Colca Canyon Trek 2 Days: Down to the Oasis and Out Before Dawn
$119 Full Day
Overview
2 days
Out at 7:30, back in Arequipa by five
1 night
Casa Andina Standard Colca, Chivay
8:00 AM
At the condor viewpoint on day two
$84
Per person, double room, breakfast in
The classic Colca Canyon 2 day tour from Arequipa. A night in the valley, the hot springs, and the condors before breakfast is properly over.
There are two ways to see the Colca Canyon from Arequipa. One leaves at three in the morning and gets back at five, with the canyon squeezed into the middle. The other, this one, takes two days and sleeps in the valley. The difference is not the price. It is the hour you arrive at the Cruz del Condor. The one day bus gets there mid morning, after the birds have been up for a while. This tour gets there first, straight from Chivay, at the hour the condors leave the cliffs. The rest of the second day is villages and terraces on the way back. You are in Arequipa in time for dinner.
Leave the big bags in Arequipa.
This tour returns to the city, so most hotels will hold your luggage for the two days. Bring a small bag with warm clothes, swimwear and a towel. If instead you are heading on to Puno after the canyon, do not book this page. Book the version that ends in Puno, which costs less than this tour plus a bus.
One Day or Two in the Canyon
Both tours see the same viewpoint. Only one of them sees it at the right hour.
Short on time
The hours
Out at three in the morning, back at five. Fourteen hours of bus for two at the canyon.
The condors
Around half past eight, after the first flights. Usually fine, sometimes quiet.
Price
39 dollars with breakfast and lunch.
This page
Two days, one night
The hours
Out at half past seven, a night in Chivay, back at five the next day.
The condors
By eight, first at the railing. The hot springs the afternoon before.
Price
84 dollars with the hotel and breakfast.
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Three days, and the hotel choice
A third day in the valley is available. The condors stay on day two and day three has a free morning. Ask us for the price. On any version the standard hotel is Casa Andina Standard Colca in Chivay. Colca Lodge, on the river with its own thermal pools, is 135 dollars per person in a double.
Altitude is the thing to plan around. Arequipa is 2,335 metres and the pass at Patapampa, crossed twice, is 4,910. Chivay is 3,635. A night in Arequipa before the tour is the minimum. Two is better. If you are coming from Lima, do not go to the canyon on your first full day. Drink water, skip the pisco on the first night, and let the guide know if your head hurts.
After the canyon, Puno and Lake Titicaca are a day east. The Puno to Arequipa tour shows the road in the other direction. The Lake Titicaca tours begin when you get there. The Arequipa city tour suits the afternoon before you leave. The two treks into the canyon, two days and three, are for people who want to reach the river. Our guide to the Cruz del Condor explains when the condors fly and how close they come. Everything else is on the Colca Canyon page.
Tour Highlights
- ✓ The Cruz del Condor at eight in the morning, first at the railing, when the condors leave their ledges.
- ✓ A night in Chivay at Casa Andina Standard Colca with breakfast. Luggage left in Arequipa.
- ✓ The thermal pools at La Calera on the first afternoon, 35 to 38 degrees, beside the river.
- ✓ Patapampa at 4,910 metres, crossed on both days, with Ampato, Sabancaya and Hualca Hualca in view.
- ✓ Maca, Yanque and three viewpoints over the pre Inca terraces on the way back up the valley.
- ✓ Vicunas in the Salinas and Aguada Blanca reserve and flamingos at the Tocra wetlands, both days.
What to Expect
Out of Arequipa after breakfast, into the valley by lunch, and the condors first thing next morning.
The bus collects you between half past seven and eight. It climbs out of the city on the Yura road. Through the vicuna reserve at Pampa Canahuas and past the flamingo wetlands at Tocra. The high point is Patapampa at 4,910 metres, with the volcanoes across the horizon. Then the descent to Chivay, arriving between half past one and two.
The afternoon is the hot springs at La Calera. The evening is yours, with an optional dinner and folk show in town. Breakfast is at six.
By half past six the bus is heading down the valley to the Cruz del Condor. An hour there while the birds rise. Then back through Maca and Yanque, with stops at three viewpoints over the terraces. Lunch in Chivay at noon, and the road home at one. Arequipa between half past four and five.
Tour Itinerary
1
Arequipa to Chivay
Arequipa to Patapampa. Pickup between 07:30 and 08:00. The Yura road climbs north out of the city with Chachani on the right. Pampa Canahuas is the first stop, for the vicunas that graze inside the reserve. Then the wetlands at Tocra, where flamingos and ducks feed, and the crater of the extinct volcano Chucura.
The pass and the valley. Patapampa is the top of the road at 4,910 metres. The viewpoint looks at a line of volcanoes. Ten minutes there, then down into the Colca valley. Into Chivay between half past one and two. Lunch is in town and not included.
The hot springs. Check in at Casa Andina Standard Colca. In the afternoon the group goes to La Calera, the thermal baths a few minutes outside Chivay. The water runs at 35 to 38 degrees. Entrance is 15 soles at the gate. The evening offers an optional dinner with a folk show in town.
Departs 07:30 AM
Arequipa altitude 2,335 m
Pass altitude 4,910 m
Drive to Chivay About 1 hour
Chivay altitude 3,635 m
Hotel Casa Andina Standard Colca
2
The condors, then home to Arequipa
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Good to know
On the timing
The times are approximate and depend on the road and the group. What does not move is the second morning. Breakfast at six, on the bus at half past, at the condor viewpoint by eight. That hour is why the tour has two days. Both lunches are in Chivay and are your own.
✓
Inclusions
- ✓ Pickup and drop off at your hotel in Arequipa
- ✓ Shared tourist transport for both days, with oxygen on board
- ✓ A guide in Spanish and English
- ✓ One night at Casa Andina Standard Colca in Chivay, double room, breakfast included
- ✓ The visit to the Cruz del Condor, the villages and the viewpoints
X
Not Included
- X The Colca tourist ticket, 70 soles for most foreign visitors and 40 for Latin Americans, paid in cash at the checkpoint
- X The La Calera hot springs, 15 soles
- X Two lunches and one dinner
- X The optional dinner and folk show on the first night
- X Tips and travel insurance
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About the exclusions
On the price
The price is 84 dollars per person in a double room and 121 in a single. It covers the transport on both days, the guide and the night at Casa Andina Standard Colca with breakfast. The hotel pickup and drop off in Arequipa are in. The tourist ticket, the hot springs and the meals are paid in cash as you go.
Departure Information
Available: Daily departures
Group Size: Up to 13 people
Start Time: 7:30 AM
Pickup: Your hotel in Arequipa
Frequently Asked Questions
Why take two days when the one day tour sees the same thing?
Because of the hour. The one day bus leaves Arequipa at three in the morning and reaches the condors at about half past eight. This tour sleeps in Chivay and is at the viewpoint by eight, ahead of the crowd. The birds are leaving the cliffs at that hour. It also gives you the hot springs and a proper night.
Which hotel is it?
Do I pay the tourist ticket separately?
What are the odds of seeing condors?
How high is it?
What is included in the way of food?
Do I bring all my luggage?
How large is the group?
Can I add a third day?
What do I need to pack?
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