Visiting Colca Valley is a highly recommended activity when you’re planning your trip to Peru. Relatively close to Arequipa (7,661 ft / 2,335 m), this area of the country features amazing landscapes and charming towns. Plus, it gives you the chance to see the majestic condor, one of the most beautiful bird species in the world, up close.
During our trip through this incredibly diverse South American country, we had the opportunity to take a tour of the Colca Valley. If you’re already planning your trip, we suggest checking out our travel tips for Peru or all the places to visit in Peru. In this post, we’ll tell you everything about how to visit the Colca Valley: tips, tour types, prices, transportation, and much more, so you can enjoy it as much as we did. Let’s get started!
Why Should You Visit Colca Valley?
The Colca Valley, or Colca Canyon, is the fourth deepest canyon on the planet, reaching a depth of 13,648 feet (4,160 meters). It stretches for about 62 miles (100 kilometers) and is surrounded by high mountains and snow-capped peaks, notably Ampato, which tops out at 20,670 feet (6,300 meters) above sea level.
Besides the stunning scenery, visiting Colca Valley also means diving into the history and culture of the people who have lived in these lands since 5000 BC. Groups like the Collaguas and Cabanas, the most important ethnic groups, still live in the area today.
With the arrival of the Spanish in 1535, we can now visit interesting towns where churches in the Andean Baroque style are common. In the surrounding areas, you’ll always see women from the valley wearing colorful traditional clothing and hats, showcasing the richness of their crafts.
Finally, although Colca Valley boasts huge biodiversity, the undisputed star is the Andean condor. You can see them from the Mirador Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint. Because of the area’s conditions, you’ll have a very high chance of seeing several of these birds really close to you.
For all these reasons and much more that you’ll experience during your trip, we can confidently say that visiting the Colca Valley is really worth it. Here’s a complete guide to help you plan your tour.
How to Get to Colca Valley
Getting to Colca Valley is relatively easy, although it depends on how you choose to visit. From Arequipa (7,661 ft / 2,335 m), the city that’s usually the starting point for all tours to the Colca Valley, it’s about 106 miles (170 kilometers) away. Since it’s a mountain road, it takes between 3 and 5 hours to travel, depending on your chosen transportation.
So, how do you get to Colca Valley? Basically, you have 3 options:
- Book a tour: This is what we chose for comfort and to save time. These tours can be 1, 2, or 3 days from Arequipa. We recommend at least a 2-day tour to enjoy the valley and not rush. Even better would be the 3-day option. Although it depends on your final planned route, ideally, you’d go from Arequipa and continue your trip towards Puno (12,556 ft / 3,827 m), on Lake Titicaca. We’ll talk more about these tours below. “Is there a tour to Colca Valley tomorrow?” – that’s a good question to ask at your hotel or a travel agency.
- Take public transport: From the Arequipa land terminal, buses and colectivos (shared minivans) leave for Chivay (11,811 ft / 3,600 m) and Cabanaconde (10,761 ft / 3,280 m). Prices depend on the route and company, but you can expect to pay around 20 soles to Chivay. Keep in mind that these buses are quite slow because they make stops along the way. From Arequipa to Chivay, it normally takes about 4 hours. Expect a couple more to Cabanaconde. To find out the schedules, it’s best to go to the terminal and ask at the ticket offices of Reyna, Andalucía, and Milagros, as you can’t book tickets online. Remember that public transportation between the different places to visit in the Colca Valley can be unreliable, so we only recommend this option if you have plenty of time. “When is the next bus to Chivay?” – ask this at the bus terminal.
- Rent a car in Arequipa: This would be an intermediate option between the previous two, especially if there are at least 2 of you. But keep in mind that we’re talking about a mountain road. Therefore, we only recommend this if you feel confident driving and always drive carefully. “Driving in the mountains here is intense, right?” – you might say this to another traveler.
