Day 1: Arequipa - Chivay - Cabanaconde - San Juan de Chuccho

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 start trekking down into the canyon, pausing to appreciate the spectacular views of the canyon, small villages dotted along the mountainside and green agricultural terraces clinging to the canyon wall. It's about three hours trekking to the river at the bottom of the canyon. Here we cross the bridge to arrive in the village of San Juan de Chuccho, where we spend the night.

Day 2: San Juan de Chuccho - Cosnirgua - Malata - Sangalle
After a relaxing night and sumptuous breakfast, we continue along the other side of the canyon, passing through the picturesque villages of Coshñirgua and Malata, before descending to the lowest point of the canyon, the Oasis. Arriving here around 1:00 pm, we have the chance to spend a relaxing afternoon by the pool (temperature approximately 23 degrees) and enjoy an evening at the bar and around the bonfire before resting in comfortable accommodation.

Day 3: 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 hostel 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.

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
-One night's accommodation in San Juan de Chuccho
-Accommodation and use of the swimming pool at the Oasis
-All meals during the tour (three breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners)

Not Included:

-Last lunch in Chivay (on return trip)
-Tourist ticket allowing entry to the canyon and the Cruz del Condor reserve (S/.70, charged by the AutoColca 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)
-Lightweight, short or long-sleeved 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: it is therefore recommended 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.