The city of Arequipa was one of the best places I visited when I was travelling in Peru this year. If you look at it on a map, it seems quite out of the way of Lima and Cusco and, whilst I suppose it is, it follows the natural route of buses that you can take through southern Peru. It’s the second largest city in Peru after Lima, but the key difference is that you can walk around the city centre, including the beautiful Plaza de Armas, safely both during the day and after dark (as long as you’re in a group).
To get to Arequipa, you can either take a short flight or a long bus ride from Lima or Cusco. Especially between Lima and Arequipa, I’d recommend following one of my Peru Itineraries and making a few stops along the way.
When I arrived in Arequipa I took the overnight bus from Ica to Arequipa with Cruz del Sur. Overnight buses in Peru are well known to be comfortable, quite luxurious and safe, and this was exactly the experience I had. Cruz del Sur checked in our bags before boarding like you would check in for a flight, handed out snacks and water on the bus, and the seats were super comfortable.
🚌 Book your tickets with: Cruz del Sur
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Arequipa is a great place to pitch up for a few days, explore everything there is to do in the famous White City, and let yourself adjust to the new altitude. There are also plenty of things you can do as day trips or weekend trips from Arequipa that you can’t see anywhere else, because it is a long day’s travel from most other cities or towns in Peru.
Here’s your complete guide to everything there is to do in Arequipa!
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Best things to do from Arequipa (outside of the city)
From Arequipa, you’re bound to be offered a tour or day trip to just about anywhere in Southern Peru, but some are more feasible than others. For example, if you want to go to Lake Titicaca or the Nazca lines, you would need to stay overnight there. Other places, like I mentioned before, are mostly accessible from Arequipa and there is a lot to see and do here without going too far afield!
Colca Canyon hike
Colca Canyon is the main attraction close to Arequipa. The best way to see the Canyon is by doing the multi-day hike, because you’ll get to hike along one of the deepest canyons in the world, visit hot springs, and stay in some of the most unique and beautiful hostels around. You can either do this hike as part of an organised trip, or do it solo or as a group. If you don’t have that much time to spare, you can also visit Colca Canyon as an organised day trip.
📍Book your Colca Canyon Hike here
Laguna de Salinas
Laguna de Salinas is a salt lake just two hours drive from Arequipa. You can take a day trip in English or Spanish, and explore the glass mirror reflection of the salt lake with the incredible Misti Volcano towering in the background. Laguna de Salinas is especially worth visiting if you won’t have time to make Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia before or after your trip to Peru.
📍Book your trip to Laguna de Salinas here
Quebrada de Culebrillas
We took a day trip to Ruta del Sillar and Quebrada de Culebrillas all in one go. Ruta del Sillar was an interesting way to learn about the earthquake-proof sillar stone that is used to construct most of the buildings in Arequipa, but the best part of the trip was Quebrada de Culebrillas, a small canyon that you can walk through for really unique and impressive views.
📍Book your trip to Quebrada de Culebrillas here
Chili river rafting
Just twenty minutes outside of Arequipa (so barely outside of Arequipa at all) is a section of the Chili river that’s perfect for white water rafting. Unless you’re a seriously experienced rafter, it’s best to do this as part of an organised trip with an experienced guide who can keep you safe in the crazy waters of the Chili river.
Taking an organised tour also generally means that you will get picked up and dropped off at your hostel or accommodation in Arequipa, and all of the equipment you need will be provided.
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Best Things to Do in Arequipa
There’s plenty of things to do in Arequipa itself if you’re tired of taking day trips and tours, (although I really would recommend checking out a couple of the options above if you have the time and energy on your hands!). Besides the usual tours, museums and markets that I’ll mention below, Arequipa is a great place to soak up the local culture, and eat some local food (or not-so-local food, too, I went to a great Italian place with some friends from my hostel when I was travelling in Arequipa).
