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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Real Latin american experts

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Paul Winrow Giffin
    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.

  • Ben
    Ben Line - Travel Expert

    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

  • Maggie
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Hannah
    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

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