Colca Canyon Trekking

The Experience

A half day drive from the city of Arequipa lies the Colca Canyon. This canyon is known as one of the deepest canyons in the world. This canyon is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States. The Colca Valley is a colorful area with several villages. Time seems to have stood still here. The local population still adheres to the old traditions and ways of life. A major source of income in addition to tourism is agriculture. This can be seen in the many agricultural terraces in this valley. The largest village in the Colca Valley is called Chivay. To enter the valley, you always travel through this village.

A visit to the Colca Canyon is included in most of our trips in Peru, for example our Peru Highlights tour . However, if you have a bit more time to spend, you like hiking and it seems like a great experience to stay in the Colca Canyon and not just above it, then consider the Colca Canyon Trekking!

The trek through the Colca Canyon is not very difficult and you will just spend the night in beds in local hostels on the route (and not in tents). What can be difficult and is sometimes underestimated is the descent to the bottom on day 1 and the climb back up on day 3. These are paths and stairs, carved into the wall of the canyon. You do not have to be an experienced climber for this. However, do not underestimate the height, about 1000 meters of descent and ascent is quite a lot!

During the Colca Canyon Trekking you will see everything you would see during a 2-day stay at the Colca Canyon, including the place ‘Cruz del Condor’, the place where you have the best chance to see the condor soaring. However, you will need to book the somewhat more expensive tour with private transport. If you choose the cheaper version with transport in scheduled buses, there will be no stops along the way and not at the place ‘Cruz del Condor’.