Arequipa: Salinas & Aguada Blanca Reserve with Volcanos & Hot Springs

Three Volcanos, Salt Mirrors & a Soak in the Andes

You start before dawn at a viewpoint overlooking three volcanos, eat breakfast in a mountain village, then spend the day in the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve watching vicuñas and flamingos among salt flats and water mirrors. A soak in natural hot springs rounds out the afternoon before your return to the city. Hotel pickup and a guide are included, so you don't arrange transport or worry about timing.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Salinas and Aguada Blanca Reserve

• Start tour at 6 am
• Visit Mirador de los Volcanes viewpoint
• See volcanoes Misti, Chachani, Pichu Pichu
• Visit local square and church
• Have breakfast
• Observe flora and fauna
• Explore Salinas and Aguada Blanca landscapes
• See vicuñas, llamas, alpacas, guanacos
• Visit salt flats and water bodies
• Spot flamingos and water mirrors
• Visit Lojen mini-volcano
• Relax at natural hot springs

The experience

You're standing at 3,000 meters before most of Arequipa wakes up. The tour starts at 6 am from your hotel, and the first stop is Chiguata's Mirador de los Volcanes. A viewpoint where you can see Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu all at once, their peaks lined up across the horizon like something you'd sketch and then doubt was real. The light is still soft, the air thin and cold, and you're already acclimatizing without thinking about it. There's breakfast after, in the square near the local church, which gives your body a chance to settle before the reserve itself.

The Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve is the kind of place that changes depending on when you arrive. In wet season, you get water mirrors: shallow lakes that reflect the sky so perfectly you can't tell where the ground ends and the air begins. In dry season, the salt flat spreads out white and flat, and people take those surreal perspective photos where they're holding up a volcano between their fingers. Either way, the wildlife is there: vicuñas (wild relatives of llamas), actual llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and if you're lucky, flamingos picking through the salt water. Your guide knows the landscape and the animals, and will point out the yaretales and queñuales: the tough shrubs that survive up here when almost nothing else does.

After the reserve, there's a stop at Lojen, a small volcano that looks like someone left a cone-shaped pile of rock in the middle of nowhere, and then you head to the natural hot springs. This is the part that catches people off guard. You get 30 to 60 minutes to actually soak, which means you're not just passing through. The water is warm, the Andean landscape is still around you, and your muscles remember that you've been climbing all morning. By the time you're back in Arequipa, you've seen three volcanos, crossed a salt flat, watched for flamingos and soaked in geothermal water, all in one day.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup at 6 am, a guided tour of the Mirador de los Volcanes viewpoint, breakfast in Chiguata, entry to the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve with time to see salt flats, water mirrors and wildlife, a stop at the Lojen mini-volcano, and 30 to 60 minutes soaking in natural hot springs. A first aid box travels with the group, and your guide handles the route and timing so you focus on the landscape.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 06:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (18 to 59 years) · Senior (60 to 80 years) · Youth (12 to 17 years) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupUp to 19

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by La Nueva Ruta AllinCapac

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the three volcanos that frame Arequipa, cross a salt flat and soak in hot springs without arranging your own transport or worrying about altitude: the early start and breakfast stop are what make the full day possible at that elevation.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 17 years); Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What time does the tour start and finish?

Pickup from your hotel is at 6 am. The full tour runs 8–9 hours, so you're back in Arequipa by mid-afternoon.

Will I see flamingos and vicuñas?

Vicuñas, llamas, alpacas and guanacos are common year-round. Flamingos depend on water levels, which vary by season. Your guide will know what to expect when you go.

What's the altitude like?

The Mirador de los Volcanes is at 3,000+ meters. The reserve sits higher. The early start and breakfast stop are built in to help you acclimatize. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels.

Can I swim in the hot springs?

Yes. You get 30 to 60 minutes to soak. Bring a swimsuit and a towel.

What's included?

Tour guide, breakfast, hotel pickup and a first aid box. Entry to the reserve is included.

Is it cold?

Yes. The Andes at altitude are cold in the morning and evening. Bring layers and a jacket.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes, service animals are allowed on the tour.