Arequipa, the white city known for its pearl white Sillar colonial homes and the Santa Catalina Monastery, Colca Canyon, one of the deepest gorges in the world with its Andean condors and Puno on Lake Titicaca, brings 3 highlights to this tour.
Already the first part of the tour, the route from Arequipa to Chivay, along the Salinas & Aguada Blanca National Reserve is worthwhile. It leads across scrubby, strange, beautiful Pampa highlands, past alpacas, llamas, Vikuñas, up to Patapampa Pass to Chivay, where customs and tourism clash.
Today we visit one of the world’s deepest canyons. After picking you up at your hotel in Arequipa at 8am, we drive towards Chivay, passing through the snow-capped Chachani Mountain and then making a short stop in the “Aguada Blanca National Reserve”. We drink a coca tea, which helps you at the enormous heights and take the opportunity to observe the inhabitants of the park. We see Vicuñas, the wild relatives and ancestor of the now more domestic alpacas. Vicuñas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is very expensive as it can only be cut every 3 years. We also see many alpacas, llamas and waris.
Later on Lake Tocra, we see many birds, sometimes even flamingos. We pass the extinct crater of the volcano Chucura and stop at a vantage point at 4,800 m altitude to capture the surrounding volcanoes, possibly with a nice panoramic view. From here you also have a wonderful view of the western mountain range, with their Anbaerrassen (Andenerias), which are mainly from the pre-Inca period.
Lunch is in Chivay, the entrance to the Colca Valley. Then we drive to the beautiful village of Coproaque, the starting point for a 2-hour hike to admire the wonderful landscapes on this side of the Colca Valley. Here you can also see a pre-Inca cemetery, where the tombs are embedded in the mountainside.
After our return in Chivay, in the late afternoon, you have the opportunity to visit the thermal baths of Chivay. A pleasant and above all relaxing experience. At 8 pm we have dinner, followed by an Andean folklore show. Get ready for Andean dances.
After breakfast, we drive at 6.30 clock to the viewpoint “Cruz del Condor” in the National Park “Colca Gorge”. After a 1/2-hour drive into the National Park, we reach the Cross of the Condor and you have a wonderful view of the “Colca Gorge” and especially on the here ascending condors. Sometimes you float very close, just a few meters, past you. Goose bumps guaranteed.
Close by, your guide will show you pre-Inca tombs lying in the mountain. On the way to Puno, we reach the highest point of the route at 4,900 m altitude in Patapamba, with a stunning view of the many snow-capped mountains and volcanoes of the western Andes mountain range. Side of the road, they see many “apachetas”, small piles of stones, which were piled up by passing travelers, as an offering for the gods, for a safe journey. Maybe you also want to pile up a pile of stones.
The last major stop before Puno is at Patahuasi. Here you can buy a snack, but much more interesting is the “bosque de Rocas -Steinwald”. These are crazy rock formations that will surely inspire your imagination and all this as part of a stunning landscape. On the last part of the route we pass several small lakes, where you can always see some interesting birds, e.g. the pink flamingos.
After arriving in Puno at 19:30, we will bring you to your hotel and finish our little trip.
