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Orient - Express Hotel: Las Casitas del Colca *****
Hotel Pozo del Cielo ****
Hotel Colca Inn ***
Eco Inn Colca ***
La Casa de Mama Yacchi ***
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Colca Canyon
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. The name Colca refers to small holes in the cliffs in the valley and canyon. These holes were used in Inca and pre-Inca times to store food, such as potatoes and other Andean crops. They were also used as tombs for important people.
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 that crosses the Canyon starts high in the Andes at Condorama Crucero Alto and changes its name to Majes, and then to Camana before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The canyon is home to the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), a species that has seen world-wide effort to preserve it. The condors can be seen at fairly close range as they fly through the canyon walls and are an increasingly popular attraction.
"Cruz del Condor" is a popular tourist stop to view the condors, the pass where condors soar gracefully on the rising thermals occurring as the air warms. The condors are best seen in the early morning and late afternoon when they are hunting. At this point the canyon floor is 3,960 ft (1,200 m) below the rim of the canyon.
The La Calera natural hot springs (swimming pools) are located at Chivay, the biggest town in the Colca Canyon.
Machete Tours offers tour to Colca Canyon starting from Arequipa or Puno city.
The tours can be arranged for 1 full day visit or 2 days visit with over night in a hotel in Chivay town. This tour include entrances to “El Mirador Del Condor” , bilingual guide and transportation to and out the Colca Valley.
We also arrange trekking tours from 2, 3 and 4 days to the bottom of the Colca Canyon. To read more about these programs please look at our section HIKING AREQUIPA.