Arequipa: “The White City” Surrounded by Volcanoes at the Base of Peru

Arequipa, a “World Heritage Site” declared by Unesco, was our first real glimpse at that old Spanish colonial architecture that we were expecting to see more of before arriving in Peru. With the second largest population and the Constitutional Court of Peru, you can tell that Arequipa has a little more money than other cities in Peru. The bustling streets downtown are all repaved with cobblestone and there are people walking around everywhere enjoying themselves. Unlike the other places we had been, the buildings were renovated and complete, and you could feel the link between Arequipa and its proximity to Chile, Bolivia, and Brazil. 

You’re looking at about 7,600 ft (2,300 m) elevation in Arequipa and the weather, while we were there in the dry season (winter), very dry. So keep that lotion handy because we were layering it on nonstop to avoid itchy skin. The backdrop to Arequipa is magnificent with Mist Volcano dominating the skyline, and the dormant volcanoes Pichu Pichu and Chachani also on the horizon. One story documents that Ari qepay translates to “let’s stay here,” and while that story has been proven inaccurate by historians, I’d still like to believe that’s true. 

We arrived in Arequipa after a long night bus from Paracas. I’m really not a fan of night buses, but it was really the only way to Arequipa, so I bit the bullet and suffered through one cold sleepless night. We arrived precisely at sunrise to the bus station, caught a taxi from one of the attention-seeking cab drivers, and made sure that his price seemed fair. I always check the Uber prices before I negotiate with a taxi driver in pretty much any country. It’s about a 25 minute drive to central Arequipa and we were more than lucky to get there on such a beautiful day.

Where to stay

We booked the Park Hostal on Calle Dean Valdiva in the center of Arequipa. This guesthouse is a large colonial building and was perfectly adequate for our needs. Our room had a balcony facing the street, the rooftop terrace with breathtaking views of Misti Volcano was open 24/7, and a decent complimentary breakfast was provided each morning. We had a private double room with an ensuite for 21USD a night and the host was more than accommodating. The downsides were the less than impressive breakfast, which was par for the course in Peru, and that we had to be buzzed in everytime we arrived. But besides that, everything was within walking distance, the neighborhood felt safe, and it was cheap.

If you’re looking for a more social atmosphere as a group traveling together or looking to meet people as a solo traveler, look no further than Arequipa Backpackers Downtown. They have a proven track record of great reviews claiming cleanliness, cheap beds, and a great location. They have family style tables to share meals with other guests, yoga classes are offered, and they lend bikes as well.

Plaza de Armas

The centerpiece of Arequipa is the Plaza de Armas, which has the Cathedral of Arequipa, two churches, and the Portals of Arequipa, all built out of volcanic stone. This plaza is a South American treasure. I’m sure glad I didn’t do any research prior to arriving to Arequipa, per usual, because I was awestruck when I walked up to this palm tree covered square with a fountain in the middle surrounded by volcanoes. The first place we had to stop was a second story lounge under the arched portals with views of Mount Misti and the Cathedral in its shadow. Like after any long journey in Peru, you have to stop for pisco sour or Cusquena beer before heading off to explore your new surroundings.

Free Walking Tour

We thought we’d start out our exploration of Arequipa by getting versed on its history. We’re no history buffs, but it’s always nice to gain some perspective on your new environment in order to gain appreciation for the structures and landscape around you. What better and cheaper way to do that than a free walking tour guided by a passionate individual that knows what he or she is talking about.

There are a number of free walking tours to choose from and it gets confusing because all the companies name themselves “Free Walking Tour Arequipa.” I know, ridiculous, right? I think we got lucky in choosing Alfono’s tour because he is a local Arequipeño with a passion for his city and more importantly, owns a Pisco shop. 

We did the 3:00pm tour on the day we arrived in Arequipa. “On this tour you will learn about pre- inca and colonial history, San Agustin University, Tambo el Matadero, El Solar Neighborhood, Alpaca World, Yanahuara district, Volcanos, etc.” The highlights for us were visiting the alpacas and feeding them, watching the old Qechua women cook ancient recipes, and the rooftop sunset over Plaza de Armas.

Cheap, local, sabor, spicy Peruvian cuisine

Arequipa is known around South America as being the food capital of Peru. They have all the standard affairs that you’ll find throughout Peru like pollerias, chufa, and ceviche, plus an assortment of unique dishes only found in Arequipa. 

