With just one day in Arequipa, we decided to explore the city instead of taking the one day tour to Colca Canyon that starts at 2:30am and ends around 7pm. Just being in the city would give us ample opportunities to explore the colonial architecture and indulge in the culinary treats.
Being impressed with the book, the postal officer stamped for free! That made my day!
We then walked to the Plaza San Francisco, which was a meeting point for the Free Walking Tour, that starts at 12:30pm (or 2pm) and lasts about 2.5-3 hours.
After some introductions, we set off on the tour, visiting some colonial-era alleyways, and some sights to see before reaching
[Free Walking Tour Arequipa]
[Beautiful colonial alleyways of Arequipa]
[A church in Arequipa]
[‘Mundo Alpaca’ – an Alpaca farm]
[Feeding the Alpacas in ‘Mundo Alpaca’]
[Llama in ‘Mundo Alpaca’]
This eco-resort has a Museum of textile machinery, traditional weaving looms and the factory store of Michell Group and the exclusive online boutique Sol Alpaca.
We wandered through the streets of Arequipa, and reached Mercado San Camilo – the main farmer’s market in Arequipa. One of the best places to shop for local produce, meat and everything edible, this is THE place to eat local and cheap food. Our tour guide stopped at a fruit shop to savor the best fruits in Peru.
[Arequipa]
[Arequipa]
[Arequipa]
[Arequipa]
[Arequipa]
[Arequipa]
[Fruit stall with the tourists]
The tour headed out of the market after this, and that’s when we decided to stay back and have lunch at the market. There are so many stalls to pick from, so we just stopped by the nearby one and ordered some Rocoto Relleno with Inca Kola and some fruits.
[Rocoto Relleno]
On our way back to the hotel, we came across a lot of street vendors selling different stuff – grapes for PEN 1, boiled corn for PEN 1, and homemade ice-cream for PEN 3 – savoring all these delicacies while checking out stores selling all kinds of stuff took all the afternoon.
Also read: The 10 Best Restaurants in Arequipa (Updated 2020)
After a brief siesta, we headed out from the hotel for some dinner, but the waiting line was about 40 minutes, so it was time to grab some beers next door, and experiencing some vegetarian sushi at El Buda Profano. If you’re a vegetarian and visiting Arequipa, this is a MUST-VISIT place. With a perfect 5-star rating on TripAdvisor, feast your eyes and reward your tastebuds on each and every single plate with its distinct flavor and colors.
After a hearty dinner, we walked to the hotel, when we came across these nicely-dressed gentlemen standing in a corner. Our inquisitive minds asked them who they were and we got to know that they were students of the music school at Santa Maria Catholic University. Just a quick introduction and they decided to play music for us, while my friend got to dance with them!
[With students of Universidad Catolica Santa Maria]
It was a perfect way to end the day in Arequipa.
Costs
Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate of USD 1 = PEN 3.30 at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult.
| What | Cost | Notes |
| Tip to FWT guide | $5.05 | PEN 50 for 3 persons. Price mentioned per person. |
| Snacks & water | $9.09 | PEN 30. |
| Lunch at Mercado San Camilo | $2.12 | PEN 7. |
| Fruits at Mercado San Camilo | $3.33 | PEN 11. |
| Street-side food | $1.51 | PEN 5. |
| Drinks before diner | $3.63 | PEN 12 for a bottle of beer. |
| Dinner at El Buda Profano Restaurant | $10 | PEN 33. |
| Total Costs | $25.64 | Per person |
| Overall Costs | $1,254.05 | Per person |