Arequipa Province

Arequipa has a beautiful centre and location beneath the huge Misti volcano and all the locals we met there were exceptionally friendly and welcoming. Arequipa should definitely be on everyones list of places to visit in Peru.

Very quaint. Small town. Very nice people.

I ate cuy chactado here. English translation = fried guinea pig.

Ok, so my mother and I were stuck in a really cruddy van on a really bumpy gravel road that made me wheezy and sick, for like 5 hours. I expected that wherever we were going was going to suck. But I was sooo wrong. Arequipa is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I was completly taken aback by the simple beauty of the valley. The hotel was plain but lovely: No heaters, only hot water bottles; powered by a generator that turned off at night; dirt paths, an expansive garden, dogs and farm animals outside our window. When we got there, I was pressuring my mom to let us leave early so I could get home, but I was soon begging my mom to let us stay an extra couple of days… We left, but I still have two esperanzas de Arequipa: 1- doesn’t get all touristy and crappy. that would suck. 2- I get to go back and soak up the beauty. :)

Visita este fabuloso lugar, historia, paisaje, aventura, ....

Don’t forget to try the “mazapanes” from “La Iberica”.. one of the best sweets in all Peru.

Beautiful city, Misti volcano is amazing and a great place to start off for the Colca Valley.