Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River, in the Andes mountain range, in southern Peru. It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States, but is not as steep. The local people still maintain ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces. Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru. It is located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Arequipa. It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States. However, the canyon's walls are not as vertical as those of the Grand Canyon. The Cotahuasi Canyon to the northwest is a deeper canyon at 11,488 ft (3,501 m). Since they are such major features of the landscape, the Colca and Cotahuasi canyons are both easily recognizable in even low-resolution satellite photos of the region. The Colca Valley is a colorful Andean valley with towns founded in Spanish Colonial times and formerly inhabited by the Collaguas and the Cabanas. The local people still maintain ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces. The Colca River starts high in the Andes at Condorama Crucero Alto and changes its name to Majes, and then to Camana before reaching the Pacific Ocean. Parts of the canyon are habitable, and Inca and pre-Inca terraces are still cultivated along the less precipitous canyon walls. The small town of Chivay is on the upper Colca River, where the canyon is not so deep but where many terraces are present in the canyon and continue for many kilometers downstream. As the canyon deepens downriver, a series of small villages is spread out over the approximately 35 miles (56 km) between Chivay and the village of Cabanaconde. The canyon reaches its greatest depth and, in contrast, about 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast rises the 20,630-ft (6,288-m) Nevado Ampato, a snow-capped extinct volcano. The valley lies in the Callalli and Huambo districts of the Caylloma Province
It wasn't until the early 1930's that the Colca valley was explored again, this time for the American Geographical Society. Colca Valley has been known by different names: The Lost Valley of the Incas, The Valley of Wonders, The Valley of Fire and The Territory of the Condor. It has even been called one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World." In the 1980's, with the Majes Hydroelectric Project, roads opened the Colca to the outside. One of the attractions to visitors is a glimpse into a way of life that has endured in isolation for centuries. Access now is usually from Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru and often called the Ciudad Blanca (White City) for the white volcanic ashlar stone used for building. Arequipa is about three hours by bus or van (See Map of Arequipa and Colca Canyon, Peru.) Tours can be arranged in Arequipa if you are not already with a tour group. Busses go to Chivay and Cabanaconde on either end of the canyon, and you can begin your visit from either location. Many visitors choose to travel to Chivay in the afternoon, spend the night there acclimatizing to the altitude, and then tour Colca Canyon the next day. No matter what else you do, a highlight of the Colca Canyon is a stop atCruz del Condor, the pass where condors soar gracefully on the rising thermals occurring as the air warms. You'll want to be there early to see the condors in flight. They hunt in the morning or late afternoon and watching them is an unforgettable experience. There are no railings, and the floor of the canyon is 3960 ft (1200m) below the viewing area, so please watch your step.
Arequipa was founded by the Spaniards in 1540. It really has style, together with a magnificent backdrop of snowy volcanoes, the cone of El Misti and the Nevada Chachani, both being about 6000 metres altitude. The superb Plaza de Armas with its imposing palm trees is surrounded on three sides by double storied arched colonial buildings and on the north side is the huge cathedral, its twin towers now enshrouded in scaffolding due to their collapse in the 2001 earthquake. What a great place to rest up awhile! You need four days at least, preferably a week, because your trip to see the Colca Canyon will take two days or even more, while shopping and sight-seeing in the city will leave you exhausted. Where to Stay and What to Do Along the main tourist shopping streets extending north from the Plaza, namely Santa Catalina and San Francisco, are many economical hostels and hotels. Budget travellers head for Hostel Santa Catalina or hospedaje El Caminante which provide central accommodation for US$5 per person. To get a feel of the history, stroll along Calle Santa Catalina. For a whole block a metres thick, stone wall hides the secluded Convent of Santa Catalina, once home to 400 nuns. Now only 20 are in residence, but for 400 years they led a cloistered life cut off from the ravages of the outside world. Tourists can get a guided tour, or you can wander around by yourself, delving into the rustic beauty of a convent founded in 1580 and which has survived many earthquakes since then. Next block towards the Plaza is the astounding Museo Santuarios Andinos where you will see the famous “Juanita, La Niña de los Hielos”, the 550 year old Inca girl sacrifice found in 1995 by mountaineers in the ice on the summit of nearby Volcan Ampato at 6318 metres altitude. An adjacent volcano had erupted and blown ash to melt the summit snow to reveal this sacrificial site. There she is, kept in a glass case at low temperature, in all her Inca finery, and the museum displays the historical and scientific data associated with the discovery.
