Biking Through The Second Deepest Canyon In The World - 2 Days / 1 Night
Colca canyon is the second deepest canyon in our planet, double deep Grand Canyon of United States. Is located in the middle of two highest volcanoes Coropuna (6450m) and Ampato (6380m), this canyon is most famous place to visit by the tourist from every where in world, wonderful area to see the rich cultural remains, comes from 1400 years ago, immense varieties of flora and fauna, snow ranges, green valleys, old and colony town, mighty rivers crossing the Andes, thousand of pre Inca terraces, friendly and charm settlers live in this part of Peru. Here is our field work arranging everything what we mentioned before, we are happy showing to the visitors every place and old costumes lazy by our old cultures. We have traditional tours and new alternatives to explorer an extra mile in this great canyon.Day 1: Arequipa - Pampas Cañahuas Reserve - Patapampa Viewpoint - Chivay Hot Spring - Maca
7am Pick up from your hotel and drive for 4 hours by jeep through the pass that separates the volcanoes Misti and Chachani. On this journey we climb to approximately 4850m. En route we will see herds of Alpaca, Llamas as well as a array of Andean birds and passing through the Salinas-Aguada Blanco Nature Reserve we will see herds of the protected Vicu ñ a. When we have reached the highest pass of Papapampa (4850m) we unload our gear. From this high vantage point it is possible to observe the volcano chain of the renowned “Valley of the Volcanoes” to the west and the mountains to the south. The sky is a piercing blue and the mountains unfold in every direction at our feet. From here we cycle the first part toward the town of Chivay (3600m) on an asphalt road or down single track routes that used to be part of the Incas’ road network that spread from the north right down into Chivay.
12pm we stop for lunch in Chivay and eat in a small restaurant in the heart of the town and continue on our way at 1:00pm. We cycle on a dirt road on the left bank of the Colca river which snakes its way west down below us. We pass in between Inca and pre-Inca terraces and visit the colonial churches en route until we reach the village of Maca (3350m). This is where we spend the first night either camping near the river or staying in family accommodation depending on the group.
Day 2: Maca - Condor Cross Viewpoint - Cabanaconde - Huambo - El Pedregal - Arequipa
6am After packing everything and eating a high energy breakfast we either can ride in the jeep 40 mins or cycle 2 hours to the famous Cruz Del Condor lookout. It is necessary to arrive here at 8 am to see these grand birds catch the early morning thermals. From this good vantage point we can also see down into the canyon and make out the little villages at the bottom. We will stay at Cruz del condor for approximately 2 hours and then continue on the left hand side of the river until we reach the Andean town of Cabanaconde (3280m). This short trip takes about 1½ hours and we stop here for lunch and have a chance to appreciate the church and take in the views.
1pm we drive 2½ hours to the tranquil town of Huambo (3000m) which is a small farming community, and from here we have spectacular views of the deepest and driest section of the canyon. Continuing in the jeep we travel to the highest point of the day which is 4300m and is the best place to observe the Ampatu Volcano. Ampatu is the place where in 1995 the scientist Joahn Rainer discovered Janinta, the well preserved Adean girl who was sacrificed for the mountain and is on display in Arequipa. We drive around the volcano and stop at a point in the middle of two small dormant volcanoes on the Qerque plain. Here we start biking again - this time all the way to the coast. This is a fabulous descent seeing the highlands disappear and the coast flying toward us. We descend 2800m and 40km arriving at El Pedregal which takes approximately 3 hours. From here we take the Panamerican highway back to Arequipa in the jeep. We will arrive back at around 7pm —8pm and we will drop you off at your hotel directly.
Included
- Private 4x4 supporting vehicle (whole trip)
- English speaking MT bike guide
- GT - TREK - BIANCHI MT bikes in maintenace (full disc brake)
- Windproof and full-finger glove which can also be worn during the cold season or high altitudes
- Helmet; light ventilated and comfortable for your head
- 1 breakfast - 2 lunches - 1 dinner
- Plenty of snack and drinking water keep in cooler
- 1 nights in basic comfortable hotel
- Entrance fee to the National Park - Colca Canyon (some tour operators don’t include this ticket)
- Entrance for the hot spring (some tour operators don’t include this ticket)
- Repair kits and new parts
- Bottle of oxygen and first aid kit for all participants and our cam staff
- Food and accommodation for our camp staff
- Present of our agency Peru Adventure Tours
- Biking tour price include government taxes
- Colca canyon map
- PERU BIKING TOURS gift
TOUR SCHEDULE & COST |
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DATE |
TOUR |
COST |
Any day |
Colca Canyon Biking Tour |
Backpacker service (Join a group) |
Discount 5%: South American Explorers Club |
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Organized Groups: We offer private and departure any time |
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Group size: 6 participants per guide |
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We highly recommended to book space prior your arrival to Arequipa |
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Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks
- Breakfast or lunch
- Tips for guide and camp staff
- Sun glasses
- Binoculares
- Cycling shoes
- Camel bag, can be hired in our local office in Arequipa US$3 per day
Rain Season
December to March. Some days are with blue sky permiting to cycle this zone.
Best Time For Cycle
After rain season (April to June) the mountains are completely covered with snow and the slops are cover with new vegetation making more nice for pictures.
Advice For Bikers
Normal physical conditions and summer clothes, bikers require good acclimatization over 2500m. One day before all the bikers will have meeting with the mountain bike guide at our office or in the hotel, who will give a BRIEFING about this bike trip and also you can check the quality of bikes and gear will be used on this trip.
What You Need To Bring/Carry
- Small backpack
- Rain jacket or poncho (December - March)
- Tennis shoes
- One complete change of clothing
- Bottle of water
- Flashlight and batteries
- Hat or cap to protect you from the sun
- Sun block (sun protection cream)
- Insect repellent
- Toiletries, towel and toilet paper
- Selection of small snacks, chocolate, dried fruit, biscuits etc,
- Camera, plenty of film and spare batteries
- Sunglasses
- Swimsuit (for the hot springs in the Colca canyon)
- Extra money (soles).
