South America Days 32-36: Arequipa
From Huacachina, I took the night bus from Nazca to Arequipa. Arequipa is the largest city in Peru behind Lima with a population of over a million people.
In the spirit of trying new things, I tried white water rafting for the first time. White water rafting is one of the most popular activities here in Arequipa.
Later that night, I went out with a few friends and tried out Alpaca for the first time, a delicacy here in Peru.
The next day, I went on an excursion to the Pillones Waterfall. Before reaching the waterfall, we stopped by a stone forest with unique rock formations shaped over thousands of years through volcanic lava, sand, and wind.
We had breakfast on our way to the waterfalls, an alpaca decided to join us.
After a few hours of driving and a short hike, we finally reached the waterfall. Unfortunately, the altitude hit me like a truck. Arequipa is at 2300m elevation, Pillones’ at an elevation of 4200m. Nearly, double the altitude!