Free Walking Tour
The Yellow Umbrella free walking tour in Arequipa was one of the best I’ve ever done. Our tour guide was really good, funny, and none of the explanations or talks were too long or too short. As he took us around Arequipa we got to try samples of various Peruvian food and drinks, and the city tour ended at Mundo Alpaca, a small Alpaca farm owned by local people, where you can learn about Alpaca wool and, my favourite bit of all, feed the Llamas and Alpacas.
We contacted them on Whatsapp and they recommended that the best time to do the tour was at 3pm as it ends with a small, free cocktail of Pisco sour (we’d originally planned to do the 1pm tour, but the cocktail was worth the wait).
You can also visit Mundo Alpaca without taking the free walking tour, but it isn’t clear online if you have to pre-book or not.
📍The free walking tour we did doesn’t seem to have much online presence, but they had a flyer in just about every hostel. It started at Las Gringas Pizzeria and they called themselves the Yellow Umbrella tour.
Santa Catalina Monastery
The Monastery of Santa Catalina was built in 1579 and is located in the historical center of Arequipa, Peru. It is part of the UNESCO world heritage site of Arequipa, and it has been rebuilt several times due to Arequipas many earthquakes. It is now made of sillar, white volcanic rock, which is what makes Arequipa’s architecture so unique and earns it its name “the White City”. The white volcanic rock is porous, allowing it to withstand tremors and earthquakes.
Museo Santuarios Andinos
Museo Santuarios Andinos, which you’ll also hear called the Andean Sanctuaries Museum or MUSA, is an important museum in Arequipa that displays various objects that were used in Inka sacrifices, including human sacrifices. It is renowned for housing Juanita, one of the most important and well-preserved mummies in Peruvian history, a young girl who was sacrificed in an Inkan ritual.
I didn’t go myself – the human sacrifice thing got my stomach in knots, if I’m honest, but a lot of people I met travelling in Arequipa told me that it was fascinating.
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Mercado San Camilo
The San Camilo Market (Mercado San Camilo) in Arequipa is the main market in the historical centre. They sell a variety of food, including fruit and vegetables as well as hot food, meaning this market is a must if you want to try the local cuisine. You can also buy artisanal cheeses, various holistic products as well as souvenirs and clothing.
The market is free to enter and open every day, although it closes at lunchtime on Sundays. I would recommend going in the morning either way, when the food is freshest.
Plaza de Armas
The Plaza de Armas or main square in Arequipa is beautiful, which is mostly down to the white volcanic rock that I have already talked so much about in this article. There is a stunning water fountain in the middle, flanked by the towering gothic cathedral and many shops, cafes and restaurants, in which you can sit with a stunning view of the square (just be sure to check the reviews before you pick where to eat, and don’t be fooled by the charming waiters!).
Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa
The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa sits on the aforementioned Plaza de Armas and is a stunning piece of architecture whether you decide to venture inside or not. If you do go in, be sure to ask somebody about the history of the building. Like many in Arequipa, it has been rebuilt and restored several times following huge earthquakes, as recently as 2002!
Mirador de Yanahuara
The Mirador de Yanahuara (Yanahuara viewpoint) gives you a stunning view of Arequipa and the three volcanoes that stand behind the city – if you’re lucky enough to go on a sunny day! During my time in Arequipa I struggled to get a good view of the volcanoes because it was so often cloudy or misty (which I guess is why one of the volcanoes is literally called Misti Volcano).
Drink two for one cocktails
Okay, so this is totally not an official thing to do in Arequipa, but it’s a secret I cannot gatekeep. I met up again with a friend I had met on the bus from Lima to Huacachina, and she told us about this happy hour bar that does insanely cheap cocktails. It felt kind of like an underground dive bar with 80s music, artwork on the walls and – as promised – really cheap cocktails on two-for-one.
It’s a very small bar and it doesn’t exist on google maps, but if you want to go looking for it then turn down the side-road that is to the left of the cathedral as you’re looking at it from the main square. It’ll be right there on your left. You’re welcome. 😉
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