Are you planning a day trip to the Colca Canyon in Peru but don't know how to organize it? In this article we tell you about our experience on a day trip to the Colca Canyon from Arequipa, with tips, useful information, places to see and the best recommendations.
They say, and after experiencing it first hand we agree, that visiting the Colca Canyon and seeing the Andean condors fly in freedom is one of the best experiences to live in Peru. But, what awaits you in the Colca Canyon? What does the tour consist of? In this post we are going to clarify everything and tell you about our experience.
Colca Canyon in Peru
We came to play, so let's get down to business! This is what we told ourselves to convince ourselves that the 3 am alarm clock wasn't a tragedy. The argument wasn't very motivating but hey, everyone who has been to the Colca Canyon , one of the deepest in the world (it reaches 4,160 meters ), speaks wonders of this place... So a handful of eye boogers won't be what gets in the way of this, never better said, travel dream.
The early start has its explanation: the Mirador Cruz del Cóndor , the best place to see the condor in flight over the Colca Canyon, is more than 200 km from Arequipa, which on these roads means no less than 4 hours by bus . To which you have to add a few intermediate stops (and not inconsiderable ones, as you will see), so in the end it will be a tour of at least 12 hours. Getting up early in this case is essential.
During the tour you will visit several picturesque villages (although a bit commercial, taking advantage of the hordes of tourists), Inca terraces, viewing points and, of course, you will have the opportunity to meet the Andean condors in the wild . And we assure you that seeing them in all their enormity soaring through the air currents is impressive!
Characteristics of the Andean condor:
- They are scavenger birds (they do not hunt, but eat the meat of dead animals)
- Its wingspan reaches a span of up to 3.30 meters.
- They can measure up to 1.4 meters in height
Colca Canyon 1-Day Tour in Detail
We decided to do this 1-day tour from Arequipa due to time constraints , but there is a 2-day tour with a night in Chivay that basically consists of the same thing, but is more relaxed. There is also the option of trekking and sleeping in the Oasis of Sangalle, in the depths of the canyon, to go up the next day. In this case, you can do it on your own, reaching the town of Cabanaconde by public transport, or on 2- or 3-day tours from Arequipa.
As we already mentioned, the early morning is one of those you won't forget, and at 3 am (zzzzzzzz) we were already in the minibus heading to Chivay , the first stop of the tour. Of course, we had to travel about 3 hours on a mysterious road beforehand, because all of us on the bus fell into the arms of Morpheus as soon as we said goodbye to Arequipa. Well, all of us except the driver. Or so we hope.
Here are the main points we visited:
Breakfast in Chivay
Neither here nor there, but since it was included, we are not going to complain :-p We would have changed it for 20 more minutes of sleep, although it was a good time to meet the rest of the group (although everyone had a tired look on their faces).
They gave us some free time to walk around the small town, with a very pretty church and an improvised market for tourists.
Colca Canyon Viewpoints
In Chivay, you take a road that runs parallel to the Canyon and where there are several panoramic points. We are not going to name them because there are sooo many and the tours stop here and there, depending on the availability of parking. In all of them you will find the same thing: epic views and artisanal shops (with very nice products, by the way).
Condor Cross Viewpoint
This is the place we all wanted to get to, and we did so at around 9am. It is a main viewing point with a huge stone cross at about 1,200 metres above the cliff, around which there are paths and panoramic terraces placed above the condors' nests and from where, if they are playful and you are lucky, you can see them flying.
And here nature rules : there is no guarantee and whether they will take flight depends on various factors, such as the weather, the time of year or the air currents. When we arrived we only saw one or two, although after a while they came out in groups on several occasions. When these legendary birds fly with their wings spread a few meters away from you and you see them float in the air, elegant and majestic, it's amazing!
We were here for about an hour, enough time to enjoy one of the most impressive natural spectacles we have ever seen.
Village of Pinchollo
We spent about 15 minutes in this small town, one of the poorest in the area, which was also hit by an earthquake a few months ago. Here some local students welcomed us with a curious typical dance , where everyone was dressed in skirts, both women and men… Apparently it was a trick that boys used in the past to be able to go out with their girlfriends without arousing suspicion in their future in-laws. In other words, they pretended to be friends.
At first it seemed like one of those touristy things to "entertain" the tourists and get a tip, but the guide explained to us that they were trying to get some money to go on a school trip. It seemed legitimate to us and they looked like nice kids.
Chacapi hot springs
Time for a hot, or rather warm, bath. These are thermal pools , quite rustic but beautiful, located on terraces above the Colca River, in a very cool setting.
There are two groups of pools , one on the same side where you enter and another on the other side, which you reach by crossing a rather unstable suspension bridge. The prettiest (and we believe the warmest) are the first ones.
The stop is mandatory, but the entrance to the thermal baths is optional ( it costs 15 soles ). In this same town you can also do some adventure activities , such as kayaking on the river or quad biking. In total we were there for about 1 hour.
Buffet lunch in Chivay
We really enjoyed this buffet meal, where among other things we were able to try stuffed rocoto (like pica, hell) and more typical Peruvian delicacies ( trout ceviche, potatoes a la huancaína, lomo de alpaca saltado, etc…). It was not included in the price of the tour and we paid 35 soles per person .
Andes Viewpoint
It is an impressive viewpoint located at 4,940 meters above sea level where you will find yourself surrounded by volcanoes . We made the stop in the middle of our siesta and, I don't know if it was because of drowsiness or the altitude, it was the time when we felt altitude sickness the most . In fact, it was the first and last time on the entire trip, and it quickly passed as soon as we began to descend. Here we tell you what altitude sickness is and how to avoid it .
Patahuasi – Stone Forest Viewpoint
A curious place where, besides having a beautiful panoramic view of the Misti volcano , you will also see what seems to be a strange stone forest. They are pinnacles that seem to stand out from the side of a mountain. And a good place to take some photos with the Peruvian flag.
Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve
On the way back to Arequipa, we passed through this National Reserve, which was a real surprise, especially because we saw hundreds of alpacas and vicuñas grazing freely. HUNDREDS! It was one of the most wonderful moments of the trip to Peru.
Alternative: 2-day trekking in the Colca Canyon
If you like walking and you fancy an adventure, you can choose to visit the area by doing a 2-day trek through the Colca Canyon . But be careful because, according to what some acquaintances who did it told us, it is a fairly demanding trek , especially due to the altitude of the area and the difference in altitude that must be overcome.
You can do it on your own, arriving at the town of Cabanaconde from where the trekking starts (there are daily bus connections with Arequipa) or on a tour. The latter basically consists of:
Day 1 : Pick up at your hotel at 3 am and 3 hours drive to Chivay. Breakfast. Visit to the Mirador Cruz del Cóndor. Transfer to the Mirador de San Miguel where the hike begins. 3-hour descent through the canyon until reaching San Juan de Chuccho, for lunch. Then 3 more hours of hiking to the Oasis of Sangalle, where you spend the night.
Day 2 : 3-4 hour hike up to the top of the canyon (starting at night, before dawn). Breakfast in Cabanaconde. Transfer to viewpoints, hot springs, lunch and return to Arequipa.
In total about 20 km with a gradient of more than 1,000 meters , be careful.
Map of the places to see in the Colca Canyon
We leave you a map with the points of the places that are visited on this tour:
We hope that all this information will help you plan your visit to the Colca Canyon and find the perfect way to get to know this emblematic corner of Peru. It's a bit of a hassle, we know, but it's one of those places that you remember fondly.
Did you take the Colca Canyon tour? What did you think? Are you one of the brave ones who signed up for the trek? Tell us about your experience.
