The beauty of Arequipa countryside attracts peopel from different places. In places like; Characato, Yarabamba, Quequeña and Sogat It’s possible to hike and enjoy the cropfields.
In Yumina, the pre-Inca terraces form multiple and splendid amphitheaters, which beautifully frame the beautiful panorama.
Characato, is an old town, with a lot of tradition and customs. It is beyond Sabandía, at 13 km from Arequipa city, and has been chosen for the installation of a Meteorological, Geophysical and Teleseismic Observatory, as well as an Artificial Satellite Tracking Station. The classic bullfights, so deeply rooted in Arequipa’s peasant tradition, have a greater validity in Characato.
Yarabamba, It is located at 23 km from the city, on the road that passes through Characato. It is a region of grasslands in the plains and terraces in the hills. It was the seat of primitive pre-Inca cultures, so the area is rich in archaeological centers. The town is the cradle of great characters who have left the name of Arequipa in a very good place.
Nearby is Sogay, a delicious corner, extremely picturesque, ideal for walking along the streams.
Quequeña, is beyond Yarabamba, at 30Km. from Arequipa. It has a beautiful baroque colonial church, not yet restored. In the nearby hills there are large, very sonorous dioritic stones with remarkable petroglyphs; its ceramics have enriched many museums and private collections.
In the town square there is a monument to the “martyrs of Quequeña”, humble peasants who were killed by the Chilean barbarians in 1883, in retaliation for the death of a couple of them.