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  • Duration Full day
  • Difficulty Moderate
  • Group Max. 6
  • Departures Daily departures
  • Age All ages

About this tour

The Colca Valley is located in the province of Caylloma. The name Colca comes from the Collaguas and Cabanas, two ethnic groups that lived along the Colca River. The canyon is 4,160 m deep, making it the fourth deepest canyon on the planet. The province of Caylloma, generally referred to as “Colca”, belongs to the department of Arequipa, Peru, and lies in the far northeast of the region. The province’s main feature is Colca Canyon, and it is around it that the communities that give the area its identity have settled. Caylloma, whose name comes from one of the local towns, covers an area of 11,990.24 km² and borders the department of Cusco to the north, the provinces of Camaná and Arequipa to the south, the department of Puno to the east, the province of Castilla to the west and the province of Condesuyos to the northwest. In 2019, UNESCO declared Colca Canyon and the Andagua Volcanoes a Global Geopark. It is one of Peru’s leading tourist destinations. Humans have occupied the Colca for thousands of years, leaving behind the traces of a culture that has made important contributions to humanity. Around 5000 to 6000 BC, hunter-gatherers roamed the area following herds of South American camelids and a range of plant species that formed the basis of their diet. Cave paintings and stone tools from this period survive in several places.

Places visited
Arequipa
Pickup point
Hotel in Arequipa
Drop-off point
Hotel - Plaza de Armas
Departure time
3:00 am
Return time
6:00 pm

Itinerary

  1. Arequipa - Chivay - Cruz del Cóndor - Arequipa

    • Our service begins with pickup from your hotel between 2:45 am and 3:30 am.
    • We will set off toward Chivay, the most important town in the Colca Valley. There we will have breakfast before continuing to Cruz del Cóndor, where we will watch the majestic flight of this magnificent bird of the Andes.
    • After this experience, we will admire the incredible beauty of Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world.
    • On the way back we will visit the Antahuilque viewpoint, where we can see the “enchanted lagoons”, so called because their color changes during the day due to the presence of algae.
    • We will then visit the small village of Maca, where we will have time to see its church and buy some souvenirs.
    • Before lunch we will head to the hot springs in Yanque.
    • After about 1 hour there, we will enjoy a hearty buffet lunch and then return to the city of Arequipa, stopping at Patapampa, the highest point of the route at 4,910 m.a.s.l. From here we can see the whole chain of volcanoes, including Ampato, where the ice maiden “Juanita” was found, as well as Sabancaya and Hualca Hualca.
    • We will pass through “Pampa Cañahuas”, a nature reserve where you can admire spectacular landscapes and the most prized South American camelids, especially the vicuña, whose fiber is the finest and most sought-after on the international textile market.
    • This brings our exciting visit to Colca Canyon to an end, arriving in the city of Arequipa at approximately 5:00 pm.

What's included?

Includes

  • Breakfast
  • Official tour guide
  • Transport
  • Hotel pickup

Not included

  • Lunch
  • Extra expenses
  • Entrance fee: S/ 30 (Peruvian nationals)
  • Entrance fee: S/ 70 (foreign visitors)
  • Entrance fee to the hot springs

Prices

Terms and rate details

GROUP SERVICE:

  • $40.00 USD

PRIVATE SERVICE:

  • $150.00 USD

What to bring and tips

  • Extra money
  • Water
  • Hat and sunglasses
  • Sunscreen
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