Arequipa is an ideal stopover to acclimatise oneself on the way to higher altitude cities. The city is beautifully - but at the same time, dangerously - located near huge volcanoes, including the majestic Misti, overlooking the main square.Volcanoes and earthquakes are a deadly combination here, with many parts of town regularly flattened.
At night, I had supper in a restaurant overlooking the main square. Awesome views.
The most impressive monument in the city is the Monastery of Santa Catalina. It is a city within the city with its streets, gardens, washing areas, kitchens. Of course, the Monastery can look nice as nuns who were accepted here had to pay a hefty sum to get in.
A bit outside of town, the canyon de la colca is a great place to visit mostly because of the giant Andean condors nesting there. It is very impressive to see them fly - sorry, glide with the wind! And they have space to glide, as the canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Ascending currents are strong enough to support these giant birds.
The canyon is also a great place for walks. The views are beautiful, and the diversity of the canyon impressive between the steep rock walls and the wide fertile plains.
To get to the canyon, we drove through high passes. At the Mirador de los Andes, I reached my highest ever point on the planet, at 4910 meters. Breathing was not as tough as expected. I would not have played a tennis match there though...
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