Colca Canyon Trek

The Colca Canyon trek is located in the Colca River in southern Peru,  about 160 kilometers northwest of Arequipa. With a depth of about 3,500m. Colca is the deepest canyon in the world. Its length is about 70 kilometers. The Colca Valley is a colorful Andean valley with pre-Inca-rooted inhabitants, and towns founded by Spanish colonial people. The area is still inhabited by people of the Collagua and the Cabana cultures. The local people maintain their ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces, called Andenes.

The town of Chivay is located at the midpoint of the Colca Valley. Above Chivay, at an elevation of 3,500 meters, agriculture gives way to livestock raising, principally alpacas and llamas, with some sheep and dairy cattle as well. Below Chivay, the valley presents intensely terraced landscapes, continuing for many kilometers downstream.

In the deep valley downriver, a series of small villages is spread out over the approximately 56 kilometers between Chivay and the village of Cabanaconde.  The Colca canyon reaches its greatest depth in the region of Huambo, where the river has an elevation of 1,066 meters. About 24 kilometers to the southeast of Cabanaconde, the canyon rises 6,288 meters high to Ampato, a snow-capped extinct volcano.

Colca Canyon

The spectacular Colca Canyon trek makes a half-circle around the  Chivay city with two sentinel volcanoes within the high plains of the vast, barren Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve.

Colca’s have manmade terraced fields stacked up like gigantic staircases on the steep canyon slopes. Many of the terraces date back to Inca times, the inhabited area even before the 13th century AD, and most are still tended to by local farmers who grow crops such as potatoes, barley, and beans

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In Colca Canyon, hot springs are an amazing 3km walk up the valley to a scenic spot by the Colca River. Tourists can get here reclining in a simple alfresco pool, and zip-liners slide terrified across the canyon overhead. The zip-line stretches for 600m between the canyon walls in the Andean Mountains.

The Cruz del Condor clifftop lookout, 35km west of Yanque, is another huge Andean mountain glide majestically above the steep canyon walls using the thermal uplifts that rise from Colca’s depths.

Trek in Colca Canyon

The Colca Canyon is one of the deepest places on the planet. On the right side, it is flanked by the Chila Cordillera, and on the other by Mount Hualca Hualca, Sabancaya, and Ampato. You can see Mount Ubinas and beautiful Mount Coropuna in the distance. The trek is very tough due to the steep terrain and less air, but the scenic views are worth it.

In the area, the erosion from the Colca River creates a canyon of about 70 Km. Length is the deepest part of the world with beautiful landscapes and strong winds. Here you can see Andean condors, which are the biggest birds in the world. In the mirador “Cruz del Condor” located among Maca and Cabanaconde’s towns, is an important point to see condors in majestic flight. This area possesses a great diversity of flora and fauna.

Water Rafting

Between December and March, the waters of the Colca River offer river rafting for tourists. Apart from this, the Colca River is the best place in the world for the practice of different water sports. It includes rapids of high speed and great isolation in certain tracks. Colca Canyon is an area of pure adrenaline for trekking, mountain biking, and climbing up Andean peaks.

Colca Canyon was traveled and explored for the first time in 1979 by an expedition of students of the University of Krakow (Poland). In 1984, the “Guinness Book of Records” declared it the deepest canyon in the world.

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The beauty of the canyon landscape and the clarity of its waters will give you an unforgettable experience, and it will also provide strong emotions and high doses of adrenaline. This area can be navigated from April to November.

How to Reach Colca Canyon Trek

To reach the Colca Canyon trek, travel from Arequipa to the town of Cabanaconde, the main hiking hub. The ~5-6 hour journey is achieved via direct bus, collectivo (shared van) through Chivay, or an organized tourist shuttle. The trek typically starts in Cabanaconde, descending into the canyon towards villages like Llahuar or San Juan