Colca Canyon

The Colca Canyon is a valley of pre-Inca terraces and colonial villages about four hours north of Arequipa, and one of the deepest canyons in the world.

It is best known for the Cruz del Condor, a viewpoint where Andean condors rise out of the canyon on the morning air and pass close to the railing.

There are six Colca Canyon tours on this page: one long day, two days with a night in Chivay, two treks to the bottom, and two trips between Arequipa and Puno. Every one of them stops at the Cruz del Condor.

In one day

The Colca Canyon day tour collects you at 3:00 in the morning, stops for breakfast in Chivay and reaches the condors at about 8:30. The way back takes in the churches of Maca and Yanque, the terraces, an optional hour in the La Calera hot springs and lunch in Chivay.

Both meals are included, and you are back in Arequipa by five. 39 dollars. The cheapest way to see the canyon, and a 14-hour day, most of it on the bus.

With a night in Chivay

The two-day Colca tour leaves at 7:30, stops for vicuñas at Pampa Cañahuas and flamingos at the Tocra wetlands, crosses the Patapampa pass at 4,910 metres and spends the afternoon in the hot springs.

After a night at Casa Andina Standard Colca in Chivay, you are at the Cruz del Condor by eight, when the birds leave the cliffs. 84 dollars in a double room with breakfast; other meals are your own. For most people this is the better choice.

Walking into the canyon

The two-day Colca trek sees the condors first, then walks down for three and a half hours to the river, and on to Sangalle, the oasis at the bottom, with spring-fed pools and cabins among the trees. At 4:30 the next morning comes the climb out: 1,300 metres up to Cabanaconde in about three hours.

Four meals included. 119 dollars. The three-day trek walks the same path but sleeps a night at San Juan de Chuccho on the river first, so you have an afternoon in the pools and make the climb on rested legs. Seven meals. 160 dollars.

It can end in Puno instead of Arequipa for a little more.

Between Arequipa and Puno

Most people travelling between the two cities take a six-hour bus across the altiplano. These two trips go through the canyon instead, with a night in Chivay and your luggage on board. Arequipa to Puno follows the two-day tour, then drives east after the condors to reach Puno at about seven in the evening.

130 dollars in a double. Puno to Arequipa leaves Puno at six, sleeps in Chivay, sees the condors in the morning and reaches Arequipa by five. 114 dollars.

What is not included

Every Colca tour needs the Colca tourist ticket: 70 soles for most foreign visitors and 40 for Latin Americans, paid in cash at the checkpoint. The La Calera hot springs are 15 soles.

Which to choose

One day only if you cannot spare two. Two days for most people. The trek if you want to walk to the bottom, and the three-day version if you want to enjoy it. If you are going on to Lake Titicaca, or coming from it, take one of the trips between Arequipa and Puno.

Altitude and weather

Arequipa sits at 2,335 metres and Chivay at 3,635, and the road crosses Patapampa at 4,910. Spend two nights in Arequipa first, or come from Cusco or Puno already used to the height. The pass is often below freezing before dawn and the valley sun is strong by late morning, so dress in layers.

May to September is dry and clear. From December to March it rains, cloud can fill the canyon some mornings, and the trail gets slippery. Condors fly all year, most actively from about eight until mid-morning, but no one can promise them on a given day.

Can you visit the Colca Canyon in one day?

Yes, from Arequipa: about 14 hours, from 3:00 in the morning to five in the afternoon. Two days is easier and gets you to the condors earlier.

How hard is the Colca Canyon trek?

The way down is long but easy on the lungs. The climb out is 1,300 metres in about three hours on loose stone, starting in the dark. It is not technical, and mules can be hired in cash for the climb.

How deep is the Colca Canyon?

Figures of 3,200 to 3,400 metres are usually given, measured from the mountains above the rim down to the river, which is nearly twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. Cotahuasi Canyon, also in the Arequipa region, is deeper still.

For the city itself, our Arequipa city tour runs every afternoon and fits the day before or after the canyon. All our tours from the city are on the Arequipa tours page.