Travel to Arequipa, Peru.

Country/Town visited: Arequipa, Peru
Date of stay: Oct 2011
Where you stayed:Hostal Wayra River
Travelled with: Wife 
Tour or pre planned: Pre-planned 

If you’re travelling east through Peru from Lima, when you finally hit Arequipa you’ll begin to feel the effects of the altitude. Nestled at 2,900 meters above sea level, Arequipa is a stunningly located and picturesque city that is most definitely worthy of a visit.

With its surrounding snow-capped mountains and imposing volcanoes, it certainly creates a sight for sore eyes.

Definitely take it easy on your first day here, as you may feel slightly dizzy, nauseous, have a few headaches and get out of breath easily. Make sure you drink lots of water (and I mean lots) and if you are suffering badly, head to any chemist (there are tons of them) and grab some Sorojchi pills. A pack of about 9 will set you back 20 Soles. They work wonders.

For a place to rest your head, I can recommend Hostal Wayra River. 

The location is brilliant; mere minutes walk away from the main square. The people there are nice and the upstairs rooms have an awesome view over the mountains. Like most places, wifi worked on and off and the breakfasts are simple but nice. Rooms go for around 60 Soles p/n.

Arequipa is for the more adventurous, as there are many mountains to traverse and explore, as long as you don’t mind the huffing and puffing. Here is a list of some things you can do while there:

CENTRE OF TOWN

Head to Plaza de Armas and around and you’ll be impressed with this nicely kept busy square. Behind the cathedral is the 5.8km high El Misti Volcano which looms in the background, along with the surrounding mountains. At the northeast end of the plaza there’s a rooftop restaurant with a great view of the square and mountains. If you don’t want to stop for something to eat/drink, just sneak up for a quick photo.

Also just behind the Cathedral is a nice little pedestrian walkway with good places to eat.

While wandering the centre of town you’ll stumble across many nice colonial churches and buildings, monasteries and pedestrian walkways. Impressively, much of what you see is built with a white volcanic rock called Sillar.

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