Arequipa Travel Forum

I am trying to fit as much into 2 weeks as possible without trying too much.

I was planning to get to Arequipa on August 18th and leave for Cusco during the afternoon of Aug 21st. Is this realistic?

What should I try and do with my two full days there? - Colca Canyon; El Misti; should I go straight to Chivay?

Will I need to aclimatise to the altitude? - we are likely to go there straight from Lima.

If this isn't realistic, I will probably just stay in Cuzco, with a few days in Lima. I don't fancy Lake Titicaca and my girlfriend won't go to the jungle at Puerto Maldonado.

Any advice would be great, thanks for reading.

Steve

The problem with Arequipa is that you can't get there from Lima until about noon, and if you're doing that the same day that you flew into Lima, you're going to be worn out once you reach altitude.
We did this, and spent the early afternoon resting, and the evening walking about. We pent the whole next day in Arequipa (the highlight being a visit to Juanita) and then left for COlca early the next morning. We arrived at the Colca lodge in the early afternoon spent the night, saw the condors the next day and went back to Arequipa. We flew to Cusco the following morning.
In my opinion, anything quicker than what we did is too much.
If the altitude effects you (Colca is at least 10,000) your first night will not be restful.

G'Day,
Yes you could. Go to Colca on 19th and 20th off to Cuzuo on the 21st. You will have the 18th to rest up, but the Colca tours leave early, see how you go with the altitude on the 18th arvo before you go to Colca.

Yes, you can. Do you intend to fly? If not you might consider breaking up the bus trip with a stop to visit Paracas and/or then a stop in either Nasca or Ica. Later continuing by bus about 11 hours to Cusco, or 5 hours to Juliaca with a side trip to Puno followed by 6 hours to Cusco is a common way to go. You might prefer to fly.

I doubt many people have trouble with the altitude of Arequipa, but cimbing Misti or going to the canyon will be a challenge. In our minivan overnight tour with stay in Chivay, the only person of 10 to get sick at the peak altitude of 4300 meters was the young Peruvian girl from the coast. And she felt better quickly as we came down.

I enjoyed an extra day in Arequipa. Since this is your first trip to Latin America you might consider it. Bob

Thanks to everyone for your kind advice.

Think I will spend a day in Arequipa, then bus to Chivay, with the following day at Colca, returning to Arequipa.

I will take a risk with the altitude at Colca - it will be good (or bad) preparation for Cusco.

I intend to use Lan Peru flights, so I won't lose too much time travelling.

Thanks again

Steve

I forgot to mention that, for altitude sickness, or just fatigue, the market in Chivay sells coca leaves.

I personally think that you a pushing it a bit. I would spend one full day in Arequipa and then take a two day tour to Colca. When you return to Arequipa you could take a night bus to Cusco if flying is not possible. I really liked Arequipa and I stretched by time there in two full days.

Caution: When I was in Arequipa a year ago the actual "Juanita", star of the museum, was in restoration, but the price of the museum was still the same and relatively high for Peruvian museums. I did not go so I can not say whether it is worth a visit without the star. If it matters to you ask before you buy your ticket. Bob

Tips....
Take 2 days of Acetozolamide and wait 2 days before hiking upward.

Consider Cotahuasi, if you have the time.

Wait to buy in-country airfare until you're here. It's cheaper ($50-75 each way).

Have fun!

See below complaint about tour guide in Arequipa.


Please note the following after my recent experience with an agency in Arequipa.

If you go to Arequipa, do not use Eduardo Rivas the owner/gerente general of EDU Travel, formerly known as Hilton Tours at Calle Santa Catalina 217. Furthermore, choose your travel agent carefully for treks or car/tour bus rental. We recently had a problem with Eduardo personally selling us an expensive tour with a chauffeur and guide. But, the guide had not finished her degree and was thoroughly unfamiliar with the area we visited with this tour; she was frank about her age, lack of experience, that this was her first tour to lead by herself, and we learned that Eduardo was not even paying her! It was quite unfortunate for us as it impacted the quality of our trip. Upon returning to Arequipa, we went to speak to Eduardo about the problem and demand a refund. He had set this poor girl up for failure but had the nerve to insist that yes, she had her degree, knew lots about the area, and that WE had some kind of misunderstanding. He blatantly lied to us. This was both ridiculous and frustrating. We spent 4 days with her and she was honest with us. We asked for a refund and he offered all 3 of us a total of less than 5% refund, which we turned down on principle. What an aggravating experience. Absolutely, DO NOT consider using Eduardo Rivas’ services and consider paying ½ your fee up-front and ½ upon return to insure your services are quality.