The city of Arequipa is located above 2325m. Enjoys a eternal spring, sunny weather almost the whole year. It has temperatures between the 20°C and 24°C during the day and at night it gets cooler.

Arequipa have a population of approximately 700,000. However, it has the feel of a small town. Arequipa is a beautiful city that had worked hard to retain its provincial charm. The relaxed pace of this colonial city high in the Andes is a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of Lima.

The city of Arequipa is 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.

Normally Arequipa is also known as the "Ciudad Blanca" (White City) for the numerous and magnificent constructions of temples, convents, big houses and palaces in white ashlar sculpted as filigree. It also possesses an excellent climate with almost 300 days of sun a year, with transparent blue sky.

Departament of Arequipa:
• Camana
• Chala, Puerto Inca