Things to do in  Arequipa

Comprehensive city tour of the main attractions of Arequipa. Knowledgeable and charismatic guide which made all the difference. Highly recommend booking this!

Awesome tour of Colca Canyon and the Colca Valley. Our guide, Juan Carlos, was great, especially since we were the only English speakers in the group. He made sure to single us out and explain things that we might have missed in Spanish. Plus the sights and stops along the way were well-chosen... the horseback ride was beautiful... and the overnight stay in Chivay was nice as well.The food was mediocre at best (buffets, price not included, chosen by the tour company), but the rest of the tour more than made up for it. Transportation was on time and the pickup and drop-off were super close to our hotel in Arequipa. Overall, a great find!

For those who have never been to Arequipa and also want to get a sense of its location in the countryside, this tour is very good, especially for the price. It does stop at several well-know locations for vistas or to sample a local drink specialty. However, the one stop that is at a church for 360 degree vistas entails a good set of stairs to climb so if your knees are not so good, like mine, you may not bother with this vista. But I really did enjoy going about the La Mansion del Fundador. This is a well-preserved historic hacienda related to the founding of Arequipa and has barrel-vaulted ceilings, lots of old artwork and especially for me some very nice gardens. In addition, I enjoyed simply the opportunity to get outside of Arequipa and see a bit of the countryside, with a guide if I wished to ask questions. They also drop you off at the main plaza, a good location for further activities or a meal. Unfortunately they said they were going to visit the Mill, but I don't think we did. However, well-worth the cost and time.