Overland Expeditions To Colca Canyon

A short guide about Overland Expeditions to Colca Canyon

The Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru and is one of the world's deepest canyons at over 3000m, and although the canyon's walls are not as vertical as those of the Grand Canyon, it is almost twice as deep. The Cotahuasi Canyon to the northwest is an even deeper canyon at 3501m and since they are such major features of the landscape in Peru, the Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons are both easily recognizable on satellite photos of the region. The Colca Canyon is the natural habitat of the great Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), a species that has seen world-wide effort to preserve it.

The majestic Andean condors are attracting more and more visitors each year to the Colca Canyon, and tourists can see the big condors at a fairly close range as they fly along the canyon walls. 'Cruz del Condor' is a popular tourist spot to view the condors where the floor of the canyon is 1200m below the rim. Through this pass they soar gracefully on the rising thermals occurring as the air warms and the best time to visit is during the early morning and late afternoon when the condors are hunting.

The name Colca refers to small holes in the cliffs, in the valley and canyon and 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 colourful 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, especially by continuing to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces, as well as wearing the nicest traditional clothing in South America.

Tourabout has many different travel holidays which visit the Colca Canyon, as is popular for its spectacular scenery, watching the Andean Condor in the wild, and adventure activities such as hiking and rafting. Travellers can reach the canyon from the town of Arequipa, and Chivay: being the biggest town; it’s famous for its natural hot springs at La Calera, the perfect end to the day.