Colca Canyon and Arequipa
A canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, condors skimming the terraces at head height and villages where time stood still: the south's most spectacular high-altitude drive.
Suggested stay — 2 to 3 nights (including 1 in Arequipa)
You climb to it from Arequipa, the white city set beneath its three volcanoes — the Santa Catalina monastery, a city within the city with ochre and blue lanes, justifies the stop on its own. Then the road tips into the grandiose: the Salinas y Aguada Blanca reserve and its herds of vicuñas, the Patapampa pass at 4,910 m facing the volcanic chain, and the dizzying descent to Chivay, gateway to the canyon at 3,600 m.
The Colca ritual plays out at Cruz del Cóndor between 8 and 10 am: Andean condors, three metres of wingspan, rise from the depths on the morning thermals and pass within metres of the terraces — one of the continent's great wildlife spectacles, included in the canyon's boleto turístico. The rest belongs to the villages (Yanque, Maca and their baroque churches), the La Calera hot springs and, for walkers, the two-to-three-day treks down to the Sangalle oasis at the very bottom.
Don't miss
- Cruz del Cóndor early morning: the condors ride the thermals between 8 and 10 am
- The Patapampa pass (4,910 m) and its apachetas facing the Ampato and Sabancaya volcanoes
- The La Calera hot springs in Chivay, 38 °C water after the day's drive
- Arequipa: the Santa Catalina monastery and a rooftop ceviche facing El Misti
Our tips on the ground
- The 4,910 m pass catches bodies off guard: acclimatise two days in Arequipa (2,300 m) first, don't sleep higher than Chivay, and keep water and sugar in the car.
- Sleep in Yanque or Coporaque rather than Chivay: prettier villages, lodges overlooking the terraces, and 30 minutes gained towards the condors at first light.
- The Colca boleto turístico (~70 soles) is bought at the checkpoint before Chivay: keep it, it's checked at Cruz del Cóndor.
Our flagship guide — €29
Guide available“Peru on Your Own”, the complete edition, is out
10 chapters: day-by-day itineraries, driving and transport, a costed budget and checklists — the same method as our Namibia guide.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
Before you go
Readers' questions about Colca Canyon and Arequipa
Are the condors guaranteed?
Almost: on a clear dry-season morning, the odds exceed 80-90% between 8 and 10 am, when the thermals form. Rain or strong wind grounds them — with doubtful weather, plan a second morning. Outside the window the site remains superb but flights get scarce: sleeping in the canyon the night before is the real condor insurance.
Do you need a 4x4 for the Colca?
No: the Arequipa-Chivay-Cruz del Cóndor road is fully paved and a saloon car copes fine. A 4x4 only becomes useful to loop the north bank (tracks towards Coporaque and beyond) or continue to Cabanaconde and the tracks deeper into the canyon. The real challenge is altitude and hairpins, not the surface.