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Arequipa
Mirador de los Andes
Colca Canyon
Salinas y Aguada Blanca
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.