Arequipa, or as its colloquially known, the White City, gets its name from the fact that the entire city centre has white buildings, made from the volcanic stone that surrounds the city.
After returning from our Colca Canyon adventure, we spent a few nights in Arequipa.
One of the most distinguishing features of the city is the fact that the city is surrounded by three volcanoes, Misti, Chachani and Pichupichu. For this reason, the entire city centre is made from white stone quarried from the surrounding volcanoes.
Without a doubt, Cuzco and Machu Picchu are Peru's most famous landmarks. Travellers with less time will most probably overlook other charming cities in Peru.
But this doesn't make Arequipa any less interesting or important than the other famous cities in Peru. Personally, I found Arequipa charming and interesting, with the perfect mix of Spanish and Indigenous culture. Arequipa is pretty, the food is fantastic (and cheap!), and its the gateway to the Colca Canyon. I really liked the atmosphere here too, it was chilled and laid back, I didn't feel like there were vendors competing for my attention which I had felt in many other cities.
