Arequipa Things to Do

This Papaya tastes nothing like typical Papayas do. It's more sour and fresh. It tastes delicious as a juice or smoothie. Its a speciality in Arequipa Available at most restaurants !
Don't try eating the fruit though, it doesn't taste good that way !

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After visiting Yanahuara we decided to keep walking and see if we could find the plaza and church at Cayma. We found them eventually with the help of a friendly local and the lonely planet instructions.

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After walking all around the center of town we decided to venture a little further afield to the area called Yanahuara which is across the river (cross Puente Grau to get there) and to the right about 2 kms.

When you get there you will see a plaza with Yanahuara church on it and at the end of the plaza is the distinctive volcanic rock arches of the Yanahuara Lookout with stunning views back across to Arequipa with the Misti Volcano behind it.

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Moral House is another spectacular 18th Century mansion made of the typical Arequipan volcanic stone, "sillar". The front entrance has an amazing stone carving over the doorway. Inside there are displays of furniture of Peru's colonial period. A visit to Moral house is worth it to just see the interior patio and gardens which are just beautiful. The house gets its name from an ancient blackberry tree (called a Moral in Spanish) that grows in the main courtyard.

In 2000 the Casa del Moral was named a UNESCO world heritage site.

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While walking around central Arequipa we visited another church called the San Francisco Iglesia and Convent which is situated on Zela Street.

It is a complex that contains the San Francisco Church, the convent and also another smaller church known as La Tercera Orden.

You can visit the church Monday to Saturday 7- 9 am and 5 - 8 pm or Sundays 7am - 12 pm and 5 - 8 pm.

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One thing I like to do in towns in South America is visit their central market. They are usually colourful, bustling places and the market in Arequipa didn't disappoint. We saw fruit stalls, veges, meat (including something called "criadosas" which I think are bulls testicles!

While I was here I had a fresh mango juice inside the market that they prepared for me with purified water.

Arequipa is dotted with the "Casona's" or mansions. Inside high walls and arched entrance ways open up to courtyards with rooms off them.

The Casona de Santa Catalina is located in front of the Santa Catalina Monastery and is now home to the gift shop, cafe, money changing service and information centre.

The Casona was built in the 18th Century in the Arequipan volcanic stone called Sillar.

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Any walk around Arequipa will take you eventually to the Plaza de Armas, or main plaza. It is a very attractive plaza with the main cathedral on it and bordered on the other sides by arched walkways. The shops around the plaza are quite touristy with almost every shop being either a tour company, airline office, restaurant or souvenir shop. The restaurants on the plaza annoyingly (in my opinion) hire people to shove menus in your face as you walk past in the hope that you will go up to the terrace and eat. Consequently I boycotted these restaurants...

The plaza has palm trees and pigeons too. Watch out as you cross the street and try to dodge the hundreds on little Daewoo yellow taxis that are ubiquitous in Arequipa. The steps of the cathedral is a popular place for young people to meet up and hang out. Near the plaza there are endless "telephone stalls" or people with cell phones attached on chains on the street selling phone calls both domestically and internationally.