Practical Information for visiting Arequipa

Coverage for mobile networks is good in the city with 4G and some 5G, and reaches the main canyon villages.

Local SIMs from Claro, Movistar or Entel are inexpensive and bought with a passport.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels, hostels and cafes in Arequipa, and the city has a growing remote-working presence.

Signal in the canyon is patchy — Chivay and Cabanaconde have coverage, the canyon floor and the trekking routes largely do not.

The high puna and the desert stretches between valleys have long gaps.

Power cuts are occasional outside the city.

Arequipa is a comfortable city and generally safe in the centre, with the usual urban precautions and one serious natural hazard.

• Altitude: the city at 2,335 metres affects few people, but the Colca pass at 4,900 metres and Chivay at 3,600 affect many. Do the canyon after a couple of days acclimatising.
• Extreme ultraviolet: among the highest readings anywhere. Burns happen fast.
• Taxis: use hotel-called or app cabs at night rather than hailing.
• Petty theft around the bus terminal, markets and the main square.
• Canyon trekking: steep loose paths, extreme heat at the bottom, and a punishing climb out. People are evacuated by mule regularly.
• Earthquakes: the region is seismically active; know your building’s exit.
• Volcanic ash from Sabancaya occasionally affects flights.

Arequipa has good private clinics and is the medical centre for southern Peru; serious cases go to Lima. Insurance covering evacuation and trekking is sensible.

Altitude is the main concern, and it is the Colca trip rather than the city that causes it — the pass crosses 4,900 metres within a few hours of leaving. Move slowly, drink water, skip alcohol, and take the coca tea offered at Chivay. Descend if symptoms are more than a headache.

Sun: the ultraviolet here is genuinely extreme. High-factor sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, every day.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid; yellow fever is not needed for this region.

Stomach upsets: drink bottled or treated water, and note that the local chilli level catches people out.

Cold nights in the canyon, where accommodation is often unheated.

Greetings matter: buenos dias or buenas tardes before asking anything, and a handshake on introduction.

Photographing people in traditional dress at the viewpoints is a paid transaction; agree a few soles first. In the villages, ask and accept a refusal.

At the condor viewpoint: no drones, stay behind the barriers, and keep noise down.

Churches: cover shoulders and knees, and do not photograph services. Santa Catalina charges admission and has its own photography rules.

Pachamama: the splash of drink poured on the ground before the first sip is ordinary courtesy here.

Regional pride: praise of Arequipa is always well received; unfavourable comparison to Lima or Cusco is a running joke rather than an insult, but let locals make it first.

Coca leaves are legal in Peru and offered routinely.

Emergency numbers: 105 for police, 116 for fire and 106 for ambulance. Arequipa has a tourist police unit that handles theft reports.

Medical. Private clinics in the city are good and used to foreign patients; payment upfront with an insurance claim afterwards is normal. Anything serious is transferred to Lima.

Altitude on the Colca trip: tour vehicles carry oxygen, and the pass is where people are affected. Tell the guide early rather than enduring it.

In the canyon, evacuation from the floor means mule or, rarely, helicopter, and takes hours. Trek with a guide and tell someone your route.

Earthquakes: stay inside under cover rather than running out, and follow local instruction.

Consular help is in Lima; a few countries have honorary consuls in Arequipa.