AREQUIPA IN 03 DAYS

Fascinating history. Delicious cuisine. An Old Quarter with World Heritage Site status. Three days in this Peruvian city and its surrounding areas are well worth your while.

Start your tour in Arequipa’s main square, where you can marvel at the imposing Cathedral, originally constructed in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 19th century after significant damage from a great fire and later a major earthquake. Two blocks away is the colonial architecture and period décor of Casa Moral.

Plaza Arequipa

Next, head towards the Convento de Santa Catalina for a journey back in time better than any Hollywood movie. Ask about the nighttime tours for a candlelight experience of a time when the convent was the permanent home to the second-born daughters of aristocratic families. When you leave, head towards Calle La Merced to visit Casa Goyeneche, which is currently the headquarters of the Central Reserve Bank. Check out the coin exhibit and the collection of important colonial art and pottery.

Santa Catalina Convent
For lunch, don’t miss a chance to savor the fare of La Nueva Palomino. Located in the traditional district of Yanahuara, this reasonably priced restaurant offers the best of local cuisine.

Rest La nueva Palomino
Afterwards, enjoy a stroll along the narrow streets paved with white ashlar, soak up the atmosphere in the charming plaza (complete with music provided by the municipality), visit the beautiful church and take in the lookout’s terrific view of the Misti volcano.

Yanahuara

Your trip to the Cañón del Colca begins early in the morning and involves an ascent of more than 6,500 feet. Along the way, you’ll spot the Yura cement factory, with its desert location and modern architecture combining to create a futuristic feel. The road continues toward the Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca, home to vicuñas, alpacas and llamas. If you’re lucky, migratory birds like the pariguana (a kind of flamingo) will be waiting in the wetlands to offer a prime photo opportunity.

Salinas y Aguada Blanca

Once in Colca, you’ll have a chance for lunch and a nap to help you acclimate completely. In the afternoon, the La Calera hot springs in Chivay will melt away any remnants of stress.

Next morning, head to the Cruz del Cóndor, a lookout that gives you a real sense of the depth of the Cañón del Colca. You can also witness the daily flights of the condors, which are astonishing to see in person.

Along the way, the pre-Inca terraces and small towns like Yanque and Maca will impress you with their beauty and history.

Head back to Arequipa around midday and you’ll be in the city by the afternoon. If you still have energy left, this is a great time for shopping at the Mercaderes pedestrian market, the shops in the Claustros de la Compañia or the antique stores on the streets of Santa Catalina and Zela. Make time for a visit to La Compañia, which is adorned with paintings by Bitti, an important painter and Jesuit priest who was one of the world’s foremost exponents of the Mannerist style.

And, for a final treat, try the chocolates at La Ibérica, a traditional family owned chocolate factory founded in 1909 famous for its chocolates and toffees.