Itinerary

Day 1: Arequipa City Tour and Santa Catalina Convent

The Arequipa and Colca Canyon tour starts with an afternoon visit to the Carmen Alto viewpoint from where we will get spectacular views of the Misti, Chachani, Misti volcanos and the extended city can be observed, later visit the Yanahuara viewpoint, the Main Cathedral, the Compañia de Jesús cloisters, the Santa Catalina Convent and walk downtown to the neat streets of Arequipa. Back to the hotel.

Day 2: Arequipa-Chivay in Colca Canyon

This day starts at 8:00 when we board our car which will head up the Yura Valley, visiting Pampa Cañahuas inside the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve, a region that belongs to the Peruvian Altiplano and protects wild vicuñas. The trip continues taking an alternative route to the Pagodas, where some very interesting geological formations can be seen. We stop for a lunch in a small restaurant. The drive will continue through open Altiplano grasslands and few bogs that host some birds such as ducks and migratory species. Arrival to the Volcano Viewpoint from where a large extent of the Cordillera del Chila and several volcanoes can be seen. Later we stop in the upper parts of the Colca Valley before descending to the town of Chivay. A visit to the Calera hot springs will be part of the late afternoon. Night at lodge. (B)

Day 3: Chivay – Cruz del Condor in Colca Canyon-Arequipa

Right after breakfast, a nice drive heading west will take us to Cruz del Condor, a good viewpoint that during clear days shows condors that are easy to photograph and observe, as they soar in the warm air currents, coming from the deep canyon. Later we will visit the villages of Pinchollo, Achoma and Yanque. There are several stops at convenient locations as the drive contouring the right side of the Colca Canyon. Ancient colcas or storing houses and tombs nicely are perched along cliffs and other pre-Columbian remains will be shown and explained by our guide to learn about history of earlier and present occupation of this canyon, as we will travel back to Chivay for lunch. Our trip back to Arequipa begins right after lunch, arriving around 6:00 or 7:00 pm. Transfer to our hotel. (B)