Arequipa
Arequipa is a beautiful city decked in colonial architecture, to a panorama of mountain peaks, including the dominant Misti volcano. For a historical introduction and some hidden neighbourhoods and viewpoints, take the free walking tour offered daily. A full day alone can be granted to the Santa Catalina Convent (Monasterio D Santa Catalina), dubbed “a city within a city.”
Plaza des Armas in Arequipa, Peru
Santa Catalina Convent in Arequipa
Arequipa (for Colca Canyon)
Four hours from Arequipa is Colca Canyon – the second deepest canyon in the world that is said to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Attracting everyone from day-trippers to hardened trekkers, not only can you view the Andean Condor birds in flight from above, as well as find majestic viewpoints to surrounding volcanoes, but also you can hike down into the Canyon, stay overnight in the oasis below and hike out at sunrise. It was painful, but an unforgettable landscape to experience.
