10 Stunning and Little-Known Locations

There’s more to Peru than Machu Picchu, Cusco and the Nazca Lines. Indeed, the Andean city and region of Arequipa reveal a surprising wealth of lesser-known but equally compelling locations.

The Arequipa capital is known as the “White City” due to the bleached volcanic sillar stone that has been widely used to construct its churches and colonial buildings. It is also the birthplace of Peru’s literary giant, Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.

Aside from its elegant square dominated by a Baroque cathedral, a must-see is the sprawling Monastery of Santa Catalina, built in 1579, set against volcanos in the horizon. The region of Arequipa is also known as the alpaca capital of the world. One is bound to spot several herds along the roadside, including those of other camelids: vicuñas, which yield a finer wool than alpaca, guanacos and llamas.

A roughly three-hour drive from the city is Colca Canyon, said to be as deep or even deeper than the Grand Canyon. Also further afield is the surreal petrified forest of Puruña and the Pillones waterfalls.

These sites have lured some location shoots through the years, both local and international. Hopefully, efforts by the government and its de facto film commission PromPeru will spur more filmmaking in the area.

A visit to Arequipa begins in Lima, the only South American capital with a sea coast, from which frequent flights take off for Arequipa and the rest of the country. This vibrant metropolis boasts a record four restaurants in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list compiled by William Reed Ltd., with Amazonian-Nikkei inspired Maido ranking number one in 2025. In 2023, Central, led by chef Virgilio Martinez, sat atop the annual list and is now in the coveted Best of the Best category.

Aside from being a culinary destination, Lima offers filmmakers a rare duality: a contemporary capital layered directly over one of South America’s most fascinating colonial-era underground burial systems. Beneath the historic center, the catacombs of the San Francisco Monastery form a labyrinth of vaulted brick corridors, artfully-stacked bones and low, directional light that create an immediate sense of mystery and historical weight. The adjacent convent houses a library of precious antique books in various languages.

Above ground, Lima’s colonial architecture, narrow streets, diffused coastal light from its so-called panza de burro skies (donkey’s belly), provide a visual contrast. The catacombs’ textures, symmetry and natural chiaroscuro lighting make it well suited to historical dramas, psychological thrillers, mystery narratives, horror and stylized documentary sequences.

Here are 10 Film Friendly Locations in Arequipa:

Abandoned Train Stations (“Tambos”) — Pampa de Arrieros, Cañahuas, Sumbay
These cinematic ruins of a bygone industrial era are scattered across wide, high-altitude plains, offering filmmakers a striking combination of weathered industrial architecture, vast skies and profound isolation. Their remote settings suggest an atmosphere of stillness and suspense. Near Sumbay, ancient rock art shelters introduce an added layer of archaeological and cultural depth, while the windswept expanses surrounding Cañahuas heighten the sense of exposure and timelessness. The Pampa de Arrieros is a ghost town that was abandoned for two decades but has had some locals building their second homes. The raw textures and natural decay of these locations provide production-ready visuals with minimal set dressing required. They’re particularly compelling for neo-Western storytelling, dystopian futures, road-driven narratives and restrained, minimalist thrillers.

Arequipa City: Downtown, San Lázaro

Just a quick 1.5-hour flight from Lima, the White City boasts urban colonial backdrops against a volcanic skyline. A number of documentary and fiction productions have shot here given its sound infrastructure of hotels, restaurants among other amenities. The gateway to the Andes, its historic center features European-influenced facades, narrow lanes and archways, making it an ideal setting for period films or series. The San Lázaro district is known for its labyrinthian alleyways and quiet stone courtyards as well as its proximity to the city center’s Plaza de Armas with its majestic cathedral and graceful fountain. The most recent local production in the city was the 2025 drama “Nanito” by Guillermo Fernández Cano, which took in the historic center, some of its traditional restaurants, the bridge Fierro de Arequipa which used to have trains pass over it and is now a cycling and pedestrian path, as well as the leafy residential neighborhood of Vallecito.

Colca Canyon

One of the deepest canyons on the planet, said to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in some parts, the canyon delivers panoramic vistas, terraced valleys and remote Andean villages. This is also the habitat of the Andean condor, often seen gliding on thermal currents just above the canyon rim. Aside from documentaries, it served as a backdrop to 2013 Brazilian telenovela “Amor à Vida” from media giant Globo, which also tapped the White City, Cusco, Machu Picchu and Puno. The 2009 Peruvian-Belgian-German-Dutch co-production “Altiplano,” directed by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth, made use of the high-altitude vistas of Colca Canyon and Puno to anchor the story about the impact of mining on a mountain village. It world premiered at Cannes’ Critics Week where it was well received and stars Peru’s Magaly Solier of Berlin Golden Bear winner “The Milk of Sorrow” alongside Jasmin Tabatabai and Olivier Gourmet. Lodges in the Colca valley feature hot springs heated by the volcanos.

