Colca Canyon Trek 2 Days: Down to the Oasis and Out Before Dawn
$119 Full Day
Overview
2 days
Leave Puno at six, Arequipa by five next day
1 night
Chivay, Casa Andina Standard Colca
8:00 AM
The condor viewpoint on the second day
$114
Per person in a double, breakfast in
Leaving Lake Titicaca for Arequipa? Go through the canyon. One night in the valley, the condors at breakfast time, and the white city by tea.
Puno sits at the eastern end of a road that most travellers take in the dark. The day bus to Arequipa is six hours of altiplano. The night bus is nothing at all. Between the two cities, a short detour north, is one of the deepest canyons on earth. This tour bends the journey through it. You leave Puno at six in the morning and sleep in Chivay. The next morning you stand at the Cruz del Condor. By late afternoon you are in Arequipa, which is where you were going anyway. It costs one extra day and it is the best day of the week.
Puno is the harder start. Eat before six.
The bus collects you between six and quarter past. Most Puno hotels serve breakfast from six, some from half past. A few will pack one the night before if asked. Ask yours. The first stop with food is Patahuasi at half past ten, where there is coca tea and little else. Lunch is in Chivay at about half past one. Carry something for the morning.
Which Direction Suits You
The canyon sits between the two cities. Which end you start from depends on where your trip is heading.
Heading for the lake
The order
Arequipa first, the canyon, then Puno. The lake and Cusco follow.
The hard part
The long afternoon drive east on day two, after the condors.
Price
130 dollars per person in a double.
This page
Puno to Arequipa
The order
Puno first, the canyon, then Arequipa. Lima or the coast follow.
The hard part
The six o’clock start in Puno. The rest is downhill, almost literally.
Price
114 dollars per person in a double.
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Coming from Cusco? Join the dots.
Many of our travellers arrive in Puno on the night bus from Cusco or the Route of the Sun. They spend two days on Lake Titicaca and then take this road west. It is the natural order. Cusco, the lake, the canyon, Arequipa, then a flight to Lima from the lowest and warmest city of the four.
A word on altitude, because the direction matters. Puno is 3,812 metres. The pass on the first morning is 4,910. Chivay is 3,635 and Arequipa is 2,335. Every night on this trip is lower than the last. If you have already spent a few days at the lake, the pass will not trouble you. Coming straight from sea level to Puno the night before is the mistake to avoid. Our note on acclimatising for the lake explains why.
Arequipa deserves a day when you arrive. Our city tour of Santa Catalina and the viewpoints runs every afternoon from two. Would you rather walk into the canyon than look down on it? The two day Colca trek and the three day trek start from Arequipa. Our guide to the Cruz del Condor explains when the condors fly and how close they come. Everything we run in the canyon is on the Colca Canyon page.
Tour Highlights
- ✓ The Colca Canyon on the way from Puno to Arequipa, instead of six hours of bus in the dark.
- ✓ The Cruz del Condor at about eight on the second morning, when the birds start to circle.
- ✓ Every night lower than the last: Puno, then Chivay, then Arequipa. The kind direction for altitude.
- ✓ A night in Chivay at Casa Andina Standard Colca with breakfast, and the La Calera hot springs in the afternoon.
- ✓ Lagunillas, Patahuasi and the pass at Patapampa on day one. Vicunas and volcanoes on day two.
- ✓ Hotel pickup in Puno, hotel drop off in Arequipa. Luggage stays with you throughout.
What to Expect
Six in the morning in Puno. Five in the afternoon in Arequipa, the following day. The canyon in between.
The first day is the altiplano. Out of Puno past Juliaca, the lakes at Lagunillas with their birds, and a stop at Patahuasi for coca tea. Then the climb to Patapampa, the highest point of the road at 4,910 metres. Then the long descent into the Colca valley. Chivay early in the afternoon. Lunch, the hotel, and the hot springs.
The second day is the canyon. Breakfast at six, the bus at half past. Down the valley to the Cruz del Condor for the morning flights. Back through Yanque and Maca, with the viewpoints over the terraces. Lunch in Chivay at noon.
At one the bus leaves for Arequipa. The reserve at Pampa Canahuas, vicunas by the road, and the volcanoes closing in. At your hotel in Arequipa between half past four and five.
Tour Itinerary
1
Puno to Chivay
Puno to Patahuasi. Collected from your hotel in central Puno between 06:00 and 06:15. The road runs west past Juliaca and climbs onto the plateau. The first stop is the lakes at Lagunillas, where flamingos and Andean gulls feed in the shallows. At Patahuasi, at about half past ten, there is a break for coca tea and the bathroom.
The pass and the valley. From Patahuasi the road climbs to Patapampa, 4,910 metres. The viewpoint faces a line of volcanoes: Ampato, Sabancaya, Hualca Hualca and the rest. A short stop, then the descent into the Colca valley. Chivay at about one. Lunch in town, which is not included.
Chivay and the springs. Check in at Casa Andina Standard Colca. The afternoon goes to the hot springs at La Calera, a few minutes outside town. The pools sit beside the river at 35 to 38 degrees. Entrance is 15 soles. Dinner with a folk show is optional and is arranged by the guide.
Departs 06:00 AM
Puno altitude 3,812 m
Pass altitude 4,910 m
Drive to Chivay About 2 hours 30
Chivay altitude 3,635 m
Hotel Casa Andina Standard Colca
2
The condors, then on to Arequipa
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Good to know
On the early start
The bus leaves Puno between six and quarter past. There is no breakfast on the road. Ask your hotel for an early or packed breakfast. The times on day two are approximate. The bus reaches the condor viewpoint by eight, which is the point of the early start. Lunch on both days is in Chivay and is not included.
✓
Inclusions
- ✓ Pickup at your hotel in central Puno on day one and drop off at your hotel in Arequipa on day two
- ✓ Shared tourist transport Puno to Chivay, Chivay to the Cruz del Condor and back, and Chivay to Arequipa
- ✓ A guide in Spanish and English throughout
- ✓ One night at Casa Andina Standard Colca in Chivay, double room, with breakfast
- ✓ Oxygen on board for the pass
X
Not Included
- X The Colca tourist ticket, 70 soles for most foreign visitors and 40 for Latin Americans, paid in cash on day one
- X The La Calera hot springs, 15 soles at the gate
- X Two lunches and one dinner
- X Pickup from hotels outside central Puno, which carries a surcharge
- X Tips and travel insurance
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About the exclusions
On the price
The price is 114 dollars per person in a double room and 151 in a single. It covers the transport from Puno to Arequipa by way of the canyon, and the guide. The night in Chivay with breakfast and the hotel pickups are in. The ticket, the springs and the meals are cash, paid as you go.
Departure Information
Available: Daily departures
Group Size: Up to 13 people
Start Time: 6:00 AM
Pickup: Your hotel in central Puno
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this cheaper than the Arequipa to Puno version?
Because the Puno leg is the shorter day. From Puno the bus reaches Chivay by early afternoon on day one. From Arequipa the Puno leg is the long afternoon after the condors. Same hotel, same guide, same canyon. The price follows the mileage.
What time is breakfast on day one?
Where is the hotel?
Is the Colca tourist ticket in the price?
How likely are the condors?
Is the altitude a problem going this way?
Can I be picked up at Juliaca airport instead?
Where does it end in Arequipa?
How big is the group?
What do I need to bring?
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