WELCOME TO OUR AREQUIPA TRAVEL GUIDE
AREQUIPA: THE "WHITE CITY"
ABOUT AREQUIPA
Arequipa is a popular destination in the Andes Mountains at an altitude of 2,335 meters. Its historic center, constructed from white volcanic stone, has earned the UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The Santa Catalina Monastery provides insights into the city’s history, while the surrounding mountains offer panoramic views. You can explore the historic center, join on amazing day trips, and try traditional Peruvian cuisine at local picanterías. With its mix of history, culture, and the impressing Colca Canyon, Arequipa is for us a must-visit destination in Peru.
WHAT TO DO IN AREQUIPA
In Arequipa itself as well as in the surrounding area, there is plenty to experience. We would recommend planning at least two full days, with one day already reserved for the full-day Colca Canyon tour. Now, read about what you can do in Arequipa and which day trips are worth taking. While Lima holds the title of the food capital of Latin America (check out our Lima Food Guide), we found an absolutely fantastic restaurant in Arequipa as well.
Things to do in Arequipa
1. Free Walking Tour
We love to take ‘free’ walking tours, so this can’t be missing from our Arequipa travel guide. We do this on the first day of our arrival because it gives us a first impression of the city, making it easier to navigate around the next day. Also, it’s easy to get in contact with fellow travelers.
For example, after the tour, we went together to a Picanteria. The free walking tours usually start every 1-2 hours. We gained a beautiful impression of the city and definitely visited places we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. It’s advisable to take the tour in the morning so that the afternoon can be spent elsewhere. For example, visiting the Santa Catalina Monastery or the Ruta del Sillar. Check out Guru Walk for available tours in Arequipa. We paid each one 5,00 USD for the tour.
2. The Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena
Another highlight in Arequipa is the Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena. The monastery is conveniently located on the way from the Lonko Hostel to the Plaza de Armas and is indescribably beautiful. You can find the current opening hours on the official website.
The entrance fee is $12.00 USD per person. We went inside just before the entrance stop at 5 p.m. and still had time until 6 p.m. to explore the monastery. Additionally, it was even more stunning during the sunset. You can do both the walking tour and the monastery on the same day.
3. Ruta del Sillar
This attraction might remind you of Petra in Jordan, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It’s not as impressive, but still nice to see the artwork created by local artists over the past decades. We recommend not booking an organized tour but, like us, taking an Uber there. It should be noted that you won’t have internet access there. Our Uber driver waited for us for about 15-20 minutes, which was sufficient for taking pictures.
Overall, the Uber ride cost us approximately $15.00 USD. Ask fellow travelers from the walking tour to join you, and you can save some money. We found it nice but not a must-do. In addition to the Uber costs, there’s an entrance fee of $1.30 USD per person. You can also visit another smaller exhibition for an additional $0.80 USD. There are toilets and opportunities to buy water on-site.
Opening hours:
Monday – Sunday: 08:00 am – 04:30 pm
DAYTRIPS FROM AREQUIPA
Let’s be upfront with you from the start. If you’re someone who loves to sleep in, these day trips might not be the right choice for you. We woke up for our two daytrips at 5:00 am and 2:00 am. Particularly, the 15-hour Colca Canyon tour was absolutely worth it though. The pictures and our reports will give you a good impression of the tour!
Best day trips
4. Laguna de Salinas
The tour starts quite early, though compared to the Colca Canyon tour, waking up by 5 am feels like sleeping in. We booked the tour through our hostel, unaware that it was a jeep tour. This turned out to be a blessing as we were much faster than the other tours in mini vans/buses. The destination of the tour was Laguna de Salinas, a 20-kilometer-long and 12-kilometer-wide lake. After navigating a winding, poorly maintained serpentine road for nearly 2 hours, we had breakfast in a stunning location. Along the way, we even spotted a beautiful bird.
Afterwards, we continued to the other side of the lagoon. There, we saw flamingos and had the opportunity to jump in hot springs. Additionally, local children showed us their fishing spot for a small fee. On the way back, we spotted alpacas in the wild.
