Arequipa
The White City beneath the volcanoes
Trip highlights
- Santa Catalina Monastery
- Plaza de Armas & sillar architecture
- Colca Canyon & the condors
- Volcano views & thermal springs
Carved from pearly white sillar stone and watched over by three volcanoes, sun-drenched Arequipa is Peru’s most elegant city — and the gateway to the giant Colca Canyon.
Wander a UNESCO old town of dazzling white palaces, baroque churches and shady arcaded plazas. Lose an afternoon in the Santa Catalina Monastery — a candy-coloured city-within-a-city — then eat your way through arequipeño classics like rocoto relleno in a traditional picantería.
Beyond the city the land soars: the altiplano rolls past grazing vicuñas to the Colca Canyon, twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, where giant condors ride the morning air and steaming thermal springs wait to soothe you.
Book a Arequipa tour with us
Our local guides know Arequipa inside out — the best light, the quiet corners, the tastiest stops. Tell us your dates and we’ll craft the perfect day.
Who’s it for
- Culture, food & architecture lovers
- Couples and families
- Adventurers heading to Colca
Need to know
- City at 2,300m; Colca higher — acclimatise
- Sunny days, cool nights — bring layers
- Famous picanterías for spicy local food
- Allow 2–3 days for the city + Colca
Ways to experience Arequipa
Colonial Arequipa City Tour
Discover the dazzling “White City” — sillar-stone palaces, the grand Plaza de Armas and the candy-coloured Santa Catalina Monastery, all beneath El Misti volcano.
View this tour →Flight of the Condor — Colca Canyon
Journey across the high altiplano to the Colca Canyon and watch giant Andean condors ride the morning thermals at the Cruz del Cóndor.
View this tour →
Andean Thermal Baths
Soak in steaming, mineral-rich hot springs born of the volcanoes — warm turquoise water, crisp mountain air and total calm.
View this tour →
Andean Train: Arequipa to Puno
Ride a classic Andean railway onto the roof of Peru — past volcanoes, vicuña-dotted plains and the highest passes — to the shores of Lake Titicaca.
View this tour →