Day 1: Arequipa - Chivay - San Juan de Chucho - Sangalle

You are picked up from your hotel by the tourist transport around 3:00 am. After about 3 hours we arrive to the town of Chivay, where we have breakfast. We continue another 1 1/2 hours to the Cruz del Condor, where we will stop to see the flight of the majestic Andean condor. About 15 minutes down from the Cruz del Condor we arrive to the San Miguel lookout point, near the village of Cabanaconde. We stop at the rim of the canyon to appreciate the spectacular views. Then we begin the zig-zag descent to the river, which takes 2-3 hours. On the other side of the river in San Juan de Chuccho we have lunch and some welcome relaxation. We carry on walking on the other side of the canyon, passing through idyllic countryside and the remote villages of Coshñirgua and Malata, before descending to the Oasis, where we stay the night. After arriving in the afternoon we can enjoy the swimming pool, with a water temperature of about 23 degrees Celcius.

Day 2: Sangalle - Cabanaconde - Chivay - Arequipa
Around 4:00 am the following morning we get up and start the climb up the canyon, by torch and starlight (such a climb is fiercely hot by day). Those who are feeling very tired have the option of making the ascent by mule. Breakfast of pancakes with jam or scrambled eggs at the Valle de Fuego restaurant tastes delicious after the walk. The tourist transport picks us up from the plaza in Cabanaconde between 9:00 and 10:00 am. We drive back towards Chivay, stopping at a lookout point to appreciate the complex pre-Incan terraces of the middle valley, and in the village of Maca for a bathroom stop. In Chivay we take a dip in the hot pools at La Calera and have a buffet lunch. Arrival back in Arequipa is around 6.00 pm.

Price per person, based on a tour for at least 2 persons

Included:

-Tourist transport (shared with approximately 15 other tourists) including hotel pick up and drop off in central Arequipa
-Qualified guide
-Accommodation and use of the swimming pool at the Oasis
-All meals during the tour (two breakfasts, one lunch, one dinner)

Not Included:

-Last lunch in Chivay (on return trip)
-Entry to Cruz del Condor reserve (S/.70, paid separately to the AutoColca local tourism authority)
-Entry to hot pools in Chivay (S/.15)
-Water, snacks, chocolate, etc.

What to Bring:

-Day pack
-Shoes or boots with strong sole
-Trekking pants (shorts-convertible are good)
-short or long-sleeved light layers
-Fleece, sweater or soft shell jacket
-Hat or cap, preferably broad-brimmed, sunglasses, and suncream
-Swimming gear
-Headlamp with spare batteries
-Water and chocolate, sweets or other snacks

During sunny conditions you are likely to consume approximately a 1/2 litre of water per hour: we recommend that you carry approximately 1.5 litres of water while trekking. We also recommend that you carry chocolates, sweets, and something salty (to replace minerals lost through sweating). Water and snacks can be bought in all the villages we pass through during this trek, as well as sometimes on the canyon trail itself.