Arequipa City Retreat

The Arequipa City Retreat offers the opportunity to participate in a volunteer project with your team, while being conveniently located in the amazing city of Arequipa. Not only will you be making a difference in the volunteer project, but you will get to enjoy the delicious food, historical sites, and fun nightlife that the city offers.

** NOTE:. This program is for groups only.

Program Description:

Day 1 – ARRIVAL IN AREQUIPA

Upon arrival, you will be picked up at the Arequipa airport and taken to your accommodations. You will be given an orientation to the city as well as your volunteer project.

**NOTE:. Arrival flight must be before 11:00am

Afternoon:. Arequipa City tour

Transfer from your hotel in Arequipa at 2:00 p.m, then head to the districts of Carmen Alto and Yanahuara where we will observe wonderful landscapes of the city surrounded by the Chachani, Misti and Pichu pichu volcanoes.

We will return to the historic center to visit the Monastery of Santa Catalina, which is a sample of four centuries of Arequipa architecture, the intrusive cells, the small streets and cloisters full of colorful flowers and the walls painted in fresh dyes. Narrow alleys lead to the various parts of the convent that run through picturesque sites and living and sleeping places with the original furniture. Visitors will revive and get lost in the path of time.

We will visit the Plaza de armas, one of the most beautiful in Peru, the Jesuit Church of the Company, which on its beautiful facade announces the so-called mestizo architecture, its cloisters and dome, the house Tristán del Pozo as a sample of a colonial house and we will finish in the Plaza de Armas of Arequipa around 6pm.

Night at Hotel 3*

Meals: lunch and dinner at hotel

Day 2 – MORNING:. SILLAR STONE  TOUR

08:30 am – We begin our journey towards the Sillar Route which is a tourist route with a lot of history and live culture, where quarries and areas where the sillar originated are visited.

The first point we will stop at will be the Añashuayco Quarry; which we will arrive in 45 minutes approx. It is currently in operation, the stonecutters carry out their work very early; in the place we will be able to appreciate an immense canyon with cliffs (walls of ignimbrita) that are several meters high, formed by the extraction for the formation of the Sillares. At this point we will tell you the history of the ashlar, the elaboration and the use that has always been given to it. In this quarry you can see a Mega Detail of the Church of the Society of Jesus made by the stonecutters themselves. We can also visit some of them so they can explain to us what their daily work is like and make us experiment by cutting one of their stone blocks ourselves.

Then we will move to the Quebrada de Culebrillas, which is 30 minutes away from Añashuayco. Arriving at this point we will make a walk of approximately 20 minutes inside the small canyon that was formed by the passage of water, which has walls of 15 to 20 meters, while we enter it the walls of the canyon are increasing in height. At the end of the walk we can see petroglyphs made by the Wari culture over a thousand years ago. Before returning to the city we will observe the Apachetas that are stone formations placed one on top of the other that are a symbol of gratitude towards nature and also attraction of good luck which cause a mystical sensation.

11:30 am – We will begin the return trip to the city of Arequipa.

12:30 pm – We will arrive at the center of Arequipa.

Lunch at the hotel in Arequipa

Afternoon:. Volunteer work at childcare

At 2pm, we will go to our Childcare project.

Our after-school program is located at the heart of the city of Arequipa, a few blocks away from the main square and close to most bus stations and where many woman work selling handcrafts, food, and helping in restaurants/hotels. The project is a secure place for their kids to stay in the afternoons while they are working. The project is run by the Catholic Church, but all kids from any religion are accepted and welcome. They accommodate about 40 kids from 6 to 12 years old.

Night at Hotel 3*

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at hotel

Day 3 – MORNING:. TREKKING TO CAPUA WATERFALL

08:00 am – We will pick you up from your Hotel in the city of Arequipa and transfer you to the Yura district. In a 45-minute trip we will reach our destination.

On the outskirts of the town of Yura we will take a path that takes us directly near to the Capua waterfall. Mobility will leave us in a parking lot and then start the walk that lasts 40 minutes one way to Capua Waterfall. On the way of the trek we will have to take off our shoes so as not to wet them because the road is full of water, so it is advisable to wear water shoes. It is also essential to bring mosquito repellent because they abound in the area. This route to the waterfall is a small canyon formed by the water path that comes from the waterfall. On the way we can observe 2 small waterfalls before reaching the main one that is the Capua Waterfall, the largest in the area. We will arrive at the waterfall and have 30 minutes to rest and take pictures with the background of the beautiful waterfall.

