"Viaje Arequipa y Puno: Discover the Best of Peru’s White City and Altiplano"

About this tour

DAY 1. ARRIVAL IN AREQUIPA .

Arrival in the city of Arequipa and transfer to the selected hotel.

The panoramic tour of the city of Arequipa begins in the traditional district of Yanahuara, which is located 2 kilometers from the Historic Center of Arequipa, on the right side of the Chili River.

Appreciate the beautiful narrow Andalusian-style streets with houses made of sillar stone and interesting attractions such as the Yanahuara Viewpoint, a place we will visit to have one of the best views of the volcanoes that surround the city: Misti, Pichu Pichu and Chachani.

This beautiful viewpoint was built in the 19th century and is located next to the Church of San Juan Bautista, facing a lovely plaza. The viewpoint consists of arches made of ashlar stone, inscribed with famous quotes from important figures in the city.

We will continue our tour of Arequipa, heading to the Chilin Valley to visit the Carmen Alto viewpoint. This spot offers beautiful views of the Arequipa countryside with its imposing volcanoes surrounding it, and between 1899 and 1927, it was used as an astronomical observatory.

Its terraces, dating back to pre-Inca and Inca times, are still used for cultivation. You'll see fruit trees and orchards.

The next stop will be the Incalpaca outlet, a store that offers high-quality, export-grade alpaca garments at excellent prices. Alpaca fiber is soft, lightweight, and very durable. Incalpaca exports its products to more than 50 countries worldwide and is committed to sustainability.

In addition, you can visit the small zoo that houses the store, where you will admire beautiful South American camelids such as alpacas, vicuñas, llamas and guanacos.

You will continue the tour passing through the district of Sachaca, where you will see the Goyeneche Palace in a panoramic view, a beautiful colonial house built in the 18th century and belonging to the bishop of that time, Juan de Goyeneche.

Along the way, you can also see Tingo's water park, considered the city's resort, which has pools for local families to cool off during the summer.

Next, you'll arrive at the Founder's Mansion, located 20 kilometers from the historic center. Here, the city's founder, Don Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, established his residence in 1540. The city tour will also take you to the Sabandía Mill, a beautiful site that once supplied the city with flour and still has a working mill today.

Returning to the city, you'll see the terraces of Paucarpata. You'll have panoramic views of the Plaza de Armas, where the beautiful Cathedral is located, and you'll pass by the Monastery of Santa Catalina.

Return to the hotel in the historic center of Arequipa and overnight stay.

DAY 2. STONE ROUTE.

In the morning, we'll pick you up from your hotel to begin a very special tour, the Sillar Route. On this half-day excursion, we'll stroll around two renowned quarries and meet the artisans who work with sillar stone.

We will take the route towards the Cerro Colorado district until we reach the Añashuayco Quarries, located at the foot of the Chachani Volcano, near the Chili River. This place boasts a wonderful natural and cultural landscape. We will walk through the area where the master stonecutters work and appreciate handmade works of art, such as colonial-era facades and carvings.

We will admire the Pink Stone, an area of the quarries that reflects an intense pink color in the sunlight due to the combination of the stone with sand and rocks.

We'll also visit artisan workshops to learn about working with sillar stone and see how it's crafted using traditional tools. We'll also observe the stone extraction process. You'll have the opportunity to purchase handicrafts (optional).

Continuing with this fantastic tour, we will visit the Culebrillas Quarry, and walk through this impressive natural ravine formed by the erosion of water and wind.

We will walk along these narrow walls and observe the Culebrillas petroglyphs, depicting animals such as birds, felines, and snakes, some reaching nearly 30 meters in height. These drawings belonged to the Wari culture, an Andean civilization that flourished between the 7th and 13th centuries AD.

Sillar has been used for the constructions of the city of Arequipa, declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

At the end of the tour, we will return to the center of Arequipa, next to the Santa Catalina Monastery. The rest of the afternoon is free, and overnight stay at a hotel.

DAY 3. AREQUIPA / COLCA CANYON.

