Destinations worth visiting in the Arequipa Region

The city of Arequipa, called the White City because it was built almost entirely with “sillar,” a white volcanic rock, is a UNESCO World Cultural Site. Arequipa is a charming city with old churches, monasteries, and mansions that are testimony of its rich past. One of the main attractions is the monastery of Santa Catalina, a XVI century walled-citadel within the city.

 

In the outskirts of Arequipa City, you can walk among 5,000 stones carved with anthropomorphic petroglyphs at Toro Muerto. Journey through awe-inspiring places, such as the Valley of the Volcanoes, a moonlike landscape of 80 small volcanoes. The Cotahuasi and Colca, the World's deepest canyons, 3400m deep and surrounded by sharp, snow-capped peaks such as the Mismi, whose melted snow grow to be the great Amazon River. Admire the depth of the canyons and see the Andean condor fly, the largest flying bird on Earth, with a wingspan of more than 3 meters (9 feet), at viewpoints such as the Cruz Del Condor. At the bottom, the thundering Cotahuasi and Colca Rivers are an irresistible challenge to the bold and experienced kayakers and white-water enthusiasts.