The Colca Canyon Tour: What To Expect

We have to admit, we are not much the kind of travelers that books full ready-made tours. But travelling during a pandemic ain't simple and booking a 2 day Colca Canyon tour seemed like the easier way to experience everything we wanted.

And for once, we were really glad we made that choice!

From peculiar hot springs over fascinating culture of the Colca Valley people to the majestic flight of the condor: this tour had everything!

Check out our personal experience of a complete 2 day Colca Canyon tour!

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What is the Colca Canyon?

One of the deepest canyons in the world

The Colca Canyon is a canyon in the South of Peru, close to the country's second biggest city Arequipa. 

It traverses the magnificent Colca Valley, a valley full of pre-Inca history, small colonial towns and the picturesque andenes, pre-Inca terraces used for agriculture.

With a depth of more than 3000 m at places, it is actually the third-deepest canyon in the world! 

Until the mid-20th century, there was no proper road between Arequipa and the town of Chivay in the Colca valley. The first one got built in order to transport the products from the silver and copper mines located here. 

Due to an expedition confirming that it was indeed one of the deepest canyons in the world, the Colca Canyon became one of the most visited places in Peru with numerous tours and treks organised from Arequipa.

About the name 'Colca'

'Colcas' are kind of storage rooms for corn, often inside of caves. The Collagua-culture, the original inhabitants of the Colca valley, started this practice.

They are also responsible for the now picturesque andenes, the agricultural terraces, still used today. It's because of these andenes that the Andes got named that way.

Where to stay for a Colca Canyon tour?

DISCLAIMER: This section contains affiliate links which means that we earn a tiny commission every time you book through one of our links.

If you booked with a tour operator, you will most likely have the city of Arequipa as a starting point.

Tours generally start from the historic centre with its picturesque colonial flair!

We stayed at this cute little budget-friendly hotel called La Casa de Leonardo. It's about 10 minutes walking from the famous Plaza de Armas and even less from the Santa Catalina Monastery.

The rooms are rather basic but the  breakfast area outside is lovely and the garden very beautiful. Plus you get awesome sunset-views from the roof.

How to prepare for the Colca Canyon tour

Coca candies and water

Let me be clear from the start: you will go from an altitude of approximately 2335 m to 4900 m above sea level!

If you are not used to that kind of height, you will want to be prepared! 

In order to prevent altitude sickness, stock up on Coca candies which you can get basically anywhere in the city of Arequipa, your starting point for any Colca Canyon tour.

Also, take enough water with you! If you're worried about having to pee on the road, most Colca Canyon tour operators plan multiple sanitary stops along the way.

Although the facilities aren't always open, we stopped in the nature as well - just don't leave any paper behind, please!!

Altitude sickness is real

Altitude sickness is real and can spoil your whole trip if you're not prepared.

If you are sensitive with things like shortness of breath or headaches, it might be a good idea to get Diamox at a pharmacy.

We didn't have to use it as we were already used to the altitude by staying in Cusco for that long but I had it on me. And a few of our co-travellers got real bad headaches and were super relieved we had 'the hard stuff' to help.

For more details and great tips for altitude sickness, check out our blog-post below:

Read also | Beating altitude sickness in Cusco: the best tips

Read also | 13 fascinating things to do in and around Cusco

Day 1 of the Colca Canyon Tour: landscapes, vicuñas and hot springs

The changing landscapes depending on the altitude

Like I said, we started in Arequipa and headed straight for the Colca valley.

In order to get to a valley, you obviously have to get up some mountain first - duh!

The fascinating thing about driving up to the highest point is the changing landscapes the higher you get. There is some very specific vegetation in the Andes that can actually help you tell right away at what height you are approximately.

Here's a little graphic to make this easier to understand:

If this is too complex, our guide explained it in an even easier way:

Another indication would be the presence of llamas, alpacas and vicuñas, which live at an altitude between 3200 and 4800 m above sea level.

