Day 1

Arrival in Arequipa. Pick-up at the airport or at the bus terminal. Night in hotel.

Day 2

Colca Canyon

We’ll come pick you up at the hotel between 7:30 and 8 a.m. with a minibus (10-17 reclining seats, with air conditioning and heating). From there, we’ll set off towards the Colca Canyon, one of the world’s deepest.

During the 4 hour ride, we’ll cross the magnificent altiplano at an altitude of 4,800 meters (15,840 ft), admiring the wonderful views of the Valley of the Volcanoes and the Cordillera. We’ll make frequent stops to see the animals (alpacas, llamas, vicunas, guanacos, vizcachas, etc.).

Finally, we’ll arrive in the Colca Valley, at the village of Chivay (3,500 m/11,550 ft), where we’ll check into the hotel and have lunch.

In the afternoon, we’ll go via minibus to the picturesque village of Coparaque, where we’ll take a two-hour nature hike to a pre-Incan cemetery on the mountain. At 5 p.m., we’ll relax in the Calera hot springs, whose medicinal waters fluctuate between 35° and 38° Celsius (95° and 100° Fahrenheit). Night in Chivay.

Day 3

Colca Canyon/Arequipa

After a 6 a.m. breakfast, we’ll begin our hour and a half ride through the Valley, which will take us past agricultural terraces and through local villages.

We’ll then arrive at the Mirador de la Cruz del Cóndor, a perfect viewpoint for observing the Canyon and its condors. These majestic birds will fly close by us, as they come out in the morning to take advantage of the Canyon’s warm air currents.

Then, we’ll get back on the minibus to go back to Chivay. We’ll stop along the way in the villages of Pinchollo, Maca and Yanque, with their colonial churches. Lunch in Chivay. Arrival in Arequipa around 6 p.m. Night in hotel.

Project Contribution of US$20.00 per person (to be paid separately) allotted to the following projects:
Mosoq Runa
Ceprof
Hogar de las Estrellas

Please note the following:

PeruEtico works in Arequipa with a serious, professional agency that respects the wage and working conditions of its employees.

The tour of the Colca Canyon may be with other travelers. Usually, the minibus seats 10, but sometimes, mostly in high season, we get a 17-seater. We at PeruEtico will do the best we can to provide the smaller bus for you.

All PeruEtico tours require a project contribution, even if, as in this case, they don’t include a visit to the projects we support. We invite you to get to know the organizations and the children when you come to Cusco (Hogar de las Estrellas and Mosoq Runa) and Lima (CEPROF).

The project contribution will go to the projects Mosoq Runa, Hogar de las Estrellas and CEPROF.

This tour includes:

Lodging in a family-run, three-star hotel, in double or twin rooms with a private bathroom and breakfast included. If available, the hotel in Arequipa is the Casa del Melgar and the hotel in Chivay is the Pozo del Cielo.

3 breakfasts: days 2, 3 and 4.

Excursions described in the itinerary, with a Spanish and English-speaking guide.

Colca entrance ticket.

All transport.

Pick-up upon arrival in Arequipa and transfer to hotel.

This tour does not include:

Project contribution (US$20 per person). The contributions will be given in full to the three Children’s Homes, so they may finance their own projects planned for 2010. For more information, please go to the PeruEtico Italia Association website.

Entrance fee to the hot springs (10 Nuevo Soles) (optional activity).

Meals (2 lunches and 3 dinners).

Transport to and from Arequipa.

Suggested packing list:

Binoculars

Camera

Towel

Swimming suit

Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen

Hiking boots

US$265.00 per person