After leaving the heights of Cusco we flew to Peru’s second largest city, Arequipa. Located in the south of Peru, the city sits at 7,600 feet, which is 3,600 less than Cusco but still high enough to shorten your breath when walking up stairs.

We spent six nights in the Cayma neighborhood and walked each day to the town center for sightseeing.

Like Lima, Arequipa has mild weather with a lot of sunshine and not much rain. The surrounding hills are brown, although the tall mountains to the north west do have snow on their peaks.

We also toured the Museo Santuarios Andinos, where they keep the mummified body of an Inca girl who was sacrificed some 500 years ago. The girl and many of the items buried with her were frozen for centuries until volcanic activity thawed the area where she was left near the summit of Mount Ampato. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures, but you can see a few of her at the museum link above.

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