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Arequipa: the white city or the volcanoes city?

Four majestic and imposing volcanoes embrace this beautiful city of the Peruvian Andes

Arequipa is known as the White City because of its architecture, built with white volcanic stone, called sillar. However, many people have thought of giving it another name, since their landscapes are surrounded by four imposing volcanoes.

Get to know a little more about these great volcanoes in this small tour, starting with the highest:

The snowy top of the Ampato Volcano in Arequipa

At the highest peak of the plateau, the volcano Ampato emerges at 6,288 MASL. Its name means “frog” in Aymara, referring to its imposing shape. If you want to visit it, a 4×4 vehicle will guide you to the base camp. From there, only the bravest climbers begin the ascent to the top.

Chachani volcano between the clouds of Arequipa

The Chachani volcano is located in the south of the Ampato volcano, at 6.075 MASL. It is the favorite of every traveler because the ascent is easy and can be done in a single day with an expert. Because of global warming, the top of the volcano is losing its glaciers. Do not miss the opportunity to visit it as soon as possible and enjoy the purest air of the Andes.

The Misti volcano with its snowy top and the city of Arequipa at the bottom.

A few kilometers to the south, the Misti volcano is located, at 5,825 MASL. The city of Arequipa is born at the bottom of the volcano. Because of this, it is the best–known volcano by tourists and settlers. The ascent to the summit has to be done gradually during two days, and once at the summit, you can appreciate the city from a distance.

The sunrise of the Pichu Pichu volcano with its snowy summit in Arequipa.

To finish the tour, at the south of the Misti the Pichu Pichu volcano is located, at 5,644 MASL. It has the lowest altitude of the four, reason why the ascent to the top only lasts seven hours. A perfect trek for all travelers who wants to enjoy the highlands from the clouds.

When you travel to Arequipa do not hesitate to visit some of these imposing volcanoes that protect the white city.

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