Vicuñas and alpacas on the way

Speaking of vicuñas and alpacas... in the Andes, there are 4 types of camelids:

When driving up the Andes, you will see plenty of llamas and alpacas seemingly running around freely. While they do have huge territories to venture on, they are always domesticated.

Wild llamas or alpacas don't exist anymore. So they will always belong to someone and there will most likely be a corral nearby. Llamas and alpacas automatically go to these corrals for the night.

Guanacos and vicuñas, on the other hand, are always wild animals  and you will never find both types in the same areas.

When I travelled around in Patagonia, I saw guanacos for the first time and I already loved them. But I must admit: vicuñas are even more cute!! You will definitely enjoy seeing them on the way up.

Read also | Top nature experiences in Patagonia

Arriving at the summit

This is the highest point you will get to on this Colca Canyon tour: the 'mirador de los Andes' where you will have a brilliant view over the 5 volcanoes dominating the region.

If this is the first time at this altitude, it will most likely catch you by surprise to feel a bit of shortness of breath: you are now at 4900 m above sea level.

But if you take our tips into consideration (especially coca-candy and water), you should be fine otherwise.

A relaxing stop at the hot springs

Almost every 2 day Colca Canyon tour offers this: a relaxing stop at one of the numerous thermal springs of the Colca valley.

Hot water of volcanic origin is supposed to be very beneficial for your health and after battling the altitude, it will probably be very welcome.

Just beware, though, the hot and very mineralised water will most likely slow down your blood pressure and you should not engage in serious activity afterwards. It might knock you out...

The hot springs we went to were a little bit 'rustic'... You could see that this was once a kind of luxurious spa facility but it was all pretty worn down.

We had a very relaxing experience nonetheless in our private Jacuzzi - but that water gets freakishly hot! Make sure you always stay for about 5-10 minutes max and then take a break or even a cold shower in-between sessions. 

Think of it more like a sauna rather than a bath.

Where to stay in the valley during a 2 day Colca Canyon tour?

DISCLAIMER: This section contains affiliate links which means that we earn a tiny commission every time you book through one of our links.

If you booked a complete tour beforehand, the tour operator will most likely have chosen a hotel for you. This was the case for us but the choice couldn't have been better.

We stayed at the lovely Pozo del Cielo and besides the slightly creepy religious pictures and icons everywhere, it was beautiful.

It is located right outside of Chivay, the biggest town in the valley and the most popular starting point for a visit to the Cruz del condor (see below).

The rooms are huge and tastefully decorated and the breakfast very yummy.

If you prefer to stay in cheaper but also quieter towns, you could have a look at the options in Coporaque or Yanque. The latter one is going to be the start of our second day of the Colca Canyon tour anyway.

A glimpse of the fascinating Colca dances

Traditional Colca-food

This was actually not in the original Colca Canyon tour but it was a nice addition as we learned even more about the fascinating cultures living in the valley.

We went to a restaurant in Chivay called Kuntur Peña Show. While the interior may seem a bit unromantic (it looks more like a non-charming ballroom than a restaurant), the food was good and the Peruvian musicians and dancers very entertaining.

The Colca Valley has a very particular set of dances and those presenting it have a uniform or costume that is very unique.

Also, this is where we tasted several things for the first time:

- a soup made from alpaca-milk

- the typical 'Colca Sour', which is a variation of the well-known Pisco Sour but made with the fruit of the Sancayo-cactus instead of lemon

- the 'Inca-tea' which is a tea made from coca-leaves, muña (the strong Andean mint) and chachacoma - according to the locals THE best remedy against the soroche, the altitude sickness.

While we had food and drinks, two dancers showed us three different dances, all with a very particular meaning:

Dance nr 1: 'wititi'

The romantic dance of lovers. A young couple dances in the traditional costume while the boy uses his sling (which was also a very popular weapon for the indigenous) as a dance-prop.

Dance nr 2: 'la danza del Qamili'

The couple is dressed in another outfit and the prop this time is a hand plough. With this tool, they symbolically work the earth, also called 'pachamama', in order to beg her for a good harvest.

