What to do in the Alpaca Capital of the World: Arequipa

There are multiple ways to get to the Colca Caynon, but there were a couple draws to using Arequipa as our launching base. First off they have an airport so you can directly fly into the closest city to the Colca Canyon. But there is more to this city than an airport.

Santa Catalina Monestary

A beautiful maze of blue and orange.

Beside the Santa Catalina Monastery’s blue and orange hues being every instagrammers dream, it is an amazing way to spend a relaxing morning or afternoon getting lost in the labyrinth of staircases that lead to nowhere, narrow passageways, doors that pop up everywhere, architecturally unique porticos, and ascetically designed courtyards.

You can wander around yourself, hire a guide, and on some evening you can tour the grounds by candlelight.

Mundo Alpaca

Get your llama fix.

Arequipa is the alpaca capital of the world. Mundo Alpaca was created to enrich the the city’s tourist attractions and they do an amazing job at helping visitors “live the alpaca experience”. They are also a high end boutique for fine alpaca made textiles. As you are walked though the grounds, you learn about the different alpaca breeds, the different colors of natural wools, how the fibers are treated and sorted, and how the textiles are weaved. The best part came at the end when we were handed a handful of grasses and were allowed to interact and feed the aplacas, llamas, and vicunas. Amazingly all this is free of charge. and they have a nice boutique with high quality items. I highly not missing this. Mundo Alpaca.

The Ice Maiden

A 500 year old Incan Mummy that I am apparently related too.

While Egypts mummies are preserved in the dry heat, the mummies of Peru are preserved in ice. The most famous is Momma Juanita, The Ice Maiden. She was buried between 1450 and 1480. Because she was almost perfectly preserved (besides a some sun damage to her face) they could tell everything from what she ate that day to how she died. I was uniquely interested in seeing Ice Maiden Juanita because after doing 23andMe genetic testing, I learned that I shared my most ancient DNA with the Ice Maiden. Crazy! I don’t know why, but I am always driven to know more about my family lineage and roots. I joke that Arequipa is the city of sisters for me. It is the place where me and my sister kickstarted our first big adventure together, but it is also the city that is home to the Inca Mummy that my mothers line is related, which makes us sisters in some capacity as well. To visit the near perfect 500 year old Ice Maiden you will buy tickets at the Museo Santuarios Andinos.