MAIN TOURISTIC ATTRACTIONS
Location: The Department of Arequipa is located in the southeastern part of the country. Its limits are: The Pacific Ocean in the west, the Departments of Cusco and Puno in the east, Ica , Ayacucho and Apurimac in the north and Moquegua in the South.
Climate: Varies according to the geographical area considered. On the cost and inland it is desert and semi-warm; in the mountain it is temperate and dry.
Area: 63.528 square kilometers.
Capital: Arequipa. Located at 2,335 meters above sea level.
TOURISTIC OFFER
The City of Arequipa
Arequipa Surroundings
Other atractions: Colca, Cotahuasi, Toro Muerto…
The tourist potential of the Department of Arequipa is divided between the beauty of the capital, the wild attractiveness of its nature and its landscapes, and its great gastronomic wealth.
Regarding nature, the city of Arequipa is an ideal starting point for different excursions in which to observe the varied Andean fauna (including the majestic condor and the graceful Vicuñas) while enjoying one of the wildest landscapes and suggestive of Peru: extensive deserts and plateaus, lagoons, glaciers, volcanoes and some of the deepest canyons in the world.
THE CITY OF AREQUIPA
Surrounded by the desert and located at the foot of the Misti Volcano, the so-called White City is a modern city that was founded in 1540 with the name of Villa Hermosa de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion. Declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, it preserves numerous samples of colonial art and a historic center of great beauty.
Main tourist attractions in the historic center:
Main Square.
Temples and religious buildings.
- Cathedral.
- Santa Catalina Monastery.
- Recoleta Convent.
- Convent of Merced.
- San Francisco Complex.
- Church of the Company.
- Church of San Agustin.
- Church of Santo Domingo.
- Church of Santa Teresa.
Colonial Buildings
- House of Morales.
- Tristan del Pozo House.
- Iriberry House.
- Goyeneche House.
- Currency House.
- Shepherd’s House.
- House of Mendiburo.
Other Places of Interest
- Andean Santuaries Museum .
- San Lazaro Neighborhood.
SURROUNDINGS OF THE CITY OF AREQUIPA
Point of interest in the vicinity of Arequipa:
Traditional Neighborhoods
- Yanahuara neighborhood.
- Cayma neighborhood.
- Paucarpata neighborhood.
Historical Constructions
- Founder’s Mansion (Huasacache)
- 17th century moll (Sabandía)
- Church of San Miguel Arcángel (Cayma)
- Inca Terraces (Yumina)
- Yura hot Springs
OTHER ATTRACTIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT
The tourist attractions of the Department of Arequipa, apart from those offered by the capital, area very varied, especially in relation to the richness of its nature and its landscapes:
VALLEYS AND CANYONS
- Colca Canyon.
- Cotahuai Canyon.
- Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve.
- Imata Stone Forest.
- Caves and Stone Forest of Sumbay.
- Valley of the Volcanoes.
- Salinas Lagoon.
- Natural Sanctuary of Lagunas de Mejía.
Among all these places, the best known worldwide is possibly the Colca Canyon, where you can find pre-Hispanic remains, visit various traditional towns (Chivay, Yanque, Achoma, Maca, Pinchollo, Cabanaconde), relax in the thermal waters of la Calera or enjoy the flight of the Condores at the Mirador de la Cruz del Condor.
The Department of Arequipa is also famous for its volcanoes, both active and extinct, mong which are: Coropuna (6,425 masl), Ampato (6,380 masl), Chachani (6,075 masl), Hualca Hualca (6,025 masl), Sabancaya (5,976 masl), Misti (5,822 masl), Ubinas (5,672 masl), Pichu Pichu (5,571 masl) and Mismi (5,526 masl).
From the archaeologicla point of view, the main tourist point of the Department is the Petroglyphs of Toro Muerto.
