In July 2025, we took a two-week road trip in Peru, driving from Arequipa to Cusco.
Logistics
There are a handful of car rental companies in Arequipa. The choice is more limited when doing a one-way rental. We went with Hertz - though the Peruvian website has online booking, ulitimately we were connected with a local agent over Whatsapp to confirm the booking. Apparently rentals from Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty are all handled by the same local agency, INKA'S RENT A CAR. We couldn't drive manual, so we settled with the only available automatic car - a base Toyota Yaris. The one-way fee is $250, and the total for two weeks came to about $700.
Arequipa
We landed in Arequipa early on July 4th. After a short wait for our rental car, we drove to our hotel, Wyndham Costa del Sol Arequipa. The hotel is located a bit outside the city center, but we had a car and it offered free parking. We booked the Arequipa Suite, the largest room in the hotel with a separate living room. The room was spacious and quite comfortable, and has air conditioning AND heating. The hotel also has a large garden with a nice playground, few alpacas, and a giant tortoise.
We took it easy on our first day in Arequipa, settling in and adjusting to the altitude. After a nap to recover from jetlag, we took a short trip to the Plaza de Armas, the main square in Arequipa. On our second day, we visited the Santa Catalina Monastery, spending a few hours exploring its vibrant red and blue walls.
Driving in Arequipa was intimidating at first, but we got used to it quickly. Peruvians, though aggresive, are fine drivers. We matched their level of assertiveness in merging and turning, and had few issues.
Colca Canyon
We left Arequipa on the morning of July 6th, hoping to day-hike the Chachani volcano before heading to Colca Canyon. The road looked all right on Google Maps, but the AR-109 turned out to be a rough dirt road shortly after leaving the city. We managed to get to the turnoff, but our little Yaris didn't have the clearnance to go further on the last stretch of the trek to the base camp.
Espinar and Acopia
Sacred Valley
Cusco
