Great Adventure

Colca Canyon

This is a great trek, recommended for those who want to see the Colca Canyon from the inside and who have a basic level of fitness.

Spectacular views, soaring condors, remote villages and pre-Incan terraces feature in this trip, which is a must for those visiting south Peru.

Day 1

We leave Arequipa at 7:00 am and arrive at Cabanaconde near the edge of the canyon at 1:00 pm, in time for lunch. We start trekking down into the canyon, and after about three hours cross the river at the bottom to arrive in the village of San Juan de Chuccho, where we stay the night.

Day 2

After a relaxing night and sumptuous breakfast, we continue along the other side of the canyon, passing through the picturesque villages of Coshñirgua and Malata, before descending to the lowest point of the canyon, the Oasis. Arriving here around 1:00 pm, we have the chance to spend a relaxing afternoon by the pool and rest in bamboo bungalows.

Day 3

Colca Canyon

Around 3:00 am the following morning we get up and start the climb up the canyon, by torch and starlight (such a climb is fiercely hot by day). Those who are feeling very tired have the option of making the ascent by mule. Breakfast of pancakes with jam or scrambled eggs at the Valle de Fuego hostel tastes delicious after the walk. We then take another local bus for 30 minutes to the Cruz del Condor. Here it is usually possible to witness the flight of condors, as they rise on the thermals out of the canyon around 9:00 am. We catch the bus again and stop in Chivay for lunch and the opportunity for a relaxing 20-minute dip in the hot pools there. Arrival back in Arequipa is between 4:00 and 6:00 pm.