Misti Volcano in Arequipa

Arequipa is Peru’s second largest, with a population of approximately 1’000,000. However, it has the feel of a small town, with the centre being compact and containing most areas of interest. Away from the centre, the city rapidly becomes residential, although there are a few sights worth visiting.

The city is splendidly located, in the shadow of three giant volcanoes. Chachani, at 6,075m is the highest, but it is the perfectly conical Misti that draws the attention. After the rainy season, when the snowline often reaches several thousand meters below the summit, it is wonderful just to admire the mountain. Although Arequipa is in the middle of a desert, agriculture has ensured that directly around the city there is plenty of greenery.

The barren hills clearly visible from the city form a stark contrast with the fields found throughout the city. Flying into Arequipa gives a sense of the inhospitableness of the landscape. Surrounded by volcanoes and deep gorges, all in a vast desert, it is easy to understand why the relatively benign geography of the valley of Arequipa, and its vegetation provided by the irrigation of the River Chili, attracted its first Spanish settlers.

The city of Arequipa was founded, or at least re-founded, on August 15 1540, by Francisco Pizarro’s envoy, and in 1541 the king of Spain gave the city the title of Villa Hermosa – beautiful city. There are a number of stories as to how Arequipa got its name. Some claim that the Inca general Mayta Capac stopped in the valley and moved by its beauty said ‘Are quepay‘ -’stay here‘. Other versions say that the Aymara Indians living in the valley called it’Ariquipa’, meaning the place behind the pointed mountain, referring to Misti. The centre of Arequipa is built out of a unique white volcanic rock, sillar, spewed out of nearby Chachani.

This gives the city a majestic aspect, especially around sunset when the changing colours of the sky are reflected in the facades of the buildings. Arequipa is known as ‘La Ciudad Blanca’, ‘the white city‘, and may people believe that this is because of the sillar. However, a more sinister explanation, which is probably more accurate, is that the racial purity of its original citizens, thoroughbred Spaniards, is the real reason for the city’s name.
Climate in Arequipa
Arequipa is dry and sunny all year long. During August, the weather gets slightly cold at night and at dawn, but the mornings and afternoons are warmed by bright sunshine. Generally speaking, the weather in Arequipa is mild with temperatures fluctuating between 10 and 24°C. The rainy season lasts from January to March but rainfall is reasonably moderate.

Historic Centre of Arequipa
The Historic centre of Arequipa, built in volcanic sillar rock, represents an integration of European and native building techniques and characteristics, expressed in the admirable work of colonial masters and Criollo and Indian masons. This combination of influences is illustrated by the city’s robust walls, archways and vaults, courtyards and open spaces, and the intricate Baroque decoration of its facades.

Santa Catalina Monastery
Santa Catalina Monastery was founded on the second of October in 1580 and has an extension of 20000 square metres and was constructed in the second half of the XVIth Century. The Convent, in which there are still nuns living in cloisters, is a walled small city with narrow streets, passages, stair cases and small squares.

The Convent, a city in miniature closed to the public until 1970, combines the white colour of the sillar with other tonalities, like ochre, indigo and orange that go well with the otherwise austere style.

Locationof Arequipa
Southern Peru, Andean zone, 2,335 meters above sea level. (7,660 feet)

Distances:
From Tacna 248.5 miles (400 km)
From Puno: 201.9 miles (325 km)
From Cusco 388 miles (625 km)
From Colca Valley 111.8 miles (180 km)
From Lima 633.8 miles (1,020 km)

Colca Canyon Perú

The Colca Valley, located in Arequipa’s Caylloma province,expects to attract some 25,000 visitors in August,Arequipa’s anniversary month, the Head of Autonomous Authority of Colca (Autocolca) Jose Luis Talavera said Tuesday.

He said that August is a very favourable month for the Colca Valley because many tourists arrive to the city of Arequipa to participate in the anniversary celebrations and take advantage of their stay to visit the Colca Canyon and its surroundings.

Although we haven’t got July’s tourism data yet, more than 20,000 tourists are expected. Autocolca figures indicate 7,331 tourists visited Arequipa between July 28th and August 1st, of which 4,335 were Peruvian and 2.996 foreign, higher growth over the same period last year.

“We estimate that about 25,000 tourists will arrive for Arequipa’s celebrations, the number of visitors increases significantly, and we are preparing for that by improving services and the maintenance of roads,” the official said.

