A Guide To Colca Canyon
The most popular excursion into Arequipa’s spectacular surrounding countryside is to the Colca Canyon, which begins at the village of Chivay, about 160 km (100 miles) north of Arequipa.
Geography of Colca Canyon:
View of Colca Canyon from Chimpa Fortress.
Colca Canyon floor drops from 3,630 m (11,910 ft) above sea level near Chivay to 1,800 m (5,906 ft) at Puente Colgado (Hanging Bridge) below the village of Cabanaconde, 48 km (30 miles) west of Chivay.
The top edge of the canyon is more poorly defined, with numerous snow-capped volcanoes as high as the summit of Ampato (6,288 m / 20,631 ft).
Using arcane measurements, the depth of the canyon has been established as 3,191 m (10,470 ft) … twice that of Arizona’s Grand Canyon!
Unspoiled Andean villages lie on both rims, and pre-Inca terracing and Colonial churches (some restored) are highlights.
Within the canyon there are foot trails through the sprawling high-desert scenery, with cacti and occasional oases hosting palm trees.
Road bridges cross the upper canyon of the Colca River on the north side of Chivay, between Yanque and Coporaque, and between Lari and Maca.
History of Colca Canyon:
The Colca region was inhabited about 2,000 years ago by the Collagua and Cabana people, and there are a number of archaeological remains from these cultures:
Chimpa Fortress: a mountaintop citadel, built by the Collagua, that looks down on Madrigal.
Kallimarka: Cabana ruins on the hill of the same name, at 3,700 m (12,139 ft), near Cabanaconde.
Uyo Uyo: a Collagua citadel thought to have once been the capital of the Colca region.
Yuraq Qaqa Tombs: a collection of Collagua mausoleums, in small, stone buildings on a cliffside, reminiscent of Chachapoya culture.
Their descendants can still be found in Colca Canyon to this day, speaking a form of Aymara and maintaining age-old agricultural terraces.
Women retain traditional clothing with broad embroidered skirts and heavily sequinned blouses; the Cabanas wear brightly decorated felt hats; while the Collagua women prefer straw boaters bedecked with ribbons.
The men no longer wear traditional clothes, but make up for it for several days around the Fiesta of the Immaculate Conception, on 8th December, when they perform the ancient Wititi dance in Chivay. Dressed in dazzling women’s clothing, the prancing men mingle with the women in an effort to kidnap one – they call it a danza de amor (love dance).
Flora & Fauna of Colca Canyon:
Young condor on rock in Colca Canyon.
One thing that most visitors want to see is Andean condors (Vultur gryphus), and there are lookouts where these soaring giants frequently glide by at close quarters.
The best known is the aptly-named Cruz del Condor, about 30 km (19 miles) west of Chivay on the south rim.
The best time to see condors is during the dry months (May - December) around 9 am. as the thermals from within the canyon begin to rise over the rim. During the wet months, the vegetation and views are lusher, but the thermals don’t work as well.
However, these are the best months for viewing flamingoes in the altiplano (high Andean flatlands) en route to Chivay.
The Road to Colca Canyon:
The road to Colca Canyon through Salinas & Aguada Blanca National Reserve.
To reach Colca Canyon from Arequipa involves driving north-east along Highway 30, a paved road that passes through Salinas & Aguada Blanca National Reserve, which is famed for its frequently-sighted vicuñas … and volcanoes, including Misti, Chachani, and Ubinas.
The route then turns off Highway 30 and to head north-west reaching 4,800 m (15,748 ft), which is often the highest point travellers reach on a Peru tour.
This high area is where flamingoes are sometimes seen, but generally the terrain is awesomely bleak.
The road switchbacks down to Chivay, a rather nondescript town which makes a fine living from tourism, as the gateway to Colca Canyon.
On the edge of town, Chivay’s hot mineral springs at La Calera, are known for curative properties. The springs have been diverted into clean pools with changing rooms and showers, and snacks are available.