Later we will do the return walk that also lasts 40 minutes to the parking lot where mobility awaits us.

Upon reaching the parking lot we can change and then be able to visit the town of Yura and its surroundings. It is optional to take a relaxing bath in the hot springs of the place

12:00 pm – We will start the return trip to the center of the city of Arequipa.

01:00 pm – We will arrive to the center of the city of Arequipa and leave them at your hotel.

Lunch at the hotel in Arequipa

Afternoon:. Volunteer work at childcare

At 2pm, we will continue our volunteer project at the childcare program

Night at Hotel 3*

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner at hotel

Day 4 – AREQUIPA TO CHIVAY

At 8:00 am we pick you up from your hotel to leave Arequipa (2,325m) destination to the snowy mountain Chachani in our transport. We will see wild vicunas, alpacas and llamas in the National Reserve of Pampa Cañahu as well as birds such as flamingos, ibis, Andean geese, ducks, eagles and Andean called Kara Kara.

We will also visit the viewpoint of volcanoes and snowy mountains in Patapampa (4,800m).

Arriving in Chivay (3,600m), the capital of the Colca Valley, we will have lunch and free afternoon to relax or visit the hot springs.

Night at Hotel 3*

Meals: Breakfast at the hotel in Arequipa, lunch and dinner in Chivay.

Day 5 – COLCA CANYON TO AREQUIPA

Early morning after breakfast (around 6:00 am), we leave for a full day excursion on the left side of the canyon and visit beautiful towns like Yanque and Maca with colonial churches and friendly people who are happy to show their traditional embroidered clothing. See hundreds of pre-Inca terraces still used for farm and Andean corn, quinoa, amaranth and others.

After a drive of two hours, we reach the place you have been waiting – La Cruz del Condor. Here we can see the depth of the canyon and the condor wonderful ride. Free time to watch the condors and explore the lookout. Then we return to Arequipa where we will arrive around 5:00 pm and transfer to your hotel.

Night at Hotel 3*

Meals: Breakfast and lunch in Chivay and dinner at hotel in Arequipa

Day 6 – DEPARTURE FROM AREQUIPA

At appropriate time, we will pick you up at take you to the airport.

End of our service!

**All retreats are fully customizable based on the needs and goals of your company

• Private pickup/drop off from airport in Arequipa
• 2 days volunteering at childcare project
• Private Arequipa City
• Private Sillar Stone Route
• Private Trekking to Capua Waterfall
• Colca Canyon 2 day tour
• Entrances to Hot springs in Chivay
• 4 nights in 3* hotel in Arequipa
• 1 night in 3* hotel in Chivay
• All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
• Transfer to all visits
• All entradas required
• 24/7 support before and during your time in Peru

Accommodation:

Volunteers will stay in hotel in Arequipa based in double or triple rooms. Please contact us for single room.

Food & Beverages:

Volunteers can expect to experience a variety of flavors during their experience as Peruvian food is diverse. Peru has one of the best gastronomy in the world, we strongly recommend volunteers to enjoy restaurants and markets during the stay in Peru.

Spanish language courses are available for all volunteers regardless of their ability.

Volunteers should strongly consider these courses as they will allow them to work and communicate with all parties more efficiently during their stay. These language courses are organized on arrival in Peru at the program orientation.

The language course is tailored to each volunteer’s current level of Spanish.

– The minimum age for volunteers is 18 years old unless traveling with family members over 18 or their school.

** IMPORTANT NOTE:. This program is for groups only.

– No previous volunteer experience or other qualifications are necessary as all skills are useful in our projects.

– We do require volunteers to be aware that they will encounter cultural differences in Peru, which they must be prepared to respect.

– Our volunteers must be willing to engage in their project and be open-minded towards the dissimilarities they may encounter.

– Please contact us. Make sure to add info@pevolunteer.org to your email safe list to ensure receipt of our response.

– A no-refundable, no-transferable payment of US$250.00per person must be paid at time of booking.

– After reserving your place please book your flight and send us your flight information so we can schedule your airport pick-up. Also, visit your doctor for any vaccinations you may require and do not hesitate to ask us any questions that you may have.

– Upon receipt of your details you will be sent our in-depth pre-departure brochure full of indispensable tips regarding preparation and packing, your destination and its customs, your accommodations, travel requirements and suggestion.

– The remaining total is due 10 days before the start of your program.

– Join us Helping and Traveling in Peru!