Arrival in Arequipa
DAY 1. We will pick you up from the airport or bus station, to transfer you to your accommodation located in the city center. Rest of the day off, and overnight at the hotel.
The Sillar Route, City Tour and Santa Catalina Convent
DAY 2. Breakfast at the hotel. We will pick you up from your hotel in the morning, to start a very special tour: The Sillar Route. We will take the Arequipa / La Joya route until we reach the Añashuayco quarries and the Quebrada de Culebrillas, and we will walk through this impressive gorge to discover the process used by the ancestors, and that are maintained until today, to take advantage of the volcanic lava which then become sillar blocks.
This material has been used for the constructions of the city of Arequipa, declared by UNESCO as World Heritage City. At the end of the tour, we will return to the hotel.
In the afternoon, we will start the city tour at the colonial district of San Lazaro, place where the city has been founded. Then, we will visit the Main Square, one of the most beautiful in Peru, and neighbor of the imposing Arequipa cathedral built in the seventeenth century and completely rebuilt after several earthquakes.
We will see the Cathedral and the Church Compañía de Jesús (1590), considered a classic example of the local baroque architecture that keeps inside a sample exceptional paintings and murals.
From there will move to the Monastery of Santa Catalina, an authentic medieval cloister built in 1579 that is still in use to this day. Then, we will visit Yanahuara and Carmen Alto districts to have a Panoramic view of the countryside, without a doubt a fantastic image. Return to the hotel and overnight.
Arequipa / Colca Canyon
DAY 3. Breakfast at the hotel. We will depart at 8:30 am from Arequipa, driving 160 km to Chivay Town.
On the route, we will pass through the towns of Yura, Pampa de Arrieros and Pampa Cañahuas, where it is located the National Reserve of Vicuñas Aguada Blanca, and we can see these beautiful camelids.
We will continue the tour visiting more small towns, and have wonderful views of the volcanoes from the viewpoint. We reach Chivay, and you will have free time for lunch and rest. Then, we will visit the town and market of Chivay. Overnight at the hotel.
Colca Canyon / Arequipa
DAY 4. After breakfast very early in the morning, we will start at 06:15 am to go to the famous point "Cruz del Cóndor". We are going to arrive on time to have a pleasant view of the canyon depth and if time allows, majestic images of the Condors flight.
On the way back to Chivay we will visit the traditional town of Pinchollo and the "Antahuilque viewpoint", where you can see wonderful 1,500-year-old terraces, built by the Collaguas, a culture before the time of the Incas.
We will continue visiting Macca, an Andean community that experienced an earthquake in November 1991 and the Yanque town with the most beautiful church in the valley. Arrival to Arequipa, and transfer to the hotel. Overnight.
Arequipa Countryside, Sabandía Mill, Founder`s Mansion and Andean Sanctuaries Museum
DAY 5. Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up of your hotel, and we will go to the outskirts of the city, towards the beautiful Arequipa countryside. Onions and garlics are grown in these areas.
We will visit the districts of Tingo, Sachaca and Paucarpata, with platforms and viewpoints with spectacular countryside views. We will continue the excursion visiting the Founder`s Mansion, a traditional mansion built of ashlar in the 18th century. We will finish our tour at the Sabandía Mill, an architectural jewel dating from 1621, and it works until today! Finally, we will transferred you to the hotel.
In the afternoon, we will have a fantastic one hour tour. We will visit the Andean Sanctuaries Museum, with a very interesting collection of many Inca artifacts and mummies from ancient Peru. You will be able to appreciate the good state of conservation of the famous Juanita Mummy, an Inca girl, found frozen in the snowy Ampato. At the end of the visit, you will be transferred to the hotel.
Departure from Arequipa
DAY 6. Breakfast at the hotel. We will pick you up and transfer you to the bus station or airport.
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