Colca Canyon, Arequipa

based on 4 votes

Less touristy than the major draws like Cuzco or Lima, the Colca Canyon in Arequipa is the place to see amazing fauna, condors swooping over head and traditional Andean life.
I went with Land Adventures tour agency and their excellent guide Rudy Vargaya. Normally I prefer to organise and go trekking by myself but it was worth going with a guide in Colca Canyon as our guide was able to explain all the fascinating details about local life and point out the various eco systems at work. The first day was fairly easy as we only had to walk downwards into the canyon and we were rewarded with some great traditional dinner at the bottom. The second day started off with some more amazing scenery and a trip to lovely fresh water pools for a bit of swimming. We then had to walk back out of the canyon which was a little harder but our guide Rudy was really supportive and he also organised a mule to carry a French girl in our group who was having problems with her knees. On the last day we got to see the magnificant huge swooping condors that make the canyon famous and also a well deserved dip in some hot springs. The best thing about going with this tour was that they have their own private buses unlike the other trekking agencies that have to make do with the very bumpy public transport. I also felt a lot safer in the private transport as I've taken some other public transport in the region and the buses are often dangerously full with too many passengers.
All in all it was an excellent three days of adventure.

• Category: Recent trip
• Traveler type: Active/Outdoors