Colca Canyon Tour from Arequipa to Cusco 3 Days/ 2 Nights
Duration
From
Overview
The Colca Valley is a colourful Andean valley with many small towns founded during the Spanish colonial period. The Collaguas and Cabanas peoples still live there, maintaining ancestral traditions and continuing to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces.
The name Colca refers to small mud-and-stone granaries built into the valley’s cliffs and canyon. People used these repositories during the Inca and pre-Inca periods to store food such as potatoes, quinoa, and other Andean crops. The Incas used tombs for important people.
Full Itinerary
Your journey begins from 7:15 am to 7.45 am, when a private bus picks you up from your hotel. We will take the road to Yura, heading towards the beautiful Colca Valley. You will travel along this road, which is half asphalted and half unfinished sand, for 4 hours towards your first night’s destination. The 4-hour trip isn't direct and takes you through some of the area’s most important places! The first stop is the National Reserve of Agua Blanca and Salinas, where you can observe the famous vicuñas and the great volcanoes of Arequipa.
Before approaching the National Reserve of “Pampa Cañahuas”, we will make a short stop to observe the wild Vicuñas (one of the four types of American camelids) in their natural habitat. At this point, we will be at about 3400 m.a.s.l. Moving on, we will arrive at the “Pata Wasi” (Pata=high, Wasi=home), an Andean community at the opposite border of the reserve.
We will then continue our journey to our third stop, the restaurant El Chino. Here, you can appreciate the“stone wood” formations, use the bathrooms, and enjoy coca tea, which is very good for your stomach and the altitude.
From here, we will pass “Tocra”, a high plain at 4500 meters, where we will observe migratory birds at stunning lakes and take pictures of the “Antiplano” with its Llamas and Guanacos. The highest point of our tour will be “Pata Pampa” at 4820 meters, from where we can observe the volcanoes Ampato, Sabancaya, Hualca-Hualca, Misti (the source of the Amazon River), and the “Cordillera Chila”. As we approach the town of Chivay, we will enjoy some spectacular views of the multicoloured terraces of the Colca Valley.
After lunch, you will have some free time to visit the Chivay market before we drive you to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will visit the hot springs, where you can bathe in one of the pools, with water temperatures ranging from 35 to 40°C, and 80°C at the source. Enjoy the warm, natural water and the lovely outdoor pools, surrounded by the vast mountains. After sunset, return to the hotel to order dinner. (If you want to stay at the Colca Lodge Hotel after lunch and enjoy its hot pool, please coordinate a pick-up time for the second day of the tour with your guide!)
Accommodation: Hotel La Casa de Mama Yacchi
We will have breakfast early in the morning, then head to the famous “Cruz del Cóndor” lookout point. Upon arrival, you will have enough time to enjoy the breathtaking view of the deep Canyon and, if the weather permits, observe the majestic flight of the Condors.
After a set time, our guide will take you for a short walk near the Canyon (approx. 1 hour). On our way back to Chivay, we’ll visit the traditional village of Pinchollo and the “Antahuilque viewpoint,” where we can see the wonderful 1,500-year-old terraces the Collaguas once built. This culture existed well before the Incas. We will also stop at the lookout point “Choquetico,” with its hanging tombs (“Tumbas colgantes”), and take a look at the litomaqueta, a model of the canyon terraces carved into rock. We will continue our journey by visiting Maca, an Andean community that experienced an earthquake in November 1991, and Yanque, home to the most beautiful church in the valley.
Afterwards, we arrive in Chivay for lunch and to explore the town. You will have some time to relax at your hotel before the rest of the day is free for personal activities such as hiking, horse riding, or biking (not included in the package, but we can organise it for you if you would like).
Accommodation: Hotel La Casa de Mama Yacchi
After an early breakfast at your hotel, you will start your journey to Cusco at 06:15 am. We will head to the upper Colca Valley, passing through traditional villages such as Tuti and Sibayo. Around 08:00 am, we will stop to admire the impressive Castles of Callalli (rock formations resembling medieval castles, formed by erosion from water and wind). At 10:00 am, we will pass near the “Condoroma Dam” at 4737 meters. At approximately 10:30 am, we will stop again to see the “Stone Forest” near Yauri (a traditional village), then continue to Cusco. We will stop at the “Laguna de Langui”, a magnificent natural mirror 25 km long. Then we will arrive in Sicuani, where we will stop for 50 minutes for lunch at a typical restaurant. We will then continue our journey, driving through Andahuaylillas and Urcos, and arrive in the imperial city of Cusco at approximately 4:00 pm.
Included/Exclude
- Pick-up from your Hotel in Arequipa
- Drop-off at the bus station in Chivay
- 24-hour support from the company owner
- Private group Transport
- English-speaking guide
- Accommodation at Hotel La Casa de Mama Yacchi with breakfast (Optional: upgrade your accommodation in Chivay to Colca Lodge, Casa Andina or Pozo del Cielo)
- 70 soles tourist entrance ticket to the Colca Valley
- Meals: 2 lunches, two dinners
- Lunch in Sicuani
- 15 soles entrance to the hot springs thermal baths
- Insurance of any kind
Recommendations, what to bring
- Warm clothes for the night and early morning
- Sturdy shoes
- A small backpack
- Camera and recharger
- Drinking water
- Sunblock
- Rainjacket
- Sunglasses, sun hat
- Mosquito repellent
- Swimming suit
- Money for souvenirs and drinks
- Travel towels, sandals
- Flashlight, batteries
What we need when you make a reservation
- Full name, as written on your passport (please include a scanned copy of your passport)
- Passport number
- Nationality
- Date of birth
- Tour departure date
- Send a deposit of 60% of the total price of your tour. (The remainder of your balance will be due upon your arrival in Arequipa) Payment may be made via *Western Union, PayPal, ABN AMRO Bank in Holland
Prices
Price: US$295 per person, based on two people.
A single person pays an additional US$50 per night.
Children under 12 years get a 20% discount on the Tour (when booking with Hotel La Casa de Mama Yacchi).
Upgrade your Hotel:
(double room; the additional price per night is based on two persons)
Hotel Pozo del Cielo: +US$30 per person.
Hotel Casa Andina: +US$ 40 per person.
Hotel Colca Lodge: +US$95 per person.
“With every tour you book with Green Peru Adventures, you can request a free walking tour of Cusco’s mysterious and historical city, accompanied by one of our professional guides, who speaks several languages.”
We are looking forward to creating an unforgettable experience for you.