Dance nr 3: 'chukchu'

This was the most funny one and it is indeed supposed to be a bit comical. The was a time when the inhabitants of the Colca Valley noticed a disease grassing among them, nowadays known as Malaria.

Back then, they didn't realise what the transmitter of the disease was. They though, that the origin was bad fruit - not thinking that the mosquitoes on the fruit were the bad guys. 

So the dance depicts a person getting charmed by the partner to eat said fruit. He or she gets sick, falls down on the floor and starts to tremble - this is because Malaria gives you the chills. The only way of 'saving' him from the disease was thought to be punishment. 

The sick one gets whipped until the fever leaves him. 

While the background-story is pretty dramatic, the dance on itself is very funny and suppose to be that way. So don't feel bad laughing at someone getting whipped...

Day 2 of the Colca Canyon Tour: the majestic condor

Early Sunday-morning in Yanque

Remembering the earthquake

Our day started at 6 am. And this meant: getting up at 5 am, breakfast at 5.30 am.

Why this early? Because people in the Colca valley are early birds themselves!

We started our day in the little town of Yanque I mentioned earlier. It's a tiny town with less than 1000 inhabitants but with the second biggest church in the Colca Valley (the biggest being in Chivay).

Said church still bears the marks of the heavy 2016 earthquake that shook the whole valley.

Inside the church, you can find the typical mix of catholic saints adorned with traditional Peruvian dresses.

Sunday market, fuming volcano and dances

Before having a quick look inside the church, though, we were invite to join the Sunday-morning-market dance: the wititi I already explained. What stroke us most was that they had so much energy to keep dancing at 6 in the morning!

It was a beautiful sight, especially with the overly active Sabancaya volcano in the background.

We also found a lovely new face-mask for Sebi with an embroidery of the mighty condor.

The highlight of the whole Colca Canyon tour: 'Cruz del cóndor'

Patiently waiting for the condor to show up

Our lovely guide Irene took us to another lovely viewpoint first as the 'cruz del cóndor' is like THE most popular spot in the whole Colca Valley.

Which means that you won't definitely be alone there.

The other spot we went to was a bit further down the road, a half hour walk. If you want to be sure to get to that spot as well, book your adventure with Colonial Tours - it really had everything we needed.

Check out the other possible tours below:

The majestic Andean Condor

With a wingspan of 3 meters, the Andean Condor is the largest flying bird in the world.

It flies at a speed of 70km/h (44 m/h) and can carry about 4kg (8,8 pounds) of food in his stomach to feed the little ones. The latter stay in the nest for up to one whole year before they finally start flying on their own.

The food they get is primarily carrion, the condor being a scavenger. This can be anything he finds on the was like deer or cattle. 

During rainy season, it gets more difficult for the condor to find food and so he travels all the way to the Pacific Ocean to find some - that's like a few thousand kilometers. Which he manages to do in one single day, return-trip!

Most of the time, you will see him high above you and you can only notice the black silhouette.

But if you're lucky, like we were, you will catch him flying through the canyon beneath you! And this is where you will see the beautiful white feathers he only has on the back of his wings.

This sight is the national symbol of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador! And not only this, the condor represents one of the three mythological world of the Andes: 'Hanan Pacha', the upper world.

The other two worlds are 'Kay Pacha', the world we live in represented by the puma, and 'Ukhu Pacha', the underworld represented by the serpent.

An experience to remember

This 2 day Colca Canyon tour was definitely one of the main highlights on our whole trip through Peru. 

If you can, really look at these guided tours as it would be difficult to find all these places and get these super interesting facts on your own.

Like I said in the introduction, we don't usually book pre-made tours like this but in this case, we are glad we did!

I hope you liked this little guide and it inspired you to visit the Colca Valley and its canyon next time you visit this magnificent country that is Peru!

Don't forget to comment, pin and share this guide for later use!

As ever

xx

Cyn

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