Peru Guide
Around Arequipa
Chapi
CHAPI, 45km southeast of Arequipa, is easily manageable as a day's excursion from the city. Though less dramatic than the Colca Canyon, the landscape here is still magnificent, surrounded as it is by mining territory but few peaks much over 5000m. Chapi itself is famous for its white church, the Santuario de la Virgen de Chapi, set high above the village at the foot of a valley which itself is the source of a natural spring. Thousands of pilgrims come here annually on May 1 to revere the image of the Virgin, a marvellous burst of processions and fiesta fever. There's no hotel, so if you intend to stay overnight you'll need a tent, but there are several basic places to eat. Angelitos Negros buses leave from Calle San Juan de Dios in Arequipa, for Chapi at 6 and 7am (3hr; $3.50).