Would we recommend this 7-hour tour? Yes, the unique aspect is that you can get very close to the Misti Volcano and even see the Baby Misti. So, this tour sets itself apart from our 3 days 2 nights tour in Uyuni, Bolivia. Prices are depending on the group size, so it can be more affordable.
Price of the tour: 24,00 USD
Entrance fee: 2,50 USD
Breakfast (optional): 4,00 USD
5. Colca Canyon
Visiting Arequipa and skipping the Colca Canyon tour is like visiting Peru and missing out on Machu Picchu. It’s an absolute must-do in our opinion! We were picked up from our hostel around 3:00 am, and after collecting more tourists, we started on a three-hour journey to our first stop. Unlike the Laguna de Salinas tour, the road was well-built, allowing us to catch up on some sleep. We arrived punctually at dawn at the first stop, at an altitude of 4500 meters, offering a viewpoint of the active volcano Hualca Hualca.
Impressed by this first stop, we continued to have breakfast. After a brief refueling, we stopped in the village of Chivay, where we saw a traditional dance. We made stops in 2-3 more villages. Here, we also had the opportunity to try a traditional cocktail called “Colca Sour,” which is Pisco with cactus. Then we reached the Colca valley. Prepare for breathtaking views!
The highlight was a 30-40 minute hike to the highest point of the Colca Canyon (3800 meters above sea level)! Here, we saw condors, this was truly impressive, seeing these giant birds in their natural habitat with a wingspan of up to 310 centimeters and weighing up to 15 kilograms, flying close by.
After this, we headed to the hot springs. Unfortunately, they were overcrowded, so we were about to skip the visit but, the guide showed us alternative hot springs for the same price! The lunch provided on this tour was very good, considering the standard on those tours. We’ve had some terrible experiences before. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet with a wide selection: salads, trout, alpaca, fried chicken wings, grilled chicken wings, pasta, rocoto rellena, ceviche, and more. If you book the tour without meals, you have the option to pay 40 Soles (10,00 USD) directly in the restaurant
As our final activity, we made a stop on the way back to observe llamas in their natural habitat. It was a perfect day; however, despite the good impression, there were also a few things we didn’t like. Firstly, the tour was very long, partly due to stops in numerous small cities that all seemed identical. Secondly, while it’s nice to see traditional dances, if they’re only performed for tourists, it lacks authenticity. Lastly, the treatment of alpacas must be mentioned. Seeing them wearing sunglasses or funny clothes isn’t pleasant. Unfortunately, many tourists support this behavior by taking photos with the alpacas.
Ultimately, it was the longest tour we’ve ever done, but it’s worth it. There’s also the option to book onward transportation to Puno (Lake Titicaca) during the tour, saving you the return trip.
Price: 38,50 USD incl. Breakfast & Lunch
Entrance to Colca Valley: 18,50 USD
Hot springs (optional): 4,00 USD
We booked our tour on GetYourGuide and the company who offered this tour is BABY LAMA.
FOOD & DRINKS IN AREQUIPA
As mentioned earlier, Arequipa’s culinary scene can’t be compared to Lima’s. However, we found some authentic culinary highlights which we will describe now in our Arequipa travel guide.
Where to eat in Arequipa
1. Picanteria - La Nueva Palomino
Thats the must-visit when you are in Arequipa! A “Picanteria” is a traditional Peruvian restaurant that typically specializes in regional dishes, in this case particularly those from Arequipa. We went here after the walking tour; it offers affordable food options with super huge portions! Picanterias often serve spicy and flavorful dishes known as “picante.” This one convinced us with its cozy atmosphere and traditional cooking methods, which you can even have a look at.
