Car Rentals

Colca Canyon road trips start about 5.1 km from Arequipa

Car rentals at Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) in T1 work best if you’re planning to drive beyond the city, especially toward Colca Canyon, the highlands, or smaller villages in southern Peru. The airport sits roughly 5.1 km from downtown Arequipa, so you’re on urban streets within 15–25 minutes of landing, depending on T1 traffic and baggage timing.

Rental counters typically sit landside in the main T1 arrivals area, a short walk from the baggage belts. Opening hours tend to track the Lima and Cusco flight banks, roughly early morning to late evening, but late-night arrivals after 23:00 sometimes find only pre-booked desks staffed. Expect international-brand pricing, with base daily rates that climb once you add full insurance and extras.

Because the airport is only about 5–8 km from the center, regulars often rent in town instead of at AQP to dodge airport surcharges. The move: take a city taxi from T1 to a downtown office for a small fixed fare, then start the rental the morning you actually leave for Chivay, Colca, or other out-of-town spots, so the car isn’t just sitting parked in Arequipa.

Altitude matters here: AQP sits around 2,560 m (about 8,400 ft), and roads toward Colca Canyon climb higher within a few hours. Drivers who fly in from Lima or sea level often keep day one short, stay in Arequipa, and only tackle longer, steeper stretches in daylight the next morning to avoid fatigue and dusk driving at 3,000 m+.

Trip reports on Colca Canyon mention steep grades, animals in the road, and intermittent unpaved segments on some routes. Add in occasional fog and buses on curves, and you get why many visitors schedule at least 4–5 daylight hours for the AQP–Chivay leg instead of trusting the raw 160–170 km distance on a map. Build extra fuel stops into that plan; remote stations thin out fast.

One-way rentals are common from this regional hub, with flyers mixing AQP flights to Lima or Cusco and then doing a one-way contract to or from Arequipa. Just know the one-way surcharge and full-coverage insurance can push the real cost well above that headline daily rate you see online for southern Peru.

Final tip: if your flight lands in T1 after mid-afternoon and you’re aiming for Colca or high passes, book a hotel in Arequipa and pick the car up around 07:00–08:00 the next day instead of driving mountain sections in the dark.