Don't rush through Peru. Don't get the long bus from Lima to Cusco and certainly don't fly there, take your time, if you can, as to not miss out on gems like Arequipa! Taking the slow route towards Cusco also allows for acclimatisation ready for the big hikes. The city is an UNESCO World Heritage, framed by 3 volcanoes, and filled with amazing sights, history, culture and food. Arequipa was quite possibly our favourite city in Peru. We will tell you a little bit about why.
Where to Stay
We were on a tour so didn't pick our accomodation. It happened to be the Arequipa Inn, the price was included in our tour but it works out about £12 per person. It happened to be one of the more modern places we stayed during our travels, and despite being slightly more than hostels, it was a great price for a hotel! As they weren't fully booked, we were even allowed to keep the rooms, for no extra cost, whilst we took a multi day trip to Colca Canyon. You can do laundry here if needed. One of us even got lucky and happened to get the hotels apartment as their room, with own rooms for multiple members of the tour group, a kitchen, and a lounge at no extra cost, that was pot luck though!
What to Eat
Arequipa has great food, so great in fact many of the dishes and desserts we tried here, feature in our top 10 dishes to try and top desserts in South America.
Here is one of the best places to try Rocoto Relleno, we were recommended a restaurant by a local. It also had alpaca and llama steak or stew and fried guinea pig on the menu, if that's up your street and you want to give it a try. The guinea pigs certainly don't resemble those you've seen as pets. There is also a veggie version of rococo relleno at some restaurants, unfortunately we don't recall the name of the restaurant we visited.
Possibly our favourite Peruvian dish was pollo saltado, we tried it in lots of restaurants throughout Peru, and they were all just as delicious.
Check out the street vendors near Yanahuara for Queso Ice Cream. Despite the name it doesn't include any cheese, but is worth a try. You can also purchase it from Capriccio ice cream parlour, their partnered cafes, also serve the 'famous' caesar salad mentioned in our dishes blog.
You must look out for street vendors selling freshly baked picarones! They are definitely best served hot. Made from sweet potato, squash, flour, sugar, yeast and anise, deep fried and soaked in chancaca, a syrup like sauce, often then flavoured with orange or cinnamon, you choose.
Nearly every city we visited in South America, perhaps minus La Paz, was obsessed with dulce de leche. One of the best treats we found was 'alfajores', of course stuffed with dulce de leche. The Peruvian version of cookies. Also, found in Chile and Argentina in slightly different forms. Our favourite place to buy them in Peru, can be found in the corner of Plaza de Armas in Arequipa, a small shop with lots of different flavours, they just hit the right spot!
Weather
In Arequipa the temperature varies very little all year round hovering at around 21C. Making for very pleasant weather to explore the city and a break from the heat and humidity of much of Peru, whilst being warmer on an evening than much of the Andes region, and the likes of Cusco. We remember it being fairly warm but pleasant and nothing hot and uncomfortable.
Things to do
Plaza de Armas is the main square in the centre of the city, and it is very picturesque. The square is surrounded by white baroque buildings, which give the city its nickname of 'The White City'. What many don't know, is that these buildings are made from sillar, white volcanic rock. The most iconic of the buildings is the cathedral which lines the entirety of one side of the square. The white buildings make for such a stark contrast to the surroundings. Also, check out the other squares of Plaza de San Francisco and and Plaza de Cayma, filled with lush greenery, often music and of course ice cream!
For the best views of the square, head to a rooftop bar on the edge of plaza de armas. Particularly if you want the best sunset view. Admire the basilica cathedral, which is the largest in Peru, as it lights up at night. It can get much colder at night, but do not worry, many of the rooftop bars have warm traditional Peruvian ponchos or blankets to put over you if you don't already have your own.
Take a free walking tour, or walking tour combined with food tour. Learn about the city's history, visit its best viewpoints and discover its hidden gems. Visit the old neighbourhood and Casa Del Moral, a Colonial house of the VXIII century. Admire the intricate design of the archway and go through the gate to see the warm red walls of some of the most preserved Andean Baroque architecture.
Discover more about the areas history, from colonial to Incan, by visiting the likes of Santa Catalina Monastery and the Santuarios Andinos Museum. The monastery is in the historical centre, the complex is huge and is built from the same volcanic sillar stone as the main square. As a result it is rapidly decaying due to air pollution. It has also survived multiple big earthquakes in the last century. It costs £11 to enter, however, a tour is recommended, starting from £30+, so we chose not to visit, as our budget didn't quite stretch that far! The museum houses the famous frozen Juanita. This is where you'll be able to truly understand the power of Incan sacrifice. Juanita, though many think she is a mummy, is in fact thought to be a frozen girl, of about 12, originating from around 1450s. The museum has a fixed visiting time of 1 hour and costs around £6 or 15 PEN.
Just like Lima and Cusco, Arequipa has an assortment of food and crafts markets on offer, including Mercado San Camilo where you can get delicious fresh produce. What makes Arequipa that bit better is that lots of its streets are pedestrianised! Who doesn't like a city you can wander with ease, less blaring horns and cleaner air, with dancing and music on the street.
Apart from an insane sunset at the rooftop bar over looking plaza de armaz, the best view had to be Yanahuara plaza Mirador (viewpoint). Its a short walk from the centre, and worthwhile visit, our walking tour took us here. The volcano is framed by archways and just behind you will see more intricate colonial churches, we saw a very grand wedding taking place here. The volcano you can see taking up much of the horizon is the mighty El Misti. Towering above at 5822m. It's one hell of a view point!
Excursion / Multi Day Trip from Arequipa;
If you are up for a challenge you can hike up El Misti, it was a very significant site to the Incas. It is a very hard hike, so make sure you are prepared, many who set off to hike, underestimate it and don't reach the summit. This isn't a hike we opted to do for several reasons, time, money and we had many other hikes planned so we didn't feel we were missing out.
As mentioned in 5 things not to be missed in South America, Colca Canyon is generally accessed via a stop in Arequipa. You can head to Colca Canyon for a long day excursion or a multi day trip with lots of hikes on offer. You'll really feel the altitude here, especially if you're heading South through the country, this will probably be the highest you've been so far. You get to see some stunning views on route, and they just get better when you arrive! Look out for condors soaring high above and don't forget to stop at the hot springs in Chivay.
Arequipa does get a lot of tourism, however, compared to the likes of Cusco, feels a lot more untouched. Before we visited, we'd heard people say, Arequipa just has something about it, a feeling, you can't put your finger on it, we wondered what the hype was all, especially as there is a lot to do but not as much as in Cusco and Lima. After visiting, we totally understood what people meant. So, go on, experience its unique charm for yourself, it truly won us over!
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