Arequipa and the Colca Canyon

Arequipa's white cathedral with its twin towers and snow-capped El Misti behind.

03Cities and regions

The south

Arequipa is Peru's second city, with about 1.2 million people, set at 2,328 metres in the valley of the Chili River beneath the cone of El Misti, whose summit reaches 5,822 metres. The Spanish founded it in 1540, and after repeated earthquakes it was rebuilt in sillar, a white or pink volcanic stone that earned it the name White City. Its 332-hectare historic centre has been a World Heritage Site since 2000. The highlight is the Santa Catalina Monastery, founded in 1579 on 20,000 square metres: a small city within the city, with narrow lanes and coloured walls behind a four-metre perimeter wall. About 160 kilometres northwest, the Colca Canyon runs for roughly 70 kilometres and plunges about 3,270 metres, its slopes lined with pre-Inca terraces. Its most famous stop is the Cruz del Condor lookout, where condors glide close to the cliffs. Allow two days for Colca, with a night in Chivay and its hot springs.

0 m
Arequipa altitude: 0 m
El Misti volcano: About 3,270 m
Colca Canyon depth: 2000
Historic centre on the World Heritage List

Arequipa and the Colca Canyon

Highlights