Traditional Colca Canyon Tour 3 Days/ 2 Nights
Duration
From
Overview
Colca Canyon is the Canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru. It is located about 160 kilometres northwest of Arequipa. The Canyon is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States, with 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
Your journey begins at 7:15 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 sand, for 4 hours towards your first night’s destination. The 4-hour trip is not direct and leads us through some of the local area’s most important places! The first stop will be at the National Reserve of Agua Blanca and Salinas, a place 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 camels) 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 a 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 migrant birds at stunning lakes and get 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”. Getting close to the town of Chivay, we will enjoy some spectacular views of the multicoloured terraces of the Colca Valley.
Arriving at Chivay, we will have lunch first, and then you will have some free time to visit the local market. Afterwards, we bring you to Hotel la Casa de Mama Yachi, in Coropique town, on the other side of the Colca Valley, where you can relax before joining a 30-minute walk or taking the car to the Hot Springs. Here you can enjoy the warm natural waters (35°C/ 95ºF) in the outdoor pools, surrounded by mountains, on the shores of the Colca River. After sunset, we return to the hotel and have dinner.
(In case you stay in a different hotel, the tour guide will coordinate your afternoon activities and pick you up the next morning. Colca lodge has its host spring )
Accommodation: Hotel La Casa de Mama Yacchi
We will have breakfast 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 some time to relax in your hotel before you have the rest of the day 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 everyday 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 Arequipa
- Drop off back at your Hotel in Arequipa
- 24-hour support from the company owner
- Private group 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 Soles tourist entrance ticket to the Colca Valley
- Meals: 3 lunches, two dinners
- S/. 10 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 in 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 Cusco.) 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$220, based on two people.
A single person pays +US$40 per night.
Children under 12 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 persona.
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.
