Known as the "White City" for its picturesque colonial architecture made of volcanic white ashlar stone, Arequipa is an elegant city. The city is located at the foot of the El Misti volcano and has perfect spring-like climate, beautiful palm-lined plazas, and delectable cuisine. A few hours away is the impressive Colca Canyon, where condors soar in the blue skies. Visitors to this beautiful city deserve to stay in a hotel equally as lovely. These boutique hotels are the best picks for your Peru vacation if you enjoy luxury and excellent service.

Both Arequipa and Paracas are beautiful places in southern Peru, which are worthy visiting. Arequipa is the second most important city in Peru and one of the most visited places in the country. Its beautiful architecture attracts many visitors around the world. Paracas, on the other hand, is an amazing place, full of beautiful beaches and home to many different species of wildlife. Choose a Hotel Arequipa or a Hotel Paracas and enjoy these two beautiful cities.

Your hotel choice can be one of the most important decisions to make while planning a vacation, especially so in Peru where the variation between excellent and awful hotels is enormous. Fortunately, it is very easy to find wonderful accommodations offering Western standard services at a a great price - it's just a case of knowing where to look.

It was late when we got home from Pichu Pichu so the next day we slept in and took it easy in the morning. Besides the rest, we wanted lots of good food so we decided to stop at El Herraje Restaurant for lunch before heading to Misti. El Herraje has two locations in Arequipa, the one near the Cathedral is large, touristy and expects tips, a smaller one two blocks away caters to the locals and tipping is not expected. They have a grill special, with a choice of chicken, beef or pork, generous portion of fries and a salad for 7 or 8 soles - the perfect way to start any climb. Or to end a climb; we became regulars there during our time in Arequipa.

We left my house at a little after 7:00 on Friday morning to drive up to near Hacienda Huambo, the start of climb. However we had only been driving about 15 minutes when we came around a curve to see the road blocked by two men cutting down trees. They had a couple of small eucalyptus trees down across the road and with one axe and one machete they weren't too swift about getting them cut up enough to move out of the road.

I was really looking forward to climbing Chachani, as it was a new 6,000-meter mountain for me. When Nathan and I had done a training hike on a low knob on the side of it, we had met a driver who takes climbers to the trailheads, and he had given us the driving instructions. There are two ways to reach the trailhead; one is the rough gravel road between Misti and Chachani, and the other is to take the paved highway that goes towards Chivay and Colca Canyon. The paved road is quite a bit longer, and just beyond passing a toll booth you need to turn right on a gravel road that take you around the backside of Chachani.

When you start planning a trip, countless questions come to your mind that can make it exhausting. Where to go, when, how: all these questions can easily be answered with a little research. Peru is without a doubt one of the most beautiful countries in Latin America, filled with spectacular landscapes comprised of beaches, majestic mountains, lakes and more. If you are looking for both history and nature, you should not miss Arequipa, highlight of any trip to Peru. Here are some tips to plan your trip to this beautiful colonial city, the second oldest in Peru.

Both Arequipa and Paracas are beautiful places in southern Peru, which are worthy visiting. Arequipa is the second most important city in Peru and one of the most visited places in the country. Its beautiful architecture attracts many visitors around the world. Paracas, on the other hand, is an amazing place, full of beautiful beaches and home to many different species of wildlife. Choose a Hotel Arequipa or a Hotel Paracas and enjoy these two beautiful cities.

Monasterio de Santa Catalina, or Santa Catalina Monastery located in Arequipa, Peru is highly worth the entry price for an afternoon of relaxation. Here you will explore the historic grounds of this still active monastery, once closed to the public. Now the space is an art gallery of sorts with rooms that expose the history of the monastery, paintings of the past greats and furniture of the simple life of the clerics who lived here.