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The broad valley of the Colca Canyon, its slopes lined with terraces and mountains beyond, Peru

Sample journey · 8–10 days

The white city and the canyon of condors

Arequipa, the Salinas y Aguada Blanca reserve & the Colca Canyon

Photo: Hongbin / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Southern Peru is volcano country. Arequipa, the country's second city, grew up beneath three volcanoes, and its old town is built of sillar, a white volcanic tuff that almost glows in the sun. Beyond the city the road climbs onto a plateau where vicuñas graze, crosses a high pass and drops into the Colca Valley: farming terraces centuries old, stone villages with colonial churches, and a canyon more than three kilometres deep in places.

This journey is for those who have already seen Peru or would like to see it differently: through architecture, food, mountain villages and long views rather than crowds. It's short and not complicated, but the altitude here is serious, so the route climbs gradually: a few days in Arequipa, then the valley, and only then the height of the pass or Lake Titicaca. The stays run from a colonial house with an inner courtyard in Arequipa to a simple, warm lodge in the Colca Valley.

The route

The journey

  1. Lima
  2. Arequipa
  3. Salinas y Aguada Blanca reserve
  4. The Patapampa pass
  5. Chivay & the Colca Valley
  6. Cruz del Cóndor
  7. Puno or Arequipa
  1. A panorama of Arequipa with the cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and the El Misti volcano beyond the city

    01Days 1–2 · Lima & Arequipa

    Beneath three volcanoes

    After the long flight, one night in Lima to let your body recover, and dinner in a city whose food is reason enough to come. The next morning, a flight of about an hour and a half south to Arequipa. The city sits at around 2,300 metres: high enough to feel the air and low enough to be a good place to start adjusting. The first afternoon is slow: the Plaza de Armas with its arcades and cathedral, behind which, on a clear day, rises the perfect cone of El Misti, with Chachani and Pichu Pichu beside it. Dinner is at a picantería, the traditional Arequipa eating house, for stuffed rocoto peppers and other local dishes. Plenty of water, not much wine or pisco: it makes the altitude easier.

  2. An inner courtyard with a fountain in the Santa Catalina convent, Arequipa

    02Days 3–4 · Arequipa

    A town within a town

    Two full days in Arequipa. The heart of it is the Santa Catalina convent, founded in the late 16th century and closed to the world for centuries: lanes, small squares and cells painted deep blue and terracotta, with geraniums in the windows. It's best in the morning, when the light is soft, or late in the afternoon. The next day, the museum of Andean sanctuaries, home to the Inca girl found on the summit of Ampato, and the story of mountain offerings, without which it's hard to understand why the volcanoes here are still honoured as apus, the spirits of the mountains. In the afternoon, the lanes of San Lázaro, the Yanahuara viewpoint and the market, where dozens of kinds of potato are sold. In the evening, queso helado, Arequipa's cinnamon ice cream, and an early night: tomorrow the road climbs high.

  3. A paved road among brown Andean mountains on the way from Arequipa to Chivay

    03Day 5 · The plateau & the Patapampa pass

    Vicuñas and cairns

    It's about four hours by road to the Colca Valley, but this day is more than a transfer. Beyond Arequipa the road climbs into the Salinas y Aguada Blanca national reserve: wide puna grassland where wild vicuñas often graze among the tough grass and flamingos and Andean geese sometimes appear on the wetter ground. We stop often and take our time. The highest point is the Patapampa pass, at almost 4,900 metres, where travellers stack little cairns and where, on a clear day, a whole chain of volcanoes is visible from one spot. We don't linger: the altitude is real, so we move slowly, drink water and soon drop into the valley. In the afternoon, Chivay, at around 3,600 metres, and, if you like, the hot springs by the river.

  4. An Andean condor gliding with outstretched wings over the Colca Valley

    04Day 6 · Cruz del Cóndor

    Morning on the canyon rim

    We leave early, to be at Cruz del Cóndor as the sun starts to warm the canyon walls. Andean condors spend the night on rock ledges and wait in the morning for the thermals to rise, then glide along the cliffs barely moving their wings, sometimes only a few dozen metres from those watching. They're usually seen most in the dry season, roughly June to October, but they don't appear every day or always close, so we give the viewing time rather than one hurried stop. On the way back, the villages of Pinchollo or Maca with their white churches, viewpoints above terraces that were built here before the Incas, and a village market where women wear embroidered hats whose shape still shows which community they come from.

  5. A stone wall and green terraces in the Colca Valley near Chivay

    05Days 7–9 · The Colca Valley & onward

    On foot among the terraces

    The third day in the valley is on foot. A path between the villages of Yanque and Coporaque leads past the old terraces, stone walls and tombs set in the cliffs; the walking is easy, but you'll feel the altitude, so the pace is calm. Anyone wanting more can descend into the canyon with a guide and spend a night at an oasis on its floor, a proper hike with a long climb back out. Then there are two ways on. Returning to Arequipa leaves time for one more evening in the old town and a flight to Lima. Or it's about six hours across the high plateau past the Lagunillas lakes to Puno, for two nights by Lake Titicaca at around 3,800 metres. After a week in the mountains of southern Peru, that height feels far less daunting, and flights home leave easily from nearby Juliaca.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The Santa Catalina convent

    Blue and terracotta lanes in a closed world at the centre of the city.

  2. 02

    Vicuñas on the puna

    Wild vicuñas on the open plateau on the way to the Patapampa pass.

  3. 03

    Cruz del Cóndor

    A morning on the canyon rim, when condors often rise on the thermals.

  4. 04

    The terraces of Colca

    A walk between villages and terraces farmed here since before the Incas.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • Slower and lower

    One more night in Arequipa and an extra night in the Colca Valley let you climb more gently still and leave every afternoon free.

  • With a canyon hike

    A two- or three-day guided hike to the canyon floor and its oasis, for fit travellers who have already adjusted to the altitude.

  • By season

    The dry season usually brings the clearest skies and the most active condors; in the rainy months the valley is greener, but the weather on the passes is less settled.

  • With Cusco or the Atacama

    Cusco can be reached from Puno by train or road, so the journey extends naturally into the Sacred Valley; and from Arequipa, Chile's Atacama Desert isn't far.

Practical considerations

  • The dry season in the Andes usually runs from roughly May to September: sunny days and cold nights. The wettest months are usually December to March; the weather varies from year to year.
  • The altitude here is serious: the Colca Valley sits at around 3,600 metres and the pass at almost 4,900. The route climbs gradually, but it's worth speaking to a doctor before you travel, especially if you have any health conditions.
  • The road over the pass is paved, but in the colder months or after heavy rain it can be icy or affected by landslides, so we check its condition just before departure.
  • Before you travel, we check the latest travel advice and entry requirements for Peru.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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