The Colca Valley, located 165 km north of the Andean city of Arequipa, is a land of beautiful places surrounded by terraces, snow peaks and old towns founded in the 16th century. It is also one of the world’s deepest canyon and home of the majestic Condor.

Dances of Arequipa Peru

The month-long celebrations marking the founding anniversary of Arequipa began Sunday, August 1, with a colorful and lively parade of more than 1000 costumed dancers and musicians.

On Sunday morning, hundreds of locals and tourists took to the southern city’s streets to watch the dancers and floats coming from the surrounding provinces of Castilla, Condesuyos, La Union, Caylloma, Caraveli, Camana, Islay and Arequipa.

Acting Governor Aaron Maldonado thanked everyone for their attendance and participation in the nearly four-hour long parade which also featured native animals such as llamas and alpacas.

Arequipa, one of Peru’s most beautiful cities and an increasingly popular tourist destination in the Andean country, this month is celebrating 470 years of its Spanish Foundation.

On August 15, 1540, the city was founded by Manuel Garci de Carbajal. The name Arequipa derives from a quechua phrase, “Arequipai” which means, “Yes, stay here”. A very proper name when you consider the charm of the city and the hospitality of its inhabitants.

Arequipa is located on Peru’s western Andes, at 2350 meters above sea level, at the foothills of the Misti Volcano. It is an outstandingly attractive colonial city, constructed to a good extent with a petrified lava material known as “sillar”.

The temples and convents as well as the beautiful homes and residences have a distinct architectonic seal which combines elements of the Italian baroque, the Spanish plateresque and the original Andean touches, as described in an adventure-associates.com article.

Arequipa is situated 1020 kilometers (some 650 miles) south of Lima and is easily accessible by air with daily flights from the capital city, which only take one hour and ten minutes. It can also be reached by road.

The surrounding countryside presents magnificently bucolic sights and the city is the natural gateway to the fantastic Colca Canyon.

Belgium-based production company Kanakna is shooting a TV program along the Amazon River’s route through Loreto region in northern Peru since mid-July, reported the regional government, which supports the project through security measures.

Kanakna is shooting episodes in Barrio Florido town, Belen market and an entertaining center located in the Iquitos– Nauta highway.

After completing the work in Loreto, the delegation will head to the source of the Amazon river, somewhere on snowcapped Mount Mismi in Arequipa, southern Peru.

The entertainment TV program will be broadcast in Belgium and other European countries starting in October.

It is a reality show that includes 13 episodes -eight will be filmed in Brazil and 5 in Peru- aimed at promoting Amazon river, to be elected as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the regional government said.

To visit the Colca Canyon in Peru is to discover a land of superlatives: the second deepest canyon on the planet, it’s home to the magnificent Andean condor, a New World vulture with the largest wingspan of any land bird, and one of the world’s longest living birds, said Hello magazine.

From Arequipa, the road to the Colca Canyon is a real roller-coaster ride complete with potholes, but offers breathtaking views at every point, says an article entitled “Colca Canyon: where the condor flies.”

The route is watched over by volcanoes that rise to over 6,000 metres and flanked by lunar-style landscapes where alpaca and vicuna roam, the latter animals being the source of the world’s softest and most expensive wool.

As described in an article at hellomagazine.com, the valley is adorned on both sides by zigzag routes that once were followed by the caravans of llamas crossing between the Altiplano – the high plains – and the Pacific.

It is dotted with colonial churches built after the arrival of the Spanish by Dominicans and Franciscans in key towns as Chivay, Yanque, Maca, Pinchillo, Cabanaconde, Lari and Coporaque; ancient barns continue to be used to store the crops that still grow on farming terraces built long ago by the Incas.

It’s also dotted with primitive adobe villages are overlooked by the snowy peaks of the volcanoes Hualca Hualca and Ampato, and markets are held where Collagua and Cabana women, clearly identifiable by their colourful costumes and hats, sell handcrafts and fabrics of their own making.

But the most striking thing about the valley is the stunning landscape, here, where the land is cleft dramatically in two, resulting in the second deepest gorge on earth, over four thousand metres, more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.

Lords and masters of the Colca Canyon are the condors; these huge creatures can weigh up to twelve kilos and their wingspan reaches over three metres wide.

They nest in the red rocky walls of the canyon and use the thermal currents that flow from the gorge to rise high in the skies, often gliding for long periods without a single movement of their vast wings.

