Arequipa: The White City in the Shadow of Three Volcanoes

Arequipa sits at 2,335 metres above sea level in a valley between three volcanoes: El Misti (5,822m, perfectly conical, perpetually snow-capped), Chachani (6,057m), and Pichu Pichu (5,664m). The colonial city centre is built almost entirely from sillar, a white volcanic stone quarried from those same volcanoes, which gives the buildings a uniformity of colour and material that earned the city its nickname, the White City. On a clear afternoon with the light coming off that stone, Arequipa looks improbably beautiful.

It is also, logically, one of Peru’s better cities for food. The city has its own culinary tradition, rocoto relleno (stuffed red pepper, stuffed with spiced meat and baked), chupe de camarones (prawn chowder), adobo arequipeño (pork marinated in chicha and spices), that is distinct from Lima’s more famous coastal cuisine and arguably more interesting. Serious travellers to Peru who skip Arequipa because they are in a hurry to get to Cusco are making a mistake.

The Santa Catalina Monastery

The Santa Catalina Monastery is a 20,000 square metre convent complex built in 1580, enlarged over the following century, and largely sealed from the outside world until 1970 when it was opened as a museum. Walking through it is like walking through a small medieval city that happened to have been continuously inhabited by cloistered nuns: cobblestone streets, private chapels, kitchens, a laundry with stone washing channels, and cells ranging from simple to (for wealthy novices) surprisingly comfortable.

Admission is S/50 per person (around $13 USD). Open daily 09:00-18:00, with extended evening hours to 20:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays for candlelight visits. The candlelight visit is genuinely atmospheric rather than a gimmick; the monastery is easier to imagine at its actual purpose when not illuminated by modern electric lights. Multilingual guides are available at the entrance.

El Misti and the Colca Canyon

El Misti is climbable for experienced trekkers with proper acclimatisation. The standard two-day ascent starts from a base camp at 4,800 metres; reaching the summit requires crampons and ice axe experience and a guide. The view at dawn from the summit takes in the Colca Canyon to the north and the Pacific coast on clear days.

The Colca Canyon, two hours northwest of Arequipa, is one of the deepest canyons in the world at nearly 3,400 metres from rim to river, roughly twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. The canyon has Andean condors, the world’s largest flying bird by wingspan, reaching 3.2 metres, in numbers visible from the Cruz del Condor viewpoint, particularly in the morning thermal hours from 08:00 to 11:00. Tours from Arequipa typically involve an overnight in Chivay or Yanque with an early morning condor viewing.

Where to Stay and Eat

The historic centre has good accommodation concentrated around the Plaza de Armas. La Casa de Melgar (a renovated 18th-century colonial mansion, doubles from around $80) is one of the better mid-range options for architecture. Hostal Casablanca is solid at the budget end.

For rocoto relleno, La Nueva Palomino in the Yanahuara district (a 10-minute taxi from the centre) is the local institution, with a menu anchored in traditional Arequipeña cooking. Zingaro near the plaza does serious pizza if you need a break from Peruvian food.

Getting There

Arequipa’s Rodriguez Ballón airport (AQP) has direct flights from Lima (1 hour, multiple airlines). The flight makes far more sense than the 12-hour overnight bus on the Pan-American, though the bus along the coast is one of the more dramatic stretches of Peruvian road if time is not a constraint.