Monastery of Santa Catalina

Spanning 215,278 sq. ft (20,000 sq. meters), the 16^th century monastery features vibrant blue and terracotta walls, cloisters, plazas and shadowy passageways, making for dramatic backdrops. It forms part of the city center which has been declared a UNESCO Heritage site. It served as a cloister for Dominican nuns and still houses a few of them today. From here and the city center, you can view three volcanos dominating the horizon, among them the iconic Misti Volcano, which briefly appears in Episode 5 of Netflix’s “3 Body Problem.” Still active, it is considered the symbol of Arequipa and towers 19,297 ft (5,822 meters). Among local filmmakers, Miguel Barreda has shot several times in Arequipa. He shot the biopic “Ana de los Angeles” in the monastery, recreating 17th century Arequipa and recounting the most important episodes in the life of canonized Peruvian nun, Saint Ana de los Ángeles Monteagudo.

Pampa Cañahuas & Toccra Swamp

Located within the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve, these expansive high plains form a rare wildlife corridor defined by vast open terrain, high-altitude wetlands and cloud-draped horizons. The landscape combines tundra-like textures with wildlife movement, offering a sense of quiet scale and atmospheric realism. The area is home to vicuñas, a protected species, and a healthy wetland ecosystem, and is also populated by rarely seen guanacos – adding a unique and authentic wildlife element seldom captured on camera. The shifting light and weather patterns create naturally moody conditions well suited to subtle, contemplative storytelling. It’s tailor-made for nature documentaries, contemplative cinema and commercial spots requiring open, pristine landscapes.

Puruña Stone Forest, Pillones Waterfalls

A surreal landscape apt for fantasy and genre projects, the Puruña stone forest, a two to three-hour drive from Arequipa city, offers a small-scale version of Turkey’s Cappadocia and its otherworldly rock formations. It is easily accessible from the main road. Given its altitude exceeding 13,146 ft (4,000-plus meters) above sea level, precautions need to be taken to guard against altitude sickness. Further afield, via a 45-min. drive and a short hike down a trail, are the Pillones waterfalls, which cascade over volcanic boulders and is surrounded by rocks shaped by the erosion of water and time. The raw isolated backdrop makes it ideal for alternative universes, creature features, prehistoric reenactments or music videos.

 Ruta del Sillar and Culebrillas Gorge, Petroglyphs

Situated on the outskirts of Arequipa city, the Ruta del Sillar (Sillar Route) is a quarry that provides a look on how the volcanic sillar stone has been extracted for generations to build most of the White City’s structures, including its cathedral and monastery. It includes a massive carved wall that is reminiscent of the entrance to Petra in Jordan. The nearby Culebrillas, an untouched quarry, offers a short walk through a narrow water-sculpted gorge that bears a collection of petroglyphs, prehistoric rock carvings made by the pre-Inca Wari civilization. Some documentaries have been shot here while Barreda, who has provided production services to German state-backed DW television and its reports, set his 2021 drama “La Cantera” (“The Quarry”) on this site.

Salinas Lagoon

Set against a mountain range and the Picchu Picchu volcano, the high-altitude salt lake of Salinas, roughly a two-hour drive from the White City or from Colca Valley, yields dramatic vistas all year round. The wet season from January to March sees the lagoon’s water create awe-inspiring mirror effects and attracts flamingos and other migratory birds, not unlike Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni. During the dry season of April to December, the water evaporates to reveal the wide expanse of white salt. Aside from flamingos, it is home to llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. It is ideal for car commercials, surreal sequences, travel films, expansive sci-fi landscapes and photo shoots.

Valley of the Volcanoes, Andagua

The Andagua Valley of the Volcanoes is one of the country’s most visually striking and unusual natural landscapes. The valley features more than 80 small cone volcanoes spread across a vast, arid terrain, creating a dramatic, lunar-like environment with a strong sense of scale and isolation. Formed millions of years ago by basaltic lava eruptions, these conical formations—known as hornitos—and the surrounding hardened lava flows offer raw textures and natural symmetry. The result is an unmistakably otherworldly setting that requires minimal visual enhancement, making it a production-ready location for bold, cinematic storytelling. Well suited for science fiction, fantasy, epic adventure and nature documentaries.

Volcano Lookouts

Arequipa’s dramatic geography offers filmmakers immediate access to sweeping panoramic viewpoints of its iconic volcanic trio—Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu. These natural lookouts deliver striking sunrise and sunset light, creating scale and grandeur ideal for powerful cinematic introductions. Drone filming is permitted with local authorization and the region has proven production credentials. Arequipa featured prominently in the History Channel’s 2023 documentary series “Extreme Andes,” a six-episode production following three Brazilian mountaineers across Peru’s volcanoes, with sequences filmed in the Andean regions—including Arequipa, especially the Coropuna volcano—as key natural settings. The lookouts are ideal for opening shots, character journeys, drone sequences and dramatic transitions.