Colca Canyon Tour from Puno to Arequipa 3 Days/ 2 Nights
Duration
From
Overview
Colca Canyon is the Canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru. It’s located about 160 kilometres northwest of Arequipa. The Canyon is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States, at 4160 meters, and it is promoted as the “world’s deepest canyon”, although the Canyon’s walls are not as vertical as those of the Grand Canyon.
The Colca Valley is a colourful Andean valley with many small towns founded during the Spanish colonial times. It is still inhabited by people of the Collaguas and the Cabanas cultures, who maintain the ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces.
The name Colca refers to small granaries of mud and stone, built into the cliffs of the valley and the Canyon. These repositories were used during the Inca and pre-Inca times to store food such as potatoes, quinoa, and other Andean crops. They were also used as tombs for important people.
Full Itinerary
On the first day, your adventure journey begins at 06:00 am, when you get picked up from your hotel in Puno. We will board our tourist bus and hit the road to the northwest, leaving behind us the gorgeous scenery of Lake Titicaca.
Along the paved road, we will see many small towns as well as the beautiful lagoon Lagunillas, where we can explore trout farms and observe Andean flamingos amongst many Andean birds. Following an ascending road, we will then reach the Viscachani. We take a short break, stretching our legs, using the bathroom if needed, and enjoying a typical coca tea or coffee at the local restaurant. 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 market of Chivay before we drive you to your hotel. In the afternoo,n you will see the hot springs where you can take a bath in one of the pools with water temperatures from 35 to 40°C and 80°C in 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. (In case 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 our breakfast very early in the morning and then leave for the famous “Cruz del Condor” lookout point. Upon arrival, you will have enough time to enjoy the breathtaking view of the deep Canyon and, if the weather permits, to observe the majestic flight of the Condors.
After a coordinated time, our guide will take you for a short walk near the Canyon (approx. 1 hour). On our way back to Chivay, we’re going to visit the traditional village of Pinchollo and the “Antahuilque viewpoint” from where we can observe the wonderful 1500-year-old terraces, which were once constructed by the Collaguas, a culture well before the Incas’ time. We will also make a 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 in a rock. We will continue our journey by visiting Maca, an Andean community that experienced an earthquake in November 1991, and the village of Yanque with the most beautiful church in the valley.
Afterwards, we arrive in Chivay to have lunch and explore the town. You will have time to relax in 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, a Coporaque villager will take you to visit his home, and together you will plan the work that has to be done this morning. We can not precisely define what this day will look like, as it depends on the season and day of the week. However, the routine activities include, amongst others, supporting in the fields, herding animals, preparing the land for sowing, and harvesting.
Around midday, your host will accompany you back to your hotel to pick up your luggage and then continue your way towards Chivay.
We will stop in Chivay for lunch before heading back to Arequipa, arriving there around 05:00 pm. Upon your arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel.
Included/Exclude
- Pick-up from your Hotel in Puno
- Drop off at your Hotel in Arequipa
- 24-hour support from the company owner
- Private Transport
- English-speaking guide
- Accommodation in Hotel La Casa de Mama Yacchi with breakfast (Optional: upgrade your accommodation in Chivay to Colca Lodge, Casa Andina, or Pozo del Cielo)
- S/70 tourist entrance ticket to the Colca Valley
- Meals: 3 lunches, two dinners
- S/10 sols 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 it is written on 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 can be made via Western Union, PayPal, ABN AMRO Bank in Holland, or securely and directly through our website by selecting your desired tour and clicking the BOOK NOW button.
Prices
Price per person US$280, based on two people.
A single person pays +US$40 per night.
Children under 11 years get a 20% discount on the Tour (whilst booking with Hotel Mamayacchi).
Upgrade your Hotel:
(double room, the addition of price per night is based on two persons)
Hotel Pozo del Cielo: +US$25 per person.
Hotel Casa Andina: +US$30 per person.
Hotel Colca Lodge: +US$90 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.