Hello’s article also provides practical tips for travelers, as well as unique stories and notes from the road.

Peruvian food

Around 3,000 people will attend the V Gastronomic Festival “Del buen comer y del buen beber” to be held in Arequipa on July 24th seeking to revive the regional culinary tradition.

The festival is organized by students from Tourism and Hotel management Professional School of Universidad Nacional de San Agustin (UNSA) who will showcase typical food from the districts of the Arequipa region such as Chivay, Camana and Arequipa.

“Students want to show the traditional way of preparing dishes, especially, their wood fire cooking in clay pots,” said the School Director Maria del Pilar Guillen Nuñez.

Traditional dished such as rocoto relleno, pastel de papa (potato cake), pastel de tallarín (spaghetti cake), chicharrón de chancho (pork crackling) will delight the visitors’ palate.

Cebiche de turcha (trout cebiche), mazamorra de maiz (milky pudding made with maize) and beverages will also be delighted by guests.

The gastronomic festival will be held at the “Libertad de Expresion” park in Umacollo, Arequipa.

Five new tourist routes will be opened in the Colca Valley in order to boost visits to this area and improve the quality of life in local communities.

Initiatives will be undertaken as part of an interinstitutional agreement signed by Colca Autonomous Authority (AutoColca) and the GEA Group, aimed at supporting tourist micro-entrepreneurs, agro-producers and artisans.

According to this agreement, a group of initiatives, strategies, plans, programs and projects will be designed and executed, including training in tourism management, infrastructure construction, among others.

They also plan to involve local population into tourism sector to improve their incomes and ensure the sustainability of the activity.

The new tourist routes include Callalli-Sibayo-Tuti-Canocota, Yanque-Maca-Achoma, Coporaque-Ichupampa-Lari-Madrigal, Cabanaconde-Tapay, and Toccra.

Last year, the Colca Valley was visited by 146.000 tourists, and tourism sector generated US$10 million in revenues.

Arequipa department will exhibit its attractions in the 29th “Vitrina Turistica” Anato 2010, from February 24 to 26 in the city of Bogota, Colombia, which gathers 30 countries of Latin America and Europe, reported Monday the Regional Manager of Foreign Trade and Tourism Rocio Cervantes.

She pointed out that the regional management in coordination with the local Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (Avit) and Cerro Juli Convention Center, agreed to promote Arequipa as a city of events and conventions.

“Arequipa has the necessary hotel infrastructure to accommodate many delegations, as well as an appropriate weather and many tourist attractions,” he said.

Arequipa gastronomy is another attraction to be promoted in Colombia.

The project called “Ruta del Paladar” (Palate Route), launched last year by the Regional Management of Foreign Trade and Tourism will be also promoted in order to exhibit different traditional restaurants of the city.

Tourist arrivals in Arequipa’s Colca Valley has risen 50 percent so far in February compared with the same month last year, said the head of Colca Autonomous Authority (AutoColca) Jose Talavera.

Talavera pointed out that in the first fortnight of February the number of visitors increased to 5,218 as compared with 1,331 in the same period last year.

He said the growth was due to the temporary closure of Peru’s top tourist attraction Machu Picchu and an aggressive promotional campaign launched two years ago.

Visitor arrivals in January rose to 11,320, up 20 percent compared with 9,200 in the same month a year ago.

The official added that most tourists visiting Colca Valley these days come from Argentina, Chile and Brazil; “while European and American citizens visit this tourist attraction all year long.”

Arequipa is known for its delicious gastronomy where one of the main ingredients is shrimp. This crustacean is the star in all the gastronomic fairs held in this department when one of the cities celebrates its anniversary.

This time is Camana’s turn, the city with the same name of the province, which this week celebrates its 470th Spanish foundation anniversary.

For this reason, this Sunday 15 will take place the Shrimp Festival, in which traditional restaurants of the province will participate. These restaurants will exhibit the most varied dishes made out of shrimp.

The festival will take place at the Camana River, where the fishermen men can capture the shrimp and cook them immediately. This event will offer some typical dishes such as anticucho, chicharrón, cebiche, chupe, picante, capisca, among others.

The cuisine from Camana stands out for its flavor and the use of chili, which gives the dishes a special flavor

Camaná is a coastal town in the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. It is the capital of Camaná Province and Camaná District.