Mundo Alpaca

Mundo Alpaca is run by Michell, the Arequipa company that is one of the largest processors of alpaca fibre in the world, and it is free because it is effectively a showroom with an educational front. In the gardens are live alpacas, llamas and vicuñas that can be fed and photographed; inside, staff demonstrate fibre sorting - grading fleece by hand into dozens of categories by fineness and colour, which is the step that determines value - along with spinning and weaving on both backstrap and industrial looms. There is a small museum of textile machinery and a gallery of contemporary Peruvian art. And there is a large shop, which is the point of the exercise. It is a straightforward and genuinely informative hour, especially for understanding what separates baby alpaca from the coarse fibre sold in markets.

What you actually see

• The animals - alpacas, llamas and vicuñas in the gardens.
• The fibre sorting - hand grading of fleece into dozens of categories.
• The weaving - backstrap and industrial looms demonstrated side by side.
• The company context - a working showroom for one of the largest alpaca processors.

When to go

Year-round. One hour. Free entry. Demonstrations run during working hours, so avoid late afternoon.

Honest expectations

It is a corporate showroom and the visit ends in a shop with high prices. Demonstrations are short. The animals are kept for display. Useful for learning what fibre grades mean before buying anywhere else.

Nearby

The San Lázaro quarter and central Arequipa are a short walk; Santa Catalina is nearby.