Peru Arequipa and Colca Canyon

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  • Colca Canyon
  • Colca Canyon
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The sunlit oasis of Arequipa is home to pearl-coloured buildings and sits at the foot of craggy volcanoes. Nearby, condors swoop over the cavernous Colca Canyon. Book your tour with Journey Latin America now.

Overview

On a fertile oasis in the desert of southern Peru, Arequipa - the White City - sits at the foot of craggy volcanoes and shimmers in the sunlight. The pearl-coloured mansions and churches, shady arches, spires and unreconstructed grid of gabled colonial houses have a middle-eastern flavour.

The small shops and cafés and flowery plazas make Arequipa a great place to relax, and to get accustomed to the altitude (2,335m) if heading into the Andes.

From here a lonely road heads 83km up through a wind-sculpted wilderness to plunge into the cavernous Colca Canyon, in the shelter of which pre-Inca communities built astounding amphitheatres of agricultural terracing which survive to this day.

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Holidays Arequipa and Colca Canyon

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Things to do

Look into things to do in Arequipa and the Colca Canyon in southern Peru. Book your tour of Peru with Journey Latin America now.

Accommodation

Examine hotels, lodges and other first class places to stay in Arequipa and Colca Canyon in southern Peru. Book a group tour now with Journey Latin America.

Casa Andina Premium Collection Arequipa
Casa Andina Select Arequipa
Colca Lodge
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Where to go when - our guide to Arequipa and Colca Canyon

Colca Canyon

The weather in Arequipa and Colca Canyon is wide and varied

Arequipa enjoys pleasant weather for most of the year, with some 360 days of sunshine. Temperatures are pleasant, warm enough to wear a shirt during the day and perhaps a light jumper at night. The higher altitudes of the Colca Canyon region make for much colder nights, particularly in the driest months of June to September. Rain is most likely between November and March. The condors are considered to be at their most active from late March to June.

View our Arequipa and Colca Canyon weather guide

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    Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Expert

    After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.

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    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

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    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

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    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

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    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

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