Pis-co'd in Arequipa — Someday Sherpa

Sophisticated, cultured, beautiful...that's Arequipa, a colonial gem in Peru. Us on the other hand, we had Pisco running through our veins when we left.

Let's start with the city, and what a beaut! It may be Peru's 2nd city by size but ignore the suburbs and focus all your attention on the historic and quite frankly stunning centre. A plethora of cathedrals, churches, monasteries and museums greets you all built in the renowned Peruvian white stone. Endless internal courtyards, balconies and cobbled streets highlight the intimacy of this culturally rich city within a city.

You’ll need a few days to fully explore Arequipa and this doesn’t include the other reason tourists and Peruvians alike visit - the nearby natural wonders. Step up Colca Canyon, the world’s deepest, and Chachani Volcano a 6,000m peak requiring limited technical know-how.

As mentioned we might have also taken a liking to the local tipple Pisco. If there was every a city built to savour this fine liquid then it’s Arequipa, especially if, like us, you’re fans of roof terraces, sunsets and warm blankets. Now I may have put away my fair share of Pisco Sours (the classic cocktail based around the national liquor) but for the real aficionados I must turn to Lisa, and our all-too-brief travel buddy Marky. Trust them to enjoy a Pisco session while I’m dragging my ass up a volcano at 2am! To add insult to injury they even ate at a restaurant I’d been eyeing, but failed to remember how good it was…something to do with forgetting they ordered when their meals showed up!

Outside of architecture and Pisco there’s a decent food scene and some quality museums to while away the hours. Our favourite without a doubt was Museo Santuarios Andinos where you see the real-life mummified body of Juanita, a young girl sacrificed atop Mount Ampato (6,288m) volcano hundreds of years ago. Thanks to sub-zero temperatures and a lack of exposure to the winds she and many others have been found intact and perfect for scientific analysis. A true historical wonder.

Colonial squares used for art galleries and boutique shops

EAT AND DRINK:

Katari Hotel for the ultimate roof terrace view including volcanoes, colonial architecture and striking sunsets.
Chelawasi for craft beer and great burgers. Tucked away at the northern end of the historical centre this small bar run by a US / Peruvian couple we felt immediately at home.
Zig Zag for incredible modern Peruvian food; they'll even throw in an adult bib as the food can get messy.
Balcony lunch behind the cathedral at Mixtos. Go to the terrace and order ceviche and all-day happy hour Pisco Sours. The view compliments the food I promise.
If you're feeling like a taste of Europe then head to Casta Fior, a French brunch specialist and patissiere.

DO:

The Museo Santuarios Andinos for Juanita offers tours in English every 20-30mins and they last for 1hr including a video in English of the official excavation and subsequent removal
Tour the Monasterio de Santa Catalina (despite us not managing). Huge and a must-see apparently. I left Lisa and Marky (adopted son) to do this but they got distracted by multiple pisco sours!
Wander the streets taking it all in

SLEEP:

Not at our place. It was OK but we felt in the way; like you're an unwanted guest at Xmas but people still have to accommodate and feed you. Odd.
Marky recommends Las Mercedes which at 8mins from the Plaza de Armes is close enough. The clincher...they greeted the little 26 year old as Mr. Markus.

Don’t do the free walking tour by Arequipa Free Tour. Our guide couldn’t have been less in touch with the group, often asking questions to herself and even spending 20mins outside of a church trying to show us markings by flashing her phone light at the wall 15m away…”luv, it’s broad daylight so we can’t see anything”.