Alternative City Tour

We start the route from the travellers’ hotels and then we will head to the historic centre of Arequipa, declared World Heritage by UNESCO. This is the best place to learn about the architecture of Arequipa and understand his nickname "the White City."

Plaza de Arequipa will be visited and its interesting fountain crowned Tuturutu (the goblin who is said to have lived on Santa Catalina Convent). Guests will have a chance to appreciate the Cathedral of Arequipa, which is considered the most beautiful in Peru. We will also visit the Church and Cloisters to Company of Jesus, the richest example of “Barroco Mestizo” and fusion of Andean and Spanish culture.

The tour will continue with a stroll through the traditional San Camilo market, the best place to discover the true culture of Arequipa. We will see a variety of agricultural products from the region and a range of cultural elements in this region.

We return to the centre of the city to take a trip to Arequipa's colonial past, a visit to the famous Santa Catalina Monastery. This ancient little city is truly splendid, strong white walls of sillar with intense paintings of deep indigo and ocher make the perfect contrast to the eternal blue sky of Arequipa.

Then, the group will travel further back in time to visit the Juanita mummy. A child sacrificed to Apus (mountains) about 600 years ago. Juanita is in the Andean Sanctuaries Museum where textiles are also displayed and different offerings that accompanied the sacrifice. Juanita the mummy remained intact for hundreds of years since the freezing ice functioned as natural mummification.

Alpaca World will be the final visit, which is a special place where one can observe all the stages of alpaca fibre. We'll find a corral, where they exhibit different types of alpaca and in another section the tour will learn the entire process of dying the natural yarn by hand to the creation of beautiful traditional clothing in looms. There is also the option of purchasing fine alpaca clothing.

The participant must bring a camera, sunblock, hat on the morning and jacket for afternoon.