Arequipa´s Anniversary Extravaganza
Celebrate Arequipa Style!
Each August the famed White City of Arequipa celebrates its founding anniversary in remarkable fashion. The main days are August 11th to the 14th, but the party actually begins weeks in advance. There´s a sillar stonework and metalwork contest, an international folklore dance festival, beauty contests, and outdoor musical performances. On the main day, August 15th, is the main annual parade, the Corso, or Friendship Parade. Get a big hat for the strong desert sun, park a rented lawn chair alongside one of the main streets and watch as brightly costumed folkloric dancers from all the region´s villages and provinces dance by to the beat of clapping hands and marching bands, along with floats, stiltwalkers, musicians, and marchers.
After the parade you can do some sightseeing while cooling off with some ice cream or one of the many treats the street vendors will be hawking, most notably the fried-dough buñuelos and anticucho shishkabobs. The Plaza de Armas will be filled to capacity in the night as musical groups and comedians entertain huge crowds.
The Sights of 
Arequipa
While you´re in Arequipa, Pirwa´s Travel Service can keep you up to date on the celebrations and give you all the detailed information you need to not feel lost in Peru´s 2nd most populous city, check online or stop by the travel desk in any of our youth hostels or B&Bs to receive free all the information about area attractions, travel assistance, or tour coordination that you need.
There´s plenty to do in the city and its surroundings:
- Admire the countryside´s fertile Inca terraces and the Historical Center´s colonial monuments´ ornate facades of volcanic white sillar.
- Explore the intense natural beauty of Arequipa, which is circled by volcanoes, gorges, green valleys, desert dunes and snowy peaks.
- Tackle El Misti Volcano, the symbol of Arequipa´s people and culture, for a awe-inspiring look into its crater, grab an ice pick and scale snowy Chacani, or take a thrilling downhill bike trip along their slopes.
- Descend into Cotahuasi, the world´s deepest canyon, or Colca Canyon, where endangered Andean Condors, the world´s largest bird of flight, circle.
- After your climbs and treks, relax with a visit to the bright orange and blue Moorish-style Convent of Santa Catalina, often described as a walled-in city within a city, or horseback ride in bucolic Sabandia alongside its stately mill and picturesque waterfall.
- Don´t miss a visit to the world-famous Ice Maiden, Juanita, whose naturally mummified body was preserved by a glacial snow cap centuries after she was sacrificed by the Inca at 14 years old.
A Relaxing Retreat
If the canyon and volcano treks tire you out, 
retire to Pirwa for some relaxing downtime. Grab a hammock or deck chair in the patio and read a book from our exchange, admire the view of El Misti from our rooftop terrace, challenge fellow travelers to some friendly pool or ping-pong competitions, update your travel blog with our free wifi, and mingle in the bar, or just catch a movie in the lounge.
Pirwa Arequipa offers comfort, low prices, security, and great locations: Pirwa Hostels Arequipa is in the city´s oldest quarter, the San Lazaro Quarter in the heart of the city´s Historical Center, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000; Pirwa B&B is just a couple minutes´ walk from the Main Square.
Just in time for Arequipa´s Anniversary we´ve got a special STAY 3 NIGHTS, PAY 2 offer for Pirwa Hostels Arequipa and Pirwa B&B- for more info check our promotional offers page and don´t let this great bargain pass you by!