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Peru
Arequipa and Colca Canyon |
Arequipa, Peru's second largest city, was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2000. It is also known as “the White City” because many of its churches and colonial mansions are built from white ashlar, a type of volcanic stone. Three volcanoes rise above Arequipa, including the majestic Misti (5,821 masl - 19,092 ft),that can be seen from anywhere in the city. One of the city's main attractions is the Santa Catalina Convent, considered “a small city within a city.” There are also fine colonial homes such as the Casa del Moral and the Casa Goyeneche, which still feature Baroque-style ashlar carvings in their doorways.
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Santa Catalina Convent in
Arequipa, The White City
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Another of the city's impressive attractions is the Lady of Ampato or the Juanita Mummy, the mummy of an Inca adolescent who was offered as a sacrifice to the gods and which today can be seen at the Andean Sanctuaries Museum of the Santa Maria Catholic University (UCSM). The city is surrounded by broad countryside that includes the picturesque stone mill at Sabandia and the Yura hot springs. Today, the city of Arequipa is a key trade hub for southern Peru, famous for its export quality textiles woven from alpaca and vicuña wool. It offers delicious cuisine, and its excellent hotels are appropriate for international events.
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Molino de Sabandia in
Arequipa, The White City |
It has a dry and temperate climate; afternoons and evenings are cool.
Arequipa craftsmen emboss leather to make belts, desk accessories and furniture and use ashlar stone to make decorative items. Lamps, railings and furniture are also crafted from wrought iron.
Activities
City tours, visits to colonial homes and churches, tours of the countryside, trekking.
Nearby Attractions
Colca Valley and Canyon, Cotahuasi Canyon, the climb up to the Misti and Chachani volcanoes, the petroglyphs of Toro Muerto, the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve
Colca And Cotahuasi “the deepest canyons in the world” |
The area is ideal for hiking, river running, rock climbing, paragliding and mountain biking, and there is also a rich variety of animal and plant life. It’s here that hikers may be fortunate enough to spot the noble Andean Condor, the national bird of Peru, in flight. The Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons can be visited year round, although the best time of year for trekking and river running is between April and November. The climate is temperate, with cool afternoons and cold nights.
Colca Canyon (depth 3400 meters-11, 154 ft). Colca is the Quechua word for 'granary'. The canyon was formed by the Colca River. Its length is covered in hundreds of pre-Hispanic terraces, which are still used today and are proof of the advanced degree of farming expertise of the ancient Peruvians. |
Girls in typical dress
Colca Canyon |
Cotahuasi Canyon (depth 3,535 meters - 11,598 ft). Located in an inter-Andean valley with traditional towns such as Cotahuasi (2,683 meters / 8,802 ft); hot medicinal springs such as those at Luicho; waterfalls such as those at Sipia, with a drop of 250 meters / 820 ft; and vistas of snow-capped peaks of Corpuna and Solimana. It is home to a wide variety of animal and plant life. The area is ideal for hiking, river running and rock climbing.
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Activities: Condor watching, trekking, horseback riding, river running, eco-tourism, llama treks, wildlife watching.
Other Attractions: Valley of the Volcanoes in Andagua; ascent of the Misti and Chachani volcanoes; National Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca. |
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