We traveled for four hours from Arequipa to the Colca valley and canyon area in a white van with 12 new friends from Peru, Germany, and the Netherlands. Our journey included a great deal of elevation change: starting point at 2,300 meters in Arequipa, highest point at 4,225 meters in Patapampa, and ending point at 3,651 meters in Chivay. Along the way we stopped to see Nevada Sabancaya (active volcano 5,976 meters tall) and wild herds of vicunyas.  

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Chivay – The nexus of Colca Valley and Canyon, Chivay is the most visited town in the area. Its population of 6,300 people have maintained the town’s traditional identity and flavor, including a large plaza displaying columns topped with condor statues,  a fountain that plays music in the evenings, and many benches for locals and tourists to relax. A very common form of in-town transportation is a mototaxi, also called a tuktuk in Thailand.  

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Yanque – East of Chivay sits the town of Yanque, a common shopping and bathroom stop for tour groups, ours included.  Creators of local handicrafts line the plaza each morning in hopes of making sales to tourists. And local children, hoping to get a small donation of money, sing and dance in traditional attire for the visitors. 

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Uyo Uyo – This archeological site just outside of Chivay is a pre-Inca hillside citadel and includes ruins of two-story houses with thatched gable roofs, a plaza, a church, an observatory, and an irrigation system all built in the early 1200s. Uyo Uyo served as the capital of the region. On our way back to Chivay we watched a small bird attacking a large bird in the air and on the ground. 

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Cruz del Condor – This is the famous viewpoint for observing Andean condors that nest on rocks in the canyon walls.  These birds, with 2.7 to 3.2 meter wingspans, glide on thermal air currents and rarely flap their wings.  We visited this spot two different mornings, the first day about 9 am and the second day at 7:30 am. We discovered that earlier is better for viewing the impressive birds as they slowly ascend the 1,200 meters from the bottom of the canyon to Cruz del Condor and higher. Before 9 am there are many fewer tourists and more condors to watch  glide by at eye level.  This was truly a “Wow!” experience.  

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Cabanaconde – We stayed two nights in this quiet, traditional town of 2,700 people with no supermarket and no ATM. It is a common starting point for canyon trekkers who want to conquer the steep, zigzagging trails to the Rio Colca at the bottom. The Colca Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon. We did not fit the trekking category but we did walk to several canyon viewpoints at the edges of town. 

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Traditional clothing and hats – Style differences in traditional clothing and hats can be seen between the Colca valley (east) and Colca canyon (west.) The western style includes more color and ornate details. We enjoyed watching all ages of children and adults in the Chivay and Cabanaconde central plazas.