- Altitude: 2,335 m / 7660 feet over sea leval
- Weather: Semi – arid and temperate
- Temperature: 74°-50°F / 24-10°C aprox.
- Rainy season: From November to March
- Accessibility: Air – land
Located in Peru’s southern highlands, Arequipa is synonymous with greatness: exceptional architecture, phenomenal cuisine, majestic volcanoes that guard the fertile valleys and countryside, as well as one of the greatest attractions of southern Peru, the Colca Valley.
Founded by the Spaniards in 1540 on the banks of the Chilli River, at the foot of the Misti volcano, Arequipa is currently Peru’s second most urban and economically developed city.
A stroll through Arequipa’s historic center reconnects you with the past of one of the most beautiful cities of the colonial period. The imposing buildings made of ashlar, a white volcanic rock, demonstrate the architectural blending of native art and motifs with European canons. One of the most representative samples of this is the Convent of Santa Catalina. Built as a cloister in 1579, in its beginnings it housed a small number of nuns who hailed from the local elite. After 400 years of seclusion, it was open to the public in 1970.
Also prominent is Arequipa’s beautiful Plaza de Armas (Main Square), surrounded by solid ashlar arches and flanked by Peru’s largest cathedral, and the beautiful church of the Society of Jesus, which boasts an amazing Baroque façade.
As we follow the route of the volcanoes, the imposing Colca Valley is only four hours away from the city. It is a beautiful Andean valley with picturesque towns founded in the colonial era, which keep alive their ancestral customs, including an impressive system of platforms or terraces built by the ancient Collagua and Cabana ethnic groups. This is the setting for the Colca Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world (the first is Cotahuasi, also in Peru) and the natural habitat of the Andean condor, which dominates the skies with its majestic flight.
