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Visit one of the World’s deepest canyons and watch the flight of the Condors before crossing the altiplano in this excursion, which begins in the White City of Arequipa and finishes in Puno, along the shores of Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake.
You’ll be picked up at your hotel in Arequipa at 8:00am and we’ll depart to the Colca Canyon vía private car, enjoying the scenery of the Arequipa countryside along the way. We’ll make a brief stop in the Pampas Cañahuas National Reserve (3,000 meters above sea level), where we'll see grazing herds of the rare and the elegant vicuña.
We’ll stop to stretch and enjoy a cup of coca tea in a small restaurant in the town of Viscachani before continuing the ascent to the Andes Lookout (4850 meters above sea level). On a good day, one could see up to 6 volcanoes from this spot.
At the picturesque town of Chivay, the gateway to the canyon, we’ll have a traditional lunch. Our next visit will be to the little town of Coporaque, which we’ll visit with a local guide. Afterwards, we’ll visit the La Calera Hot Springs, which offer both hot (80ºC) and cold baths (35º C) and are surrounded by idyllic mountain landscapes. Our inn will provide towels, but be sure to bring your swimwear and flip flops. We’ll return to the inn in the evening for dinner, and spend the night in Coporaque.
On the second day we’ll have an early breakfast at 5:00am and then depart for Condor's Cross lookout arriving approximately an hour later. Along the way we’ll be able to observe a variety of natural wonders, from the canyon’s rim to its river floor, and the pre-Incan tombs and agricultural terraces along the cliff-sides. At Condor’s Cross, we’ll watch as the endangered Andean condors, the world’s largest birds, ascend from their colony deep within the canyon and circle in search of food. We’ll stay for a little more than an hour to admire the canyon and the flying condors and to explore some of the small trails.
Afterwards, we’ll return to Chivay for lunch, visiting some small traditional canyon towns en route. We’ll then begin our journey over the cold altiplano, the high Andean plains, passing Lakes with its flamingos. When we arrive to the city of Puno, on the shored of massive Lake Titicaca, you’ll be dropped off at your chosen hotel.