3-Day Colca Canyon Condors and Culture Tour

Pick up at your Arequipa hotel for departure at 7:30 am, driving 160 km to the town of Chivay, capital of the Province of Caylloma. At the beginning of our excursion we will enjoy the majestic views of the Misti, Chachani and PichuPichu volcanoes before approaching the National Reserve of Pampa Canahuas, where our transportation will make a short stop to observe the wild Vicunas (one of the 4 types of American camels) in its natural habitat. At this point we will be about 3,400 meters above sea level. ????Moving on we will arrive to Pata Wasi (Pata=high Wasi=home), an Andean community at the opposite border of the reserve. Here you might enjoy the natural formation of rocks and the view to the backside of the Misti and Chachani volcanoes. To prevent altitude sickness we will have an original Andean Mate de Coca drink or another hot drink in a rustic restaurant (service of bathrooms are here available). Continuing on the road we will pass Tocra, a high plain at more than 4,500 meters, where we will observe lakes with migrant birds and get pictures of the Antiplano with its Llamas and Guanacos. The highest point of our tour will be Pata Pampa (Pata=high, Pampa=land) located at 4,820 meters, where we'll observe the volcanoes Ampato, Sabancaya, Hualca-Hualca, Mismi (the source of the Amazon River), and the Cordillera de Chila. When we are getting close to the town of Chivay (3,651 meters) we will start to wonder at the spectacular multicolor view of the terraces of the Colca valley. We drive until Coporaque town and visit the Lodge La Casa de Mamayacchi, where we will have our lunch. After lunch your guide will invite you to a short walk through Coporaque and its surroundings (this walk takes around 1 hour and is optional). We'll come back to our transportation and visit a natural 'hot springs' , where we will enjoy a relaxing bath (entrance fee and personal towels to the baths are not included). After this exciting day we arrive at our hotel. Overnight.

Lunch stop but pay your own

Meals included: n/a
Mid-Range Accommodations: Casa de Mamayacchi or similar

We will have our breakfast very early in the morning and leave to the famous Cruz del Condor point. When we arrive to Cruz del Condor, there will be time to have an enjoyable view of the deep of the Canyon and if the weather permits; majestic pictures of the flight of the Condors. After our viewing, our guide will take us for a shortwalk near the Canyon (1 hour aprox.) On the way back we're going to visit the traditional village of Pinchollo and the Antahuilque viewpoint, where wonderful 1,500 year old terraces, constructed by the Collaguas, a culture well before the Incas' time, can be observed. We also will make a stop at the look-out point of Choquetico with its hanging tombs 'Tumbas colgantes', and take a look to the litomaqueta, a model of the canyon terraces carved in a rock. We will continue our visits visiting Maca, an Andean community that experienced an earthquake in November of 1991 and the village of Yanque with the most beautiful church in the valley. Arrive in Chivay and free time to explore the town. Return to our lodge. The rest of the day is free for personal activities such as hiking, horses ride or biking, they are not included in program but on request they can be also organized. Overnight at your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast
Mid-Range Accommodations: Casa de Mamayacchi or similar

After a early breakfast at our hotel, a Coporaque villager will meet us and take us to his home. The villager (he or she) will plan together with us the work to be done this morning. We cannot exactly define what this day will look like as it depends on the season and weekday. However, the normal activities are, among others-- support in the fields, herding animals, the preparation of land for sowing, or harvesting. Around mid-day our host will accompany you on your way back to your hotel to pick up your luggage; we then continue towards Chivay. Please note: Local people do not speak English, so be prepared to use at least some Spanish words along with your hands. We return to Arequipa city mid- to late afternoon or there is an optional transfer to Puno on Lake Titicaca.

B and lunch stop but pay your own.

Meals included: Breakfast