Colca Canyon is a very geothermal land, and arguably the best thermal pools in Peru are in the upscale Colca Lodge near the hamlet of Coporaque, 10 km (6 miles) west of Chivay, on the north side of the canyon.
Colca tours continue from Chivay along the south side of the canyon, passing through extensive terracing and tiny villages, the best-known of which is Yanque, 8 km (5 miles) west of Chivay, with an 18th-Century church on the plaza, and its own local hot springs. The informative Yanque Museum describes ancient and present rural life in the area.
Cruz del Condor overlooking Colca Canyon.
The road continues through the village of Maca, with a churriguerresque Santa Ana Church, followed by Pinchollo, and finally Cruz del Condor, which is the final destination of most non-hiking tours.
On most mornings, dozens of people gather here in the hopes of viewing the Andean condors that live here. With luck, these carrion-eating vultures will swoop close to onlookers. At other times, binoculars are useful.
The Colca River is 1,200 m below the lookout, while snow-capped Mismi Volcano (5,597 m / 18,363 ft) looms about 20 km (12 miles) to the north.
Mismi was discovered to be the furthest source of the Amazon during a 2000 National Geographic expedition. From a cliff near the summit, dripping glacial water streams into the Amazon watershed, which enters the Atlantic Ocean 6,275 km (3,900 miles) away.
Beyond Cruz del Condor:
Cabanaconde village, 18 km (11 miles) beyond Cruz del Condor, is fast becoming a base for trekking into the Colca Canyon and is the beginning of a classic five-day trek to Andagua.
Valley of the Volcanoes in the District of Andagua.
After crossing the canyon, this trek passes through the lava landscape of the Valley of the Volcanoes with over 80 cinder cones following a single fault line. The so-called ‘valley’ is 65 km (40 miles) long and dominated by southern Peru’s highest mountain, Coropuna (6,425 m / 21,080 ft), an extinct volcano.
The road to Andagua also passes through Corire (three hours from Arequipa), a village which is the entry point to the Petroglyphs of Toro Muerto, about 7 km (4 miles) away.
Thousands of incised boulders cover 5 sq km (2 sq miles) and represent stylised plants, animals, people, and geometrical designs. They date from A.D. 1100 and are the largest petroglyph field in the world.
How to visit Colca Canyon with PeruNorth:
While it is possible to see the Colca briefly on a rushed, overly-long, one-day tour from Arequipa, our Arequipa & Colca Canyon 4D itinerary includes an overnight near Chivay, so as to be able to enjoy the impressive drive from Arequipa in daylight, and be rested for the visit to the Cruz del Condor the next day.
Longer tours often involve trekking inside the canyon, with nights spent at basic accommodation in the valley bottom.
Or for the true adrenaline-junkie, we offer an epic 9-day Colca Canyon Rafting trip.
After enjoying Colca Canyon, you may like to continue to Puno and Lake Titicaca, rather than return to Arequipa. We can certainly arrange this.
What our clients say about Colca Canyon
“I’d say the hotel in Colca [Casa Andina Standard] I liked best – Great people incl. a lady seamstress which talked with me while my Spanish is sooo bad 😊 plus I loved the little apartment rooms and the nature setting. ”
““We really enjoyed our trip to the Colca Canyon. Our guide was great and very informative.
The stay at the Colca Lodge was excellent, we wish we could’ve stayed another night, the trip over to the lodge from Arequipa wasn’t the most exciting, maybe because the weather wasn’t great – but the day after was brilliant, we enjoyed visiting the local towns and got to the condor pass just at the right time to see LOTS of condors!
We also stopped at a lot of interesting vantage points with great views across the canyon which was fantastic.”
“The Colca Lodge was delightful, especially the thermal pools, and we took full advantage of them. It may have looked odd, sitting for hours in water with my hat and sunglasses on, but it felt wonderful!
The journeys to the Colca valley and to see the condors were exciting - we saw a volcano [Sabancaya] erupting, and we saw condors flying, as well as wonderful vast, wild landscapes.”