We will depart at 8:30 am from Arequipa, driving 160 km to the city of Chivay.

Along the route, we'll pass through the town of Yura, whose streets and squares have been declared historical monuments. Then, we'll travel through Pampa de Arrieros and Pampa Cañahuas, home to the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve, where vicuñas roam and where we'll have the opportunity to see these beautiful camelids.

We'll continue our journey, visiting more small villages and enjoying breathtaking views of the volcanoes from the viewpoint. We'll arrive in Chivay, where you'll have free time for lunch and relaxation. Afterward, we'll explore the town and market of this picturesque Andean village, nestled high in the Colca Canyon.

Upon returning from the tour, you will return to your hotel located in Chivay. Overnight stay.

DAY 4. COLCA CANYON / PUNO.

We'll have breakfast very early in the morning and depart at 6:15 am for the famous "Cruz del Cóndor" viewpoint. We'll arrive in time for a beautiful view of the canyon's depths and, weather permitting, majestic images of the condors soaring overhead.

These impressive carrion birds are among the largest flying birds in the world. Watching them soar over the canyon and the vast valley is a magical sight.

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 much earlier than the time of the Incas.

After your visit to the Colca Valley, you will travel 320 km through beautiful scenery to reach the Puno bus terminal. We will pass through several small Andean villages before arriving at your hotel in Puno. Overnight stay at a hotel.

DAY 5. LAKE TITICACA: UROS AND TAQUILE.

After breakfast at your hotel located in the city or bay of Puno, you will be transferred to the lake port, where a speedboat or regular boat (depending on the option selected) will take you to the floating islands of the Uros.

Located 7 kilometers northwest of the city of Puno, the Uros are an ancestral society that inhabits a series of artificial islands built from totora reeds, which grow in the lake itself.

To build the Uros islands, totora reeds are woven in the areas where they grow thickest, forming a natural layer. On top of this layer, they build their houses, also made of the same material, and cook outdoors to prevent fires.

Lake Titicaca is located between Peru and Bolivia at 3,812 meters above sea level, within the Andean Altiplano or Collao Plateau, being the highest navigable lake in the world.

We'll be on the floating island, interacting with the locals who will show us their customs and way of life. More than 200 families live in this area of the highlands, and they have adopted Aymara as their language, in addition to Spanish.

Next, we'll take a boat for a 90-minute ride to Taquile Island. This island is Quechua-speaking, unlike the other Aymara-speaking islands in the lake. It was part of the Inca Empire, and remnants of that culture can still be seen in its architecture.

This is the second largest island in Lake Titicaca, covering an area of 5.5 kilometers. Its textile art is exquisite and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its highest point reaches 4,050 meters above sea level.

This place is perfect for experiencing local culture and learning about the area. The people are very friendly and their livelihoods depend on tourism, fishing, and agriculture.

Afterwards, we will enjoy a delicious typical Andean meal, and then we will begin our return to the port of Puno, where our transport will be waiting to take you to your hotel.

Overnight stay in a hotel.

DAY 6. SILLUSTANI AND DEPARTURE FROM PUNO.

We will pick you up from your hotel located in downtown Puno or on the shores of Lake Titicaca, and head towards the Sillustani archaeological site. This complex is located 34 km from the city of Puno, and is situated atop a peninsula surrounded by the beautiful Lake Umayo.

This site features funerary towers built by the Kolla people before the rise of the Inca Empire. Mummies have been found inside these towers, which were mummified in a fetal position before being placed inside the perfectly fitting stone structures.

The state of preservation of these stone towers is impressive, as the architecture and engineering used by the Kolla culture was quite advanced for the time. Some are 12 meters tall, with the Chullpa del Lagarto being the tallest and most representative.

After the tour to Sillustani with beautiful views of Lake Umayo, we will visit the communities that live around this place, to learn about their traditional lifestyles and their ancestral weaving techniques.

At the end of the visit we will continue the journey until we reach Juliaca Airport, located 38 km from Sillustani.