Top 10 Volcanoes in Peru
Peru's active volcanoes cluster in the south, in the Central Andean Volcanic Zone. Around the city of Arequipa they rise to nearly six kilometres above sea level, snow-capped year-round and visible from the streets. Several have erupted in living memory.
1. El Misti
Arequipa's defining backdrop — a near-perfect 5,822 m stratovolcano whose cone shapes every photograph of the city. A long, non-technical climb on volcanic ash leads to a smoking summit crater.
2. Chachani
The 6,057 m glaciated volcano north of Arequipa, often considered one of the most accessible 6,000-metre peaks in the Andes — but still a serious acclimatised climb.
3. Ubinas
The most active volcano in Peru, regularly venting ash that drifts across the surrounding villages. Reached by 4x4 from Arequipa for distant viewing only; access in eruption phases is closed.
4. Sabancaya
A loud, active stratovolcano just south of the Colca Canyon, in nearly constant explosive activity since 2016. Viewable from Colca with the condors.
5. Coropuna
Peru's highest volcano (6,377 m) and one of the most extensive glacier-capped peaks of the tropics. A serious mountaineering objective with significant glacier retreat in recent decades.
6. Ampato
A 6,288 m dormant volcano famous as the resting place of "Juanita," the remarkably preserved Inca ice mummy now exhibited in Arequipa's Andean Sanctuaries Museum.
7. Pichu Pichu
The serrated ridge east of Arequipa, the eroded remains of a large stratovolcano whose summits hold Inca archaeological sites.
8. Huaynaputina
A sleeping volcano that produced the largest South American eruption of the historical era in 1600 — its tephra darkened skies across Europe and Asia.
9. Yucamane
A high stratovolcano in southern Peru near Candarave, classed as active with steam emissions and a hot crater lake.
10. Auquihuato / Ticsani
Less-known volcanic systems in the Department of Moquegua — small, high-altitude, and almost never visited but central to the regional volcanic map.
How Peru's volcanoes fit together
The cluster around Arequipa is the obvious base. Two or three high volcanoes can be climbed in a single trip with proper acclimatisation, and the Colca Canyon adds Sabancaya viewing plus condors and pre-Inca terraces.
Hazard and access
INGEMMET and the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) monitor active volcanoes and publish updates. Climbing requires acclimatisation, licensed guides, and respect for restricted zones during eruption phases.
See them on the map
Filter the map to Peru and the southern Andean cluster appears sharply around Arequipa — a compact volcanic region within driving range of one of South America's great cities.