Don’t forget to visit San Camilo Market where you find one of my favorite dishes, rocoto relleno, a bell pepper stuffed with grilled veggies and ground meat covered with melted cheese, served with papel de papa, a type of au gratin potato side dish with cheese. You’ll thank me later if you’re a spicy food lover like I am. Although Arequipa is a ways from the ocean, they’re still known for their seafood as well, where you’ll see locals bellied up to the bars in the market for ceviche. 

Arequipa is also known for their picanterías, picante meaning spicy, where you’ll find a great number of restaurants serving particular dishes on certain days of the week. As our tour guide explained to us on the free walking tour, Mondays are for tripe soup, Tuesdays for a meat, veggie, and potato stew, Saturdays for shrimp chowder, and Sundays for adobo pork stew. These restaurants are not usually open everyday of the week and they’re usually only open for lunch, so make sure to make plans before heading out to find one.  

Whether it’s the market or the picanterías, you’ll want to wash down your deliciously spicy dishes with Chicha. Chicha is the national drink of choice made from purple corn and other fruit that make it extremely sweet. The locals usually drink the non-fermented version, but you can also find the fermented chicha (with alcohol) at nicer restaurants. Chicha originates from the Incas, before the Spanish arrived in Peru.

If you really want to try something unique, check out the boisterous antichuchos establishments. Antichuchos are skewered beef hearts cooked on an open grill served with potatoes and three types of salsas. I know what you are thinking, “beef hearts, really?” We had the same hesitancy, but after seeing how packed these places were with locals, we had to try them. We ended up really enjoying them, and at S/.6.50 (1.85 USD), it’s hard to compete with those prices.

Santa Catalina Monastery: A city within Arequipa

While walking around Monasterio de Santa Catalina you can’t help but feel like you can be at any point in time in the last 400 years. Constructed in 1580, this monastery was home to nuns of the Dominican Second Order. These were the daughters of wealthy Spanish families who paid hefty sums to send their little girls halfway across the world to learn the ways of nunhood. Santa Catalina remained mostly unchanged over the years, with the exceptions of a reform by the Pope in 1871, and later reconstruction due to a large earthquake that hit the area.

You can receive a brochure at the entrance in about any language you prefer and pay an additional price for a tour guide. We opted out of the tour guide because we’re not exactly tour guide patient people. We took our time admiring all the artwork, bedrooms, worship rooms, and courtyards, before coming to the realization that we would be walking around Santa Catalina all day before finishing.  

With all the different colored buildings, streets, plazas, fountains, trees, walls, and gardens, you can be exploring Santa Catalina all day. Make sure to check out the little houses along the streets named after Spanish cities, as well as the towers with scaping views of Arequipa.  While we could have explored the monastery all day, we had different places to see and different foods to devour.

Sillar route: Discover how Arequipa was built

You’ll be surprised to find out that the way in which Arequipa was built, and is currently being built, hasn’t changed much for hundreds of years. It’s the sillar workers that carve the white volcanic stone out of the earth that deserve all the credit for Arequipa’s beauty. 

The sillar route is a half day trip and you have the option of leaving in the early morning or early afternoon. It took us about 4 hours from start to finish because of driving distances and commute traffic we hit on the way back. You’re probably looking at about a 3 hour tour if you leave in the morning.

At the first stop you’ll get to visit the sillar where you will witness firsthand how the stones are chiseled out and formed by the workers. These stone formers work their whole lives here, selling each stone for a fixed price to developers in Arequipa. It’s backbreaking work, and yet, the cacao chewing workers were happy to show us their technique and to let us take a hack at it ourselves. 

From there you head to a protected pink ashlar canyon, where you’ll get to hike a short route through the middle. The walk was actually more picturesque than we anticipated and at the end you’ll find ancient stone carvings from the Pre-Incan peoples. Just make sure to apply bug spray, because I got eaten alive on that short hike.

An amazing experience in the “White City”

If you feel like checking Colca Canyon and doing one or two day hikes, by all means, go for it. For us, we were more than happy to explore Arequipa, learn about its history, explore its beauty, and eat its deliciously spicy food. We had plenty of time to trek throughout Peru, so we were more than happy to enjoy our rooftop vista while drinking pisco sours, followed by wandering around the food market trying different local dishes. Hopefully Arequipa, the La Ciudad Blanca, will be everything and more for you as well.