Explore the Sillar Route, a path that takes you to the Añashuayco Quarries and the Culebrillas Ravine. Learn about the extraction and carving of the albino stone, sillar, which has given Arequipa the nickname “White City.”
Depart from your hotel in Arequipa and head to the Mirador de los Volcanes. Admire the panoramic view of the Andean apus revered by the Incas, now guarding the White City: Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu.
Next, visit the Añashuayco Quarry, still actively extracting sillar stone, creating an immense canyon with towering white walls about 30 meters high. The local quarrymen will explain their carving techniques and showcase the various uses of the stone.
Continue to the Culebrillas Ravine, a sillar quarry not yet in exploitation, located in the districts of Uchumayo and Cerro Colorado. Take a 20-minute walk to observe the enigmatic petroglyphs engraved on the ravine walls.
On your return to the city, see the Apachetas, stone structures arranged in a conical shape along the Inca Trail as an offering. These are considered by the locals as an ancestral custom that provokes a mystical sensation.
