Today at 6:30AM we will have breakfast offered by the family, and then we will drive on the upper zone of Colca valley for about 2h30m with some stops for picture according the tour guide recommendations, you will see thousands of agricultures terraced date from Inca and pre Inca times, build over cliff. Along the way you will get off the transport for more contact with local people and feeling the pure nature of the Colca Canyon.
At 8:30AM arrive to the most important point of the Colca Canyon, this is the condor cross lookout. Plenty time to wait and see the mighty Andean Condor (Vulture Gryphus). Those birds normally fly around the Cruz Del Condor and you can get the best pictures of impressive walls and deep remote towns located inside the canyon.
We recommend this short trek along canyon getting more chance to watch Andean Condors and other birds flying around (rec).
Around 11AM we will continue driving on the way to Chivay, with stops at different viewpoints to see the carved rock, it was model where the ancient architectures testing which part of the terrain was appropriate to build the terraces in the other site of the canyon. Continue going will stop next of huge cliff where is possible to see hanging tombs on the volcanic hillsides.
You will arrive to Maca where is possible to observe nice colonial church from XVI century, next of this town is possible to see people from these regions dedicated life solely to work the terraces, therefore you will see many fields full of crops as corn, amaranth, kiwicha, potatoes, corn and more native product of Peru.
Driving along the canyon you will see the great Colca River and small communities located on both bank of the canyon.
At 12PM we will arrive to the hot spring of La Calera, located on the head of Chivay town, you can enjoy the thermo medicinal and outdoor pools with are 45º Celsius, we will stay 1 hour in this place.
After relaxing swim in the thermal pools, we will drive to the town of Chivay (3600M) to have lunch (excluded), we recommend to taste the local cuisine made with Andes recipes - After lunch you will have free time to explore little big the town and the handicraft market.
At 2PM we aboard the transport and drive uphill following the paved road to the highest point between the Colca Canyon and Arequipa. We stop at Patapampa (4850M) as known the Andean lookout ("Mirador De Los Volcanes") where you can see the volcanic range of the south of Peru, snow-capped as Ampato where the ice maiden "Juanita" was founded in 1995 near of the summit. We drive downhill to Toqra Pampa and stop near of small lagoons to watch Andean birds as Caracara, Andean goose, Pink flamingos, ducks, ibis and etc.
We continue driving through the Altiplano and getting off from the transport and you will appreciate very closer the Andean camels as known Llamas and Alpacas grassing the Andean grass named Ichu. The last stop on this tour will in the National Reserve of Aguada Blanca and Salinas, where you will be lucky to see the Vicuñas (Vicugna) running on these high plateaus on the back side of Chachani snow-capped and Misti Volcano. The Vicuñas are protected and wild animals living above 3800M, sometimes is possible to observe the Andean deer running on the slopes of Chachani snow-capped.
Around 5PM or 6PM arrive to your hotel in Arequipa (Downtown location only) and end of service (B-L).
