Peru
4 Day Best of Arequipa Tour Package
Colca Valley, Juanita Mummy museum, Santa Catalina Monastery
From
US$493
≈ €424 · billed in US$ ≈ £364 · billed in US$ per person
Arequipa · Peru
Arequipa
In short
Arequipa is Peru’s second city, built in white volcanic sillar at 2,335 m under three volcanoes. Two days covers the centre and the Santa Catalina monastery; four covers the Colca Valley as well. It sits lower than Cusco, which makes it the easier place to land first.
The centre is built almost entirely from sillar, the white volcanic stone that gives the city its name, and the Santa Catalina monastery is the reason most people stay a second day: a walled sixteenth-century enclave of streets, patios and chapels that works like a small city inside the larger one.
The Colca Valley is the other half of the trip. The canyon is around 3,270 m deep, farmed on its sides in pre-Inca terraces, and the reason people come is the condors over the rim. It runs as a day tour from Arequipa, or as the second half of the four and five day packages.
The altitude order matters if Cusco is also on the trip. Arequipa is a thousand metres lower, so landing here first and going up afterwards is kinder than doing it the other way round.
Things to do in Arequipa
- The Santa Catalina monastery, a sixteenth-century walled enclave
- A centre built in white sillar, under the volcanoes
- The Colca Valley and the condors, on a day tour
- Juanita, the Inca mummy found on Ampato
- The Sillar Route, where the stone the city is built from is quarried
Practical detail
- Altitude
- 2,335 m — about 1,000 m lower than Cusco
- How long you need
- 2 days for the city, 4 with the Colca Valley
- Colca Canyon
- Around 3,270 m deep, reachable on a day tour
- Booking
- Every tour here closes two days before departure
What a trip to Arequipa costs
Per person, including hotels, transfers and the guided days each trip lists. International flights are never included.
Peru
5 Day Best of Arequipa Tour Package
Colca Valley, Juanita Mummy museum, Santa Catalina Monastery, Sillar route & Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa
From
US$680
≈ €585 · billed in US$ ≈ £503 · billed in US$ per person
Peru
Cathedral Museum Tour
Arequipa
From
US$30
≈ €26 · billed in US$ ≈ £22 · billed in US$ per person
Peru
Juanita Mummy Museum Tour
Arequipa
From
US$50
≈ €43 · billed in US$ ≈ £37 · billed in US$ per person
Peru
The Sillar Route Half-Day Tour
Arequipa
From
US$50
≈ €43 · billed in US$ ≈ £37 · billed in US$ per person
Peru
Colca Valley Day Tour from Arequipa
Arequipa
From
US$80
≈ €69 · billed in US$ ≈ £59 · billed in US$ per person
| Package | Length | Price p/p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Day Best of Arequipa Tour Package | 4 days | US$493 | Book |
| 5 Day Best of Arequipa Tour Package | 5 days | US$680 | Book |
| Cathedral Museum Tour | 4 hours | US$30 | Book |
| Juanita Mummy Museum Tour | 4 hours | US$50 | Book |
| The Sillar Route Half-Day Tour | 4 hours | US$50 | Book |
| Colca Valley Day Tour from Arequipa | 4 hours | US$80 | Book |
No package matches that search.
Frequently asked
How many days do you need in Arequipa?
Two for the city itself, which is enough for the centre, Santa Catalina and one museum. Four if you want the Colca Valley, because the canyon is a full day out and the day before and after it are not.
Is Arequipa worth visiting?
Yes, and it is the one Peruvian city people most often cut and then regret. The monastery has no equivalent anywhere else in the country, and the Colca Valley is a day trip rather than an expedition.
Should you visit Arequipa before or after Cusco?
Before. Arequipa is at 2,335 m and Cusco at 3,400 m, so arriving here first and going up afterwards spreads the altitude over several days instead of landing straight into it.
Can you visit the Colca Canyon in one day from Arequipa?
Yes. The Colca Valley day tour runs from Arequipa at US$80 per person and takes in the terraces, the villages and the viewpoints over the valley. Staying overnight in Chivay buys you the early condor hours rather than a different canyon.
What is Arequipa famous for?
The white sillar architecture of its centre, the Santa Catalina monastery, and Juanita — the Inca mummy found frozen on Ampato and now kept in the city. The Colca Valley is what most visitors add to it.