Arequipa is the perfect destination to enjoy a vacation full of nature, adventure, history and delicious cuisine. Named as a World Heritage Site, this city is, without a doubt, one of those places that you have to visit at least once in your life. Here are 10 tourist spots in Arequipa that you must visit.
1. Misti Volcano
Arequipa has one of the most impressive destinations for the most daring travelers: the Misti, a 5,822-meter volcano, more than 800 thousand years old and one of the 16 active and potentially active volcanoes in Peru. If you are looking for a plan of maximum adventure, we recommend you to take the Misti Volcano climb, a two-day trek surrounded by incredible landscapes, camping at more than 4,000 meters above sea level and with a totally unique arrival at the goal: the view of the Misti crater.
How to get there: although you can see the Misti from practically any part of the White City, if you want to do the trekking to the top we recommend you hire a tour, since it is a demanding walk, at high altitude and in which you need to be accompanied by a guide who knows the area and who can accompany you throughout the journey.
2. Santa Catalina Monastery
In the heart of the city of Arequipa is one of the great architectural works of colonial Peru. It is the Santa Catalina Monastery, a cloistered convent built in the 16th century and which has more than 20 thousand square meters that you can explore from end to end. Its colorful streets, interesting history, and amazing architecture have made the Santa Catalina Monastery one of the top tourist spots 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'll just have to follow Santa Catalina Street (located next to 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. This is the home of the majestic Arequipa volcanoes that we mentioned earlier, of typical Andean plateau animals such as the llama, the alpaca, the vicuña and the guanaco and of large lagoons inhabited by birds such as flamingos.
In addition, in this place you will find the Sumbay Caves, where more than 500 rock art paintings are preserved that are between 6,000 and 8,000 years old. Among the drawings that you can see here, you will find the typical camelids of this Andean region in a resting state.
How to get there: to get to the Salinas and Aguada National Reserve you will have to take a taxi in the center of Arequipa that will take 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 walk that lasts around two hours.
4. Yanahura Viewpoint
If you are one of those who like to have a 360 view of the city you visit, you have to visit 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 foot of its three most representative volcanoes: Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu. In addition, another of the attractions of this place are its characteristic white ashlar arches, in which you can read phrases from famous people of Peru.
How to get there: the Yanahuara viewpoint is located just 10 minutes on foot from the center of Arequipa, so you can get there on foot.
5. Choqolaqa Stone Forest
The Choqolaqa Stone Forest looks like a landscape from another planet, the setting of a Hollywood Martian fiction or even a surrealist painting by Dali. It is also known as New Arequipa, and legend has it that one day its inhabitants stopped respecting their Apus and as punishment everything turned to stone.
How to get there: From Arequipa you must go to Tisco, a journey that takes around 5 hours. From Tisco you can ask the inhabitants 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 white 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 this stone is extracted, we recommend taking the Sillar Route, a tour of a quarry on the outskirts of the city where you can also observe the work of carving, milling and mega-carving.
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 that also includes a visit to the Culebrillas petroglyphs.
7. Colca Canyon
It's inevitable: when we think of tourist places in Arequipa, the first thing that comes to mind is the Colca Canyon. This impressive jewel of Peruvian nature is the main tourist attraction in the Arequipa region, and with good reason! At 3,600 meters above sea level,
Colca is one of the deepest (and narrowest) canyons in the world. Here you can do practically everything: from enjoying the flight of the condor to relaxing in its hot springs, discovering the origin of the pre-Inca 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. In addition, you can also take a two-day trek through the Colca Canyon, getting to know its most spectacular corners.
8. Imata Stone Forest and Pillones Waterfall
The Imata Stone Forest is a place where the action of wind and rain turned the rocks that were here into large natural sculptures. Taking a walk through this place is a totally exciting experience. Nearby is one of the most innovative and spectacular tourist places in Arequipa: the Pillones Waterfalls, another great wonder of nature where you will 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 here is to take an all-day tour, which will take you directly to the destination and with which you can enjoy the experience to the fullest.
