At 7am we were cruising in style with Cruz del Sur from Arequipa to Tacna (S/36, CAD$12.70, 6 hours). (Tacna is a town on the Peruvian side of the Peru-Chile border.) We even had a fancy, private waiting room to keep out all the riff-raff.
We were lucky enough to have another comfortable ride in the front window seat (thanks to booking ahead) with “breakfast” served to our seats.
The bus ride from Puno to Arequipa was the best we’ve had so far. We paid slightly more through Cruz del Sur than we needed to (S/54, CAD$18.60), but it was totally worth it. We had front row seats, a meal (read: sandwich, cookies, and juice), and a movie. Not to mention, a clean bus that didn’t stop at every rest stop in the Peruvian wilderness.
We arrived in Arequipa around 8 or 9pm and took a taxi for S/6 (CAD$2) from the bus station to Amazing Home Backpackers (S/70/CAD$24 for a private double with en suite bathroom per night). Alex, the hostel owner, was friendly and helpful and gave us information about the two- and three-day tours to Colca Canyon.
We left our laundry with Alex the next morning after breakfast. Breakfast at Amazing Home Backpackers was a treat. A rooftop patio serving freshly prepared banana pancakes with dulce de leche. With bellies filled with pancakes we went out to explore Arequipa.