The Colca Valley is a destination that combines the wealth of natural settings, villages and people of ancestral customs, hot springs sources and excellent scenarios for adventure sports such as rafting and kayaking, mountain biking, mountaineering, trekking, horseback riding and for the observation of Andean birds. The visit to the Colca Valley, combined with the Colca Canyon, is the most popular excursion from Arequipa. The Colca Canyon is located in the northeastern end of the Arequipa Region, province of Caylloma, 165 kilometers from Arequipa and 40 km from Chivay main town and capital of the province of Caylloma. The highest point of the Valley is the inactive Ampato volcano (6288 masl), and the lowest is the confluence of the Colca and Andamayo rivers (970 masl). The Colca Valley is 100 km long and occupies only one sector of the Colca River basin, between the districts of Callalli and Huambo. The route to the Colca crosses the slopes of Chachani and crosses plains full of ichu and yareta, samples of the Andean vegetation. In these places also live alpacas and vizcachas, which are beautiful camelids typical of the area.The valley of the Colca possesses an unparalleled beauty, in the valley archeological legacies of the Collaguas, ancient inhabitants of the region, bucolic colonial towns of living culture, mysterious petroglyphs, caves where pre-Hispanic colcas and terraces in the which is currently planted.
Day 01: Colca Canyon
Day 02: Colca Canyon Trek - Arequipa
The Colca Valley, also called the Valley of the Collaguas, in honor of its inhabitants the Collaguas, who dominated these lands from pre-Inca times, famous for being accomplished artists in textiles and stone sculptures, during the colonial period they worked as masons and " hayllis "music composers. The current native residents of this valley are heirs of the ancient trades and traditions of the Collaguas. It is of special interest and beauty its colorful clothing, which stands out in its parties. The Collaguas and later the Incas, built large deposits of food and grains called colcas, for which the valley also takes its name. Colcas built in stone and because of their geographical location had the property of refrigeration and conservation of food. Many of these colcas can be visited and one of the most impressive to visit is the Colum Pumunuta, which is located in a frozen cave. Throughout this region stands out and impresses the beauty of the landscape that form the platforms, which are the banks of earth in stepped form along the mountains used for planting, some with artificial irrigation and others by effects of rains , technique used by the Incas, and which are currently maintained and are in full production, there are more than 60 thousand hectares of pre-Hispanic terraces. From here you can also appreciate the volcanoes and snowcapped Ampato 6,310 m.a.s.l, Coropuna 6,425 m.a.s.l, Solimana 6,117 m.a.s.l, and the Huallahualca 5,025 m.a.s.l. among others. From Pinchollo the route of the geysers and thermal baths. The valley, being in a volcanic geographical area, has a large number of hot springs, in the villages of the valley and some hotels in the area have thermal baths for visitors. Archaeological sites in the Colca Valley:
This first day we will see: the "Cross of the Condor" the road passes to the edge of the canyon. Then down the Colca River to a depth of 1,200 meters while the wall of the front, reaches 3,100 meters high on whose summits are seen the perpetual ice and below the condors fly majestically. Experiences of previous visitors indicate that the panorama that is observed from there is "spectacular".Another important point of our visit is The Viewer of the cross of the Condor, is a privileged place to observe the depth of the canyon, the vegetation and above all, the flight of the condors, the true king of the entire area of the Colca Canyon. In addition, in the distance you can see the Coropuna and Ampato volcanoes, which add beauty to the natural landscape. Without a doubt, from the Viewer can take some of the most beautiful photographs.
This second day we will visit the most important site of our tour: The Colca Canyon, known and recognized for being the Canyon of the deepest on earth, formed by the river of the same name and by the practice, in recent years, of adventure sports, such as canoeing and paragliding. There are 14 stepped villages along the valley, full of life and color.
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