city of Arequipa, Destroyed by fire in 1844, it was rebuilt in 1868 by the Arequipa architect Lucas Poblete It is considered one of the first seventeenth century religious monuments of the city. It is built of sillar (white volcanic stone) with a brick base. He used a Neoclassical style and placed the entrances of church on the flanking naves. In 2001, the building was struck hard by an earthquake, which seriously damaged its towers.
*The Church of the Company of Jesus Christ, The current structure dates from 1650. Inside you find sixty-six canvases from the CuscoSchool from such artists as Bernardo Bitti and Diego de la Puente This complex, made up of buildings constructed by the Jesuits for religious and living purposes, is a representative monument of the seventeenth century religious architecture (1660). It is facade it is really rich decorated in baroque style.
*Saint Kathleen Monastery, one of the most important religious monument in Peru, It occupies an approximate area of 20.000 m2 (215.285 feet2), and its placement is similar to the first neighborhoods of Arequipa. The building exhibits rooms of very different architectural desig. Constructed to shelter the daughters of the wealthiest families of the city with a religious vocation, the monastery was inaugurated on October 2, 1580, under the name of Santa Catalina of Siena to be a totaly cloistered religious center, and it remained that way until August 15, 1970.
*La Recoleta Convent, A Franciscan convent founded in 1848, open to the public since 1978. It features various styles that include Romantic and Neo-gothic styles due to its different remodeling campaigns It has four cloisters and eleven sectors, as well as two pre-Colombian art rooms, two others dedicated to the AmazonRain Forest, and another to religious art. It also has a gallery exhibiting canvasses from the Cusco and ArequipaSchools and a valuable library that protects more than 20.000 volumes and ancient books.
*Founder’s Mansion, located at 9 km / 6 miles from Arequipa, According to the story, Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, founder of Arequipa, had it built for his son. Built with sillar stone at the edge of a cliff, it is one of the most important and traditional mansions or houses in the department.
*District of Cayma, known as the “Balcony of Arequipa” for its advantageous location that allows the entire city to be seen, it is just at 3 km / 2 miles south of, Its central plaza houses the church of Saint Michael the Archangel, built in 1730 and considered an architectural jewel because of its mixed façade. In the rectory annex, the “Bolivar’s dining room is preserved where, according to legend, the Liberators used to have lunch during their stay in the town.
*Misti Volcano, it means mister in english, The Misti volcano, 5825 masl / 19.111 fasl is the guardian of the city. From the summit, you can see the city of Arequipa, the ChiliRiver valley, and the Chachani and Pichu Pichu volcanoes
The foothills of the volcano are located 20 km / 12 miles. northeast of Arequipa (1 hour by 4x4 vehicle). People who likes adventure can climb it in 2 days.
*Chachani Mountain, This snow covered peak, towering over 6075 masl / 19931 fasl is considered one of the most difficult mountains to climb in Peru. It is an inactive volcano, but lava is still visible, and there are depressions and moraines. It takes two days and one night to ascend
*AMPATO MOUNTAIN, At the top, from which you can see the ColcaCanyon, explorers found the “Dama de Ampato”, the mummified remains of a girl from the time of the Incas. At 6288 masl / 20.630 fasl, it is temporarily inactive and exhibits a perpetual snowcap at the height of 5000 meters / 16.404 feet. The foothills have scarce vegetation limited to bunch grass and hawthorn.
located at 173 km / 108 miles north of Arequipa (5 hours by 4x4 vehicle)
*Colca Canyon, considered one of the deepest in the world it is located at 151 km / 94 miles north of Arequipa city, reaching a depth of 3400 meters / 11.155 feet. On the right side, it is flanked by the Chila Cordillera (Bomboya, Serpregrina, Mismi, Queshihua) and on the other by Mount Hualca Hualca, Sabancaya, and Ampato. You can seeMountUbinas and beautiful MountCoropuna in the distance, as can see the landscapes are amazing above all when you see the biggest bird fliying through the sky THE CONDOR ANDINO !!!
*Lagunas de Mejia National Sanctuary, located at 146 km / 91 miles southwest of Arequipa. It is ideal for bird-watching, and 195 specieshave been registered: 75 are resident species (you can find them there all year long), 6 are ocean residing species, and 80 are migratory ones that travel. It possesses an area of 691 hectares and includes different habitats comprising swamps, salt marshes, tortora reeds, hills, riverside estuaries, fields of salt grass, and sandy beaches.
*Toro Muerto Petroglyphs, located at 164 km / 102 miles northwest of Arequipa The techniques used varied from striking, scratching, chipping, to hammering, and their age could begin around 1100 A.D.The site consists of a group of carvings spread out over 5 km2 / 2 miles2.The majority of them are representations of human beings, animals, and plants, as well as geometric designs that seem to have been carved with sharpened stones.
*Andagua, Valley of the Volcanoes, located at 323 km / 201 miles northeast from Arequipa. It reaches an altitude of 3546 masl / 11.634 fasl. The Valley of the Volcanoes was the center of strenuous convulsions in the volcanic mountain chain 200.000 years ago. We can still see today an extensive layer of lava over which around eighty-six smaller inactive volcanoes have emerged.
*Cotahuasi Canyon, the valley of cotahuasi is located at 375 km / 233 miles northwest of Arequipa (9 hours by car / 12 hours by public bus)
Different altitudinal tiers have created the conditions for a large biological diversity with high indices of endemism in both the flora and fauna. The CotahuasiCanyon includes twelve life zones and three ecological regions. It is considered the deepest canyon (3535 m / 11.598 feet).
