Introduction to Arequipa & the Colca Canyon

With the snowcapped El Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu Volcanoes towering gloriously above the city, the rolling green campiña and sunshine all year round; Arequipa – nicknamed La Ciudad Blanca (The White City) – is one of Peru’s most stunning cities.

Arequipa rivals Cusco for the title of Peru’s second most important city. With famous people such as the Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa, among its citizens, and arguably the most delicious cuisine in Peru – if you don’t believe us just try a rocoto relleno or chupe de camerones washed down with a shot of anisado – this city has a lot to be proud of! People from Arequipa have a strong sense of their identity and are often considered stuck up by the rest of the country – in fact, you can even buy fun Arequipeño passports here!

Just 3 hours from Arequipa is the breathtaking Colca Canyon, which is thought to be almost twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The journey there is a great experience in itself – you climb up to Andean plains where you can spot herds of vicuñas and llamas and then dip down into the canyon itself to find small traditional villages with young boys herding cattle and women in colorful and traditional clothing. Stand on the edge of the canyon and wait to see giant condors drift on thermal winds above. Once you’ve done all that, why not relax in the thermal waters at the end of the day? You’ll have earned it!