AREQUIPA

Altitude: 2,335 m
Climate: 10–25 °C | Dry, mostly sunny year-round, cold nights
How to get there: Rodríguez Ballón Airport or bus from Lima (16 hours) / Cusco (10 hours)

Arequipa is elegant. They call it the White City because it’s built with sillar, a white volcanic stone that gives it a unique look. There are three volcanoes around (Misti, Chachani, Pichu Pichu) that are visible from almost anywhere when the sky is clear.

The Monastery of Santa Catalina is a city within the city. It occupies an entire block, with streets, plazas, cells where the cloistered nuns lived. The walls are painted in intense colors: orange, blue, red. It functioned as a closed convent for 400 years. It only opened to the public in 1970. You can spend hours walking through — it’s huge.

Arequipa’s food is hearty. The rocoto relleno is truly spicy, not a joke. The chupe de camarones is a thick soup full of river shrimp. Adobo is eaten at breakfast (yes, stewed meat in the morning). It’s strong, rich, full of character food.

The Colca Canyon is the classic trip from Arequipa. You depart around 3 am (yes, early), drive 3–4 hours through mountain roads, and arrive at the Cruz del Cóndor lookout. There, if you’re lucky and the weather cooperates, you see condors flying just meters away. They’re giant, majestic. The canyon is 3,400 meters deep in spots — twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in Colorado.

Practical tip: To go to Colca you cross a pass at 4,900 m. If you’ve just arrived in Arequipa, wait a day to acclimatize a little. Bring warm clothes because it’s cold in the early morning. The full tour is long but worth it.