ONE DAY COLCA CANYON – AREQUIPA

At 3 AM you will be picking up from your hotel by our professional tour guide and our 4WD vehicle. This tour begins with directly travel to the first and most important town of the canyon, the travel to get Chivay town takes 3 hours on paved road over the Altiplano landscapes towards Chivay.

At 7AM you will be in Chivay (3600m), this is inter Andean town located on the left bank of the canyon surrounded by agriculture fields.

Continue traveling with some stops for picture according the tour guide recommendations, you will see thousands of agriculture terraced date from Inca and pre Inca times, build over cliff. Along the way you will get off the transport for more contact with local people and feeling the pure nature of the Colca Canyon.

At 8 AM arrive to the most important point of the Colca Canyon, this is the condor cross lookout. Plenty time for wait and see the mighty Andean Condor (Vulture Gryphus). Those birds normally fly around the Cruz Del Condor and you can get the best pictures of impressive walls and deep remote towns located inside the canyon.

After we decide to return driving we take the same dirt road to Chivay, along the way we stop at viewpoint to see the carved rock, it was model where the ancient architectures testing which part of the terrain was appropriate to build the terraces in the other site of the canyon. Continue going will stop next of huge cliff where is possible to see hanging tombs on the volcanic hillsides.

You will arrive to Maca where is possible to observe nice colonial church from XVI century, next of this town is possible to see people from these regions dedicated life solely to work the terraces, therefore you will see many fields full of crops as corn, amaranth, kiwicha, potatoes, corn and more native product of Peru.

Driving along the canyon you will see the great Colca River and small communities located on both bank of the canyon.

Flamingos on the Altiplano of Peru

After relaxing swim return to Chivay to have delicious lunch included in the tour package. After lunch you have free time to explore little big the town and the handicraft market.

At 2PM we aboard the private transport and drive uphill following the paved road to the highest point between the Colca Canyon and Arequipa. We stop at Patapampa (4850m) as known the Andean lookout where you can see the volcanic range of the south of Peru, snow-capped as Ampato where the ice maiden “Juanita” was founded in 1995 near of the summit. We drive downhill to Toqra Pampa and stop near of small lagoons to watch Andean birds as Caracara, Andean goose, Pink flamingos, ducks, ibis and etc.

We continue driving through the Altiplano and getting off from the transport and you will appreciate very closer the Andean camels as known Llamas and Alpacas grassing the Andean grass named Ichu. The last stop on this tour will in the National Reserve of Aguada Blanca and Salinas, where you will be lucky to see the Vicuñas (Vicugna) running on this high plateaus on the back side of ChachanI snow-capped and Misti Volcano. The Vicuñas are protected and wild animals living above 3800m, sometimes is possible to observe the Andean deer running on the slopes of Chachani snow-capped.

Around 5PM or 6PM arrive to your hotel in Arequipa.

INCLUDED:

• Official English-Speaking tour guide
• Private tourist transport
• Tourist ticket of 70 soles or $25 US Dollars per person (Obligatory). This is the unique entrance to the Colca national park even if you don’t stop at “Mirador Cruz Del Condor” (take care not many tour operators don’t includes this tourist ticket), the entrance is valid to visit all the canyon but not valid for hot springs along the canyon
• 1 breakfast
• 2 hours of trekking along the canyon (Optional – Private Service only)
• Medicinal oxygen and first aid kit for all participants and our camp staff

NOT INCLUDED:

• Personal expenses

TRIP CONSIDERATIONS

Walking: The walking effort is easy to moderate.

Climate: Rather variable. Sunny, though on other days it can be cool and overcast. At high altitudes conditions range from cool to decidedly cold in the early morning.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.