Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 774

INFORMATION
Tourist information There is an iPerú kiosk in the
arrivals halls of the airport which meets oncoming flights.
The iPerú o ce in town is at Portal de La Municipalidad
110, Plaza de Armas (Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-1pm;
T 054 223 265, E [e-mail]),
which has helpful staff, free maps of the city and informa-
tion on sights, cultural events and accommodation. There's
also a municipal tourist o ce right next door (Mon-Fri
8am-4pm, E [e-mail]). For
topographic maps of the Colca Canyon, try Colca Trek (see
box, p.777), while Librería El Lector on San Francisco 213
has an extensive English-language book section, as well as
detailed city maps.

9

Mercado Municipal
For a taste of local life, check out the
covered market (Mon-Sat 6am-7.30pm,
Sun 6am-5pm), which takes up an entire
block between San Camillo and Alto de
la Luna. Lose yourself amid the stalls
piled high with local produce, the smells
of cooking, juguerías, the vendors of
jungle potions and wandering musicians.
Just leave your valuables behind.

The views: Yanahuara and Mirador de
Carmen Alto
A jaunt across the Río Chili via Puente
Grau followed by a fifteen-minute uphill
stroll brings you to the attractive plaza of
the Yanahuara neighbourhood. It features
a viewing point ( mirador ), with a postcard
panorama of Misti framed behind by the
white stone arches. The elaborately carved
facade of the small eighteenth-century
Iglesia San Juan Bautista nearby is a
superb example of Mestizo art.
From here, a five-minute taxi ride (S5-8)
takes you to the Mirador del Carmen Alto,
which features a stupendous view of the
city and all the volcanoes surrounding it.

ACCOMMODATION
Amazing Home Hostel Plaza Campo Redondo 100
T 054 222 788, W amazinghomeaqp.com. Rooms,
randomly named after Italian cities, are decked out in dark
furniture and parquet floors; the spartan corridors give
the place a bit of an institutional feel, but staff are helpful
and there's a pool table, table tennis, a book exchange,
board games, a c ommunal kit chen, wi-fi and laundry
service. Dorms S23 , doubles S60
Los Andes Bed & Breakfast La Merced 123 T 054 330
015, W losandesarequipa.com. This welcoming place has
spacious wi-fi enabled rooms with parquet flooring and
a rooftop terrace with views over town. Self-caterers will
delight at the huge open-plan kitchen with a large outdoor
seating ar ea, complete with TV lounge. Rates include
breakfast. S50
Ì Flying Dog Melgar 116 T 054 231 163, W flyingdog
peru.com. Misti the dog and Chacani the cat patrol the
premises of this pleasant hostel located in a colonial
building just a couple of blocks east of the Monastery of
Santa Catalina. Rooms are warm and clean, there's a kitchen
for guests' use and a lounge area with a pool ta ble, as well
as a bar for evening drinks. Dorms S30 , doubles S90
Le Foyer Ugarte 114 T 054 286 473, E hostallefoyer
@yahoo.com. The neat rooms here are set on two floors
around a sunny interior courtyard, and there's a lounge
with DVDs and a Play Station to unwind; two jacuzzis and

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Flights land at Arequipa airport ( T 054 443
464), 7km northwest of the town. A taxi from the airport
to downtown Arequipa will set you back S20.
By bus There are two main bus terminals in Arequipa: the
Terminal Terrestre ( T 054 427 798), Av Cáceres, at Arturo
Ivañez, which mainly receives buses from Puno, Cusco and
the Colca Canyon; and the Terrapuerto ( T 054 348 810),
just next door at Av Arturo Ivañez, with buses travelling
mainly west to destinations such as Lima and Nazca.
Leaving from the Terrapuerto for destinations including
Lima, Nazca and Cusco are Cruz del Sur ( T 054 427 375)
and Cial ( T 054 429 090). Flores ( T 054 431 717) has its
own terminal just opposite the Terminal Terrestre and has
numerous services to Puno and to Lima via Nazca and Ica.
If you're going to the Colca Canyon, use Andalucía ( T 054
445 089), Milagros ( T 054 298 090) or Reyna ( T 054 430
612). Both terminals are around 4km from the centre of
town; a taxi to the Plaza de Armas should cost no more
than S6. Regular colectivos run to the Terminal Terrestre
from the corner of Bolognani and Cruz Verde.
Destinations Cusco (8 daily, mostly with night-time
departures; 9-11hr); Desaguadero (4 daily; 8-9hr);
La Paz, Bolivia (daily; 12-14hr); Lima (hourly; 16hr) via
Nazca (9hr 30min) and Ica (12hr); Puno (7 daily; 6-7hr);
Tacna (hourly; 6-7hr).

Ì TREAT YOURSELF
La Casa de Melgar Melgar 108
T 054 222 459, W lacasademelgar.com.
Formerly the home of a nineteenth-
century bishop and thereafter of the
well-known independence poet Melgar,
this welcoming hotel has spacious rooms,
most with brick-vaulted ceilings and
beautiful antique furnishings, giv ing off
several leafy colonial courtyards. S185