I was in Cañon de Cotahuasi for 5 days (Aug 2022). Bus from Arequipa Terminal Terrestre = S/35. I booked a guide for 3 days trekking to guide me through the Cañon. The whole experience was fantastic. We went through many different landscapes; saw Condors; stayed in villages and lived as the locals live (very basic conditions). I booked Pepe ( viajes.cotahuasi@gmail.com / asoturs-cotahuasi@hotmail.com +51 958 747 794 ). Pepe is not a professional guide but a local - he lives in Visbe, and speaks Quechua and Spanish. He knows the landscape and the people and their culture, very well. I am always questioning and he could always answer my questions. I met and was involved with working the fields with his family and friends. The next day I went to Baños Termales Luido - 40 degrees C (S/7 gives you access to all three pools) = wonderful after long days trekking. At either end of my 5 days I stayed in Cotahuasi town with Meylin, in a room which could take at least 4 people; there was ferociously hot water (solar) S/20 a night. Meylin made me breakfast (S/7) and lunch, when required. She also makes gorgeous cakes to order! So you can order a cake to eat during your stay. Throughout my time in the Cañon, I learned a lot; took hundreds of pictures of the diverse landscapes; practiced my Spanish and absolutely did not want to return to the real world. Life in the Cañon is magical, though very hard for the alpaca farmers who live at high altitude.

It is very recommendable to hike trough the Cotahuasi Cañon. You can reach the town of Cotahuasi easily by bus from Arequipa. There is only night busses from various companies that leave at Arequipa's terminal at around 7 p.m. You are going to arrive in Cotahuasi around 3 a.m. where you can find cheap hostels at around 10 to 20 soles per person. You can just ring the bell at night. You can find information in Cotahuasi from a man called Milko who owns a small touristic souvenir shop close to the main plaza. Just ask around for him, he provided us with loads of info. He is also organizing tours if you are interested. From Cotahuasi on there is plenty of things to do with a very good public transportation system: From Cotahuasi to Pampamarca: every day at 5 a.m. y 16 p.m. From Pampamarca to Cotahuasi: every day at 6 a.m. y 12 a.m. From Cotahuasi to Charcana: every day at 3 p.m. From Charcana to Cotahuasi: every day at 6 a.m. From Cotahuasi to Quechualla: every day at 1:30 p.m and Friday, Sunday and Monday at 5:30 a.m. From Quechualla to Cotahuasi: every day at 8:00 a.m. and Friday, Sunday, Monday at 5:00 p.m. From Cotahuasi to Alca: every full hour From Alca to Cotahuasi: every full hour In every town mentioned you can find cheap accommodation and also something to eat. We went to Pampamarca in the afternoon to see the Bosque de piedras at the next day. After spending one more night in Pampamarca we went to Cotahuasi again and took on the same day a bus to Charcana. In the following morning we walked to Quechualla, which is a really nice town! Afterwards we went to Velinga a small town between Quechualla and Cotahuasi which is only reachable by foot but the town I liked the most! Even though it might be harder to find information about the Cañon de Cotahuasi it is very much worth the effort. Go and try out for yourself!