MORE INFORMATION
Address:
Leoncio Prado 122, Yanahuara 04000
Opening hours:
Monday – Satuday
12:00 – 05:00 pm
Sunday
07:30 am – 10:30
12:00 pm – 05:00 pm
Price: $$
2. Kao Thai
MORE INFORMATION
Address:
Cl. San Francisco 217, Arequipa 04001
Opening hours:
Monday – Saturday
12:30 – 10:00 pm
Sunday
12:30 – 04:00 pm
Price: $$$
Website:
https://kaorestaurant.com/?lang=en
3. Pizza
In Arequipa are many pizzerias, making the choice not always easy. We decided on this one because we could see through the window that the staff were using a traditional pizza oven. The pizzas cost around $8.00 USD, which we found to be fair. Unfortunately, this pizzeria doesn’t have a Google Maps listing, so we can only provide an approximate location.
MORE INFORMATION
Address:
Santa Catalina 402-404, Arequipa 04001
Price: $$
4. Museo del Pisco
Museo del Pisco is not only in Arequipa but also in Lima and Cusco, so you have several opportunities to visit. There, you can order various types of coktails made with pisco. We decided us for the Fina Estampa for 9.00 USD. You can definitely taste the difference compared to the all-day happy hour Pisco Sours for $3.50 USD. Whether it’s worth the extra cost, though, is up to you.
MORE INFORMATION
Address:
Sta. Catalina Ancha 398, Cusco 08002
Opening hours:
Monday – Sunday
12:00 pm – 12:00 am
Price: $$ – $$$
Locations:
https://english.museodelpisco.org/locations/
Menu:
https://museodelpisco.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cartas-us.pdf
Website:
https://english.museodelpisco.org/
5. Puku Puku
MORE INFORMATION
Address:
Santa Catalina 124, Arequipa 04001
Opening hours:
Monday – Saturday
08:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday
11: 00 am – 06:00 pm
Price: $$
Website:
https://pukupuku.pe/
5. Street Food
The street food options are limited but delicious. We recommend two specialties. “Queso helado” is a Peruvian dessert from Arequipa made with milk, cinnamon, cloves, coconut, sugar, and egg yolks, despite its name, it contains no cheese (“queso”). Similarly, like hot dogs, which don’t contain any dog. It costs 1.00 USD, and you can even try a small portion before buying.
The other street food isn’t exclusive to Arequipa—meat skewers. You can usually choose from chicken (pollo), beef (carne), alpaca, cow hearts (anticuchos), or chicken hearts (corazón). Each skewer costs 0.50 USD and comes with a potato on top and optional spicy sauce. We used to visit the same place every time.
MORE INFORMATION
Address:
Skewer stand
HOW TO GET TO AREQUIPA
To reach Arequipa, you have two primary options:
By plane: Arequipa’s Manuel Ballon International Airport (airport code: AQP) offers regular connecting flights to and from major cities. For example, there are nonstop 1 hour 30-minute flights from Lima to Arequipa and nonstop 1-hour flights from Arequipa to Cusco.
By bus: Arequipa boasts two major bus terminals, Terminal Terrestre and Terminal Terrapuerto, conveniently located next to each other and just 2.5 miles (4 km) from the Plaza de Armas. For long-distance journeys between Arequipa and cities like Cusco, Puno, or Lima, opt for reputable companies such as Cruz del Sur, which offers nonstop overnight routes for comfort and safety.
We personally went by plane from Lima to Arequipa and then continued our trip with a night bus from Cruz del Sur to Cusco. If we hadn’t visited Ica and Paracas before, we would definitely have gone there by bus and then continued by bus to Arequipa.
WHERE TO STAY IN AREQUIPA
Arequipa has plenty of accommodation options. We decided to stay in a private room at the “Lonko Hostel Arequipa“. If you are looking for something more luxurious, we can recommend “Casa Andina Premium“, where some friends of ours stayed.
The Lonko hostel includes breakfast (pancakes, two rolls with jam and butter, scrambled or fried eggs, coffee, and tea). The view from the rooftop terrace of the over 6000 m high Cachani is beautiful every morning. If you are looking for a central, affordable hostel, we can recommend this one!
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