More than 1000 km south of Lima, the capital of Peru, we find this beautiful volcanic city called Ciudad Blanca (White City) thanks to the colour of its buildings, which were made of a white volcanic stone that makes a perfect match with the green colour of the vegetation. Surrounded by three volcanoes with snowy peaks, it is a place you cannot miss.
It has a great number of beaches, and it is chosen both by local and international holidaymakers because of its excellent services, friendly people and numerous tourist attractions. In “quechua” language, its name “ari gipay” means “do stay”, and in fact, this city invites us to stay as long as possible to enjoy a really restorative holiday.
It is also worldwide famous for The Valley of Volcanoes, with its landscape formed by 80 small inactive volcanoes which amazingly resemble the moon´s surface.
We should not worry about accommodation, as there are lots of hotels and hostels to suit everybody´s pocket. The food is excellent; the most outstanding dishes are stews and potages, and there is a different one with its own name for each day of the week.
Undoubtedly, a great attraction is the beach, specially in Mollendo seaside resort. From the old quay to the south, there are 35 km of fine sand and calm water. The First beach is wide and 200 metres long; it has good parking facilities and excellent service. Then comes the Second Beach, which is so smalll that it is not an obstacle to get to the Third Beach, for sure one of the best beaches in Peru, where you will find canopies and parasoles which give a beautiful multi-colour appearance to the beach. The Fourth Beach is larger and has a first class tourist centre. On the Fifth Beach you will find lots of restaurants and excellent facilities.
The beach of Jiway also stands out because of the blue sea and extremely white sand, and Mejía Beach is a picturesque village with pretty old wooden houses.
You can fly directly to Arequipa Rodríguez Ballón international airport.. The weather is usually sunny and the temperature is about 25ºC all the year round. The rainy season is between December and March.
