Arequipa Attraction Tours and Site Visits

October 30, 2026

Several of Arequipa’s best outings are tours to places outside the centre. The list below runs from a four-hour stone-quarry visit to a high-altitude wildlife drive. Costs are in soles (S/), and tour operators set their own prices, so ask whether entry fees are included.

Sillar quarries and the Culebrillas canyon

The Ruta del Sillar is in Cerro Colorado district. It combines the Anashuayco quarries, where sillar, the pale volcanic stone of the old city, is quarried, with the Culebrillas canyon and its petroglyphs. With transport the tour takes about 4 hours. Each site charges about S/5 in cash, and the gates are open roughly 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Culebrillas has a rough walk, so wear shoes with grip.

Sabandía and Huasacache

A countryside tour pairs two historic buildings. The Molino de Sabandía, a mill from 1621, is about 8 km from the centre. A taxi costs about S/15 and entry about S/10 to 12, with opening hours quoted as 9:00 AM until 5:00 or 6:00 PM. The Mansión del Fundador is about 9 km away at Huasacache, and a round-trip taxi with waiting runs about S/20. Garci Manuel de Carbajal, the founder of the city, lived there, and a bank now runs it as a museum. It is open about 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Ask at the gate for the ticket price.

Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Four-wheel-drive tours reach Laguna de Salinas, a shallow salt lake around 4,300 m high and a Ramsar-listed wetland. Allow about three hours each way. Vicuñas are the most reliable sight. Flamingos, both Andean and James’s, depend on the season and rainfall, with the best chance of water from January to March and counts that swing from under 1,000 birds to around 21,000. Swimming and boating are not possible. Expect wind, cold and thin air.

Colca Canyon, full day

This tour leaves between 3:00 and 3:30 AM, stops for breakfast near Chivay and reaches the Cruz del Cóndor lookout at about 8:30 to 9:30 AM. It returns around 5 to 6 PM. Condors may or may not appear. The S/70 boleto turístico for foreign adults is not part of most tours, and the official Colca site explains where to buy it. A two-day version is kinder, and our day trips page gives the full timetable.

Santa Catalina after dark

On Tuesday and Wednesday the monastery stays open until 8:00 PM, with last entry at 7:00 PM. That makes an evening visit easy to fit after a half-day tour. Tickets are on the official site .