Arequipa

Behind its wall lies a small town of lanes and squares within the city. Blue and orange paint divide the quarters from each other.

White arcades take three sides of the square and the cathedral takes the fourth. From the upper balconies the square and the volcano appear together.

The frozen body of an Inca girl found on a volcano summit is kept on display. Photography is barred and the rooms are seen in order with a guide.

A row of white stone arches frames the volcano through each opening. Old inscriptions are cut into them and can be read as you walk the line.

Standing above the terraced fields, it takes in the city with three volcanoes at once. Clear mornings give the sharpest view.

An eighteenth century mill whose wheel still turns and grinds. Alpacas are kept in the grounds and can be approached.

Several houses built in thick volcanic stone against earthquakes remain in the centre. Their walls pass a metre, which sets the windows deep into them.

The 5822m summit takes two days with a night camped at 4500m. No technical gear is needed, though without acclimatisation the climb fails.

An iron framed hall with a whole row given to juice counters. Point at the fruit and it is blended into a large glass in front of you.

On the edge of the city, terraces worked since before the Inca are still farmed. Cycling between them puts the volcano behind every field.

A Franciscan monastery across the Chili River with a run of cloisters. Its library, stacked with some 20,000 old books, is the famous part. There is also a room of objects missionaries brought back from the Amazon, which surprises most visitors.

A Jesuit church on a plaza corner, its white volcanic-stone front carved edge to edge. It is a textbook case of mestizo baroque, with Indigenous carvers' hands in the detail. The adjoining San Ignacio chapel has a dome painted with jungle plants and birds.

A showcase run by an alpaca fibre company, with alpacas, llamas and vicunas in pens up close. Sorting, spinning and weaving are demonstrated by hand. The shop inside costs more than the market but labels fibre grades accurately.

A colonial manor on a riverside rise at Huasacache, about 9 km south of town. It is named for its link to city founder Garci Manuel de Carbajal. Past rooms of period furniture, the terrace looks down over the river valley.

Thousands of desert boulders carved with people, animals and geometric designs. Getting there from Arequipa means roughly three hours in a car, so the outing fills nearly a whole day. With no shade anywhere among the rocks, pack water generously.

The Anashuayco quarries, where the white volcanic sillar of the city's buildings is still cut by hand. Masons have carved large reliefs into the quarry faces. Half-day tours add the nearby Culebrillas canyon.

A volcano topping 6,000 m beside Misti, rated among the easier summits of that height. Most go over two days: a drive to high camp, then a pre-dawn push for the top. Without acclimatisation it is dangerous, so people do Cusco or Colca first.

Arequipa's oldest neighbourhood, said to be where the Spanish first settled. Narrow lanes twist between white stone houses and open onto little squares. It is a ten-minute-odd walk from the plaza and makes a good morning stroll.