About Us

Hola y Bienvenidos! Hello and Welcome from Arequipa Experience....your local connection in Arequipa , Peru! We are in love with this area of Peru. We never tire of the beautiful buildings made of sillar (volcanic rock) for which Arequipa gains the name ofLa Ciudad Blanca or "the White City," the sunny days that surround us or the stunning peaks of Misti, Chachani, and PichuPichu thatenclose our city. We are here for all your Arequipa accommodation and tour needs, so that you can understand all that Arequipa has to offer. We do all this in a way that is responsible and sustainable to our destination. We want to use tourism as a tool to help our local community and leave the pristine natural resources of this area just as we found them. As the name of our tour company explains, we stand for friendly tourism that considers the welfare of the community and environment it touches. We extend an invitation to you to come and see all that is presented in Arequipa and let us lead you through the south of Peru.

Who we are:

Mariel was born in Lima and has lived the majority of her life in Arequipa. Her family has always stressed the importance of love and respect for Peruvian culture and this is very much a part of Mariel's wiring. She studied Anthropology for one year because of her interest in culture and community, and then finished with a degree in Tourism. She enjoys exploring the Colca Canyon in her free time and this has fuelled her love and bond to this exquisite area in Peru. She thinks the best way to learn is to travel to a new place and really get to know the people. Arequipa has much to teach to its guests and Mariel is excited to be the one to show you its unique ways.

Jimmy has been an avid traveller for many years. Through travelling he has learned about the many different cultures, realities and issues that face Peru, which has led him to believe that tourism is a wonderful tool to help development in Peru. Jimmy also spends his free time practicing amateur photography. He feels the most important thing in the world is family and enjoys travelling with them whenever he can. If you see him moving about the country, his camera and family should not be far.  He would love to share his passions with you and can offer lots of great information about what is happening in Arequipa.

Sustainable Tourism in Arequipa:

At Friendly Peru Travel we have a code of conduct and express these guidelines to all of our guests that participate in our programs about appropriate ways to behave while on our tours.

Our Code of Conduct:

- All guests should be dressed appropriately to show respect towards the local customs, without showing too much skin.

- Participates should always ask permission before taking photographs.

- Please refrain from giving candy to the children.

- Please make no attempt to intentionally offend the culture of the local peoples. Please be discreet with practices in your own culture that you are aware are not acceptable. Remember that as we travel, we should try to learn about cultures different from ours instead of imposing our culture onto those places we visit.

- Please place trash in the appropriate locations.

- Conserve the use of water and other scare resources.

- Please do not purchase products made with materials from endangered species.

Friendly Peru Travel believes that education is the key to change and we do our part to explain the local culture and practices to the travellers that come to our beautiful home. Travellers are encouraged to not simply take the guidebook as truth, and to make an attempt to speak to the local people and learn from them. After all, they are the best source of information about their culture!

We make every effort to support the local communities in our tours by bringing our tours through small villages and promoting their handicrafts and services to our guests. We also hold lessons through the government in the town of Yanque to teach guides and other touristic endeavours about the best way to go about their tourism activities. We promote small family-run Arequipa hostels and businesses rather than large corporations to help bring more life and economic stability to the indigenous communities around our region. We are delighted and motivated about our new partnership with WHL; we believe WHL is an outstanding tool for the growth of our company. They have a similar view of the responsible tourism that we have been pursuing in our local community and this allows our small business the means of the internet to spread our knowledge and vision to the masses. If you would like to learn more about our historic city, do not hesitate to contact us and we will fill you in on all the insider tips in Arequipa!

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