The
Arequipa Region in Peru's Southwest has a very diverse and interesting topography.
At the Pacific west coast there are long stretches
of sandy beaches while the Altiplano inlands are dominated by towering volcanos and deep canyons.
Early humans arrived here several
millenia BC, later generations domesticated the
llama and
Alpaca and developed agriculture.
Early in the 14th century the region
came under
Inca rule till around 1540 when the conquistadors arrived and took over.
Arequipa, an old colonial gem, is
the economic center for camelid wool.
In the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve you can gaze at snowcapped volcanos
and see vicuņas, alpacas, llamas and flamingos.
On your way to Chivay you have to negotiate the Mirador de los Andes at an elevation
of just under 5000 meters. Watch you breath!
To the north, the Colca River has carved a canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Here
you can watch the majestic Andean Condor pass by.
We visited the region in September 2010.