Hiking and zip-lining in the Colca Canyon

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
8
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
9
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
10
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
3
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
8
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
87 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
10th/454
Top 5%
continent
South America
country
Peru
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$60 ($75-$225 in 2019 prices)
Time of year visited
May
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Canyons Hiking Zip-lining
All Tags
Adrenaline rush Adventure Altitude Cliffs Climbing Isolation Local villages Mountains Rice terraces / terraces Wildlife - Condors
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Visiting the Colca Canyon is a great 3/4 day trip from Arequipa – you’ll see some stunning scenery as the canyon is the second deepest in the world (twice the depth of the Grand Canyon) with majestic condors flying overhead, plenty of traces of the old Inca construction along the valley; and end it with some adrenaline pumping zip-lining.

If you’re going to hike one trek in Peru, especially as a first timer it will be (and should be) Hiking the 4 days Inca Trail – one of the best travel experiences in the world.  But the Colca Canyon trip is one that will cost a fraction of that, be far less busy and allow you to go at your own pace.  I really rated it and would have it on your priority highlights for a 2 / 3 week itinerary for the highlights of Peru.

Table of Contents

Highlights

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#1 Looking across the stunning chasm of the Colca Canyon. Twice the depth of the Grand Canyon

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#2 Checking out the former Inca construction works that still cover large parts of the Canyon floor and are practically deserted

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#4 Zip-lining through the gorgeous valley near Chivay

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#4 Seeing the unusual oasis style village of Sangalle as you come to the end (or start) of your hike

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#5 Being equal parts thrilled and terrified making your way up to the top of the valley for one of the big zip-lines

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#6 Waking up to some beautiful, relaxed and very quiet views on the valley floor

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#7 Getting lost! Don't worry it happens to all of us and the signs don't help!

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#8 Finishing for sun downers in Arequipa at the end of the mini-adventure

Itinerary

  • Day 1 – early bus from Arequipa (see tips for here in A couple of days in Arequipa) to Chivay, and then from Chivay to Cabanaconde.  The afternoon is walking down the Colca Canyon to then spend the evening around San Juan de Chuco
  • Day 2 – early morning walk along the valley floor to Sangalle, then its a long ascent back to Cabanaconde for lunch.  Afternoon make your way back to Chivay for the night
  • Day 3 – early morning ziplining and then head back to Arequipa for sundowners

Travel Tips

The Colca Canyon is massive (100km / 62 miles long), so it can be a bit daunting to figure out where to start.  Unless you have a very specific hike in mind, or heaps of time, I’d recommend the El Classico Trek which is a great 2/3 day circular hike from Cabanaconde that includes the best bits of the mid-lower Colca Canyon.  You start from the San Miguel viewing platform and basically follow the path down to the river, along the river for a while to Sangalle and then back up a very steep ascent to Cabanaconde.

Hiking routes and maps – the Along Dusty Roads guys did a great job and here is the link – https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/best-colca-canyon-route.

2 days or 3 days? It depends on your fitness level and how much time you really want to take.  We went from Arequipa in the morning of the first day (around 5 hours total) to Cabanaconde, spent the afternoon walking down the valley, stayed overnight around San Juan de Chuco, and then walked back up to Cabanaconde via Sangalle on the second day.  Although we were fairly knackered by the end due to the steep inclines, we didn’t feel at all rushed.

How hard is it?  The first day is fairly easy as its mainly downhill (although watch out for your knees!).  The final day did feel long though, and with a brutal incline at the end – looking through my iphone, it was 34k steps and 273 flights of stairs for the final day.  When you factor in the altitude, this can be a difficult trek for those not already acclimatised or with a reasonable level of fitness.

On your own or with a tour?  As always, it’s a more rewarding experience doing things independently and there’s no reason you can’t do this trip on your own.  There is a bit of faffing with buses (there always is in Peru) and potential to get a little lost on the second day of the hike, but they’re not in any way show stoppers – go independently if you can.

You’ll get lost – especially from where you first cross the river to Sangalle.  And often you’ll get conflicting advice from locals, and even the local signs!  My suggestion is to download the offline map on google maps (maps.me is also great) and ask the people you stay with on the first night to give you detailed directions.  Bizarrely, the place we stayed with said there was a local dog who walks the route every day – we followed the dog and, to our surprise and gratitude, he showed us the way!

Colibri Lodge – we stayed here and it was perfect location wise.  The place is very basic, but more than makes up for it with the views, chilled out atmosphere and amazingly friendly hosts – really adds to the overall experience.  Unless you’re very precious about hotel luxuries, I’d very much recommend.

Bus from Arequipa to Chivay and back (around 3.5 hours) – they left every hour or two (the times were erratic), best ask your hotel / do a bit of research because the times can change.  Getting from Chivay to Cabanaconde (around an hour) – there will be buses leaving when full, or just get a taxi with some other travellers.  For both trips – yes, its a mountain bus through the Andes, so a few moments of panic during insane overtaking and a few bumps, but the scenery is world class.

Chivay – we stayed the second night in Chivay because we wanted to be close to the zip-lining and get our buses etc organised, but it isn’t the prettiest of small towns, so if find another cool place nearby I’d go for that.

The zip-lining is super fun, and gives that great combo of fun and fear!  It isn’t across the actual full canyon, but is nevertheless beautiful scenery with the picturesque valley floor, the source of the Amazon not far away and the smouldering volcanoes in the distance.  If you do all of the zip-lines, it takes around 2 hours and costs around S150 / US$45.

For those scared of heights doing the zip-lining – be warned!  Zip-lining is that great combo fun mixed in with that bit of fear.  I usually find that after a bit of nerves for the first one, I’m fine after that.  But, if you’re taking the full 6 zip-lines – there is one line that needs to be climbed up to through 3 ladders, with the last one being 15m (45 feet) that is near vertical.  It honestly honestly felt like 150m.  Its perfectly safe (you have harnesses etc), but a little bit of me died through fear that day!

 

General Peru travel Tips

 

Altitude – Arequipa is 2,335m / 7,660ft and Cusco 3,300m / 11,150 feet which is high enough to give you altitude sickness (generally feeling a bit like a bad hangover, which isn’t fun).  You can do various things to help, such as take pills (we took Acetazolamide and felt like it helped), drink coca tea, take pain killers to help with the headache etc, but the best way is simply to give your body time to get used to the altitude.

History of the Inca – this part of Peru is all about the Inca as the real master builder civilisation so it adds a lot to the trip to know a bit about them.   I’d recommend Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams – an easy read as the author re-creates the rediscovery of Machu Picchu and gives enough detail that any first time visitor would need.  For the broader context on the Incas and the other pre-Columbus American civilisations, I’d highly recommend 1491 by Charles Mann which will, I think, open your eyes to just how sophisticated these civilisations were before the arrival, in particular, of Eurasian diseases.

Dogs! – when walking around on your own, just keep an eye out for local dogs.  We had a few run at us from a local farm just outside Cusco, which can be a little unnerving if not used to dogs.  Just remember not to panic, face them and back away slowly.  If they get super close and you feel like you need to defend yourself, give them a kick or see if you can pick up something nearby like a stick or rocks to scare them off.  I know, not fun – but unlikely they’ll be vicious and better to be prepared.

For tips on other great experiences in Peru and for an itinerary for a trip there, see 2/3 weeks for the highlights of Peru.

What to prioritise in Peru

Peru is an amazing country to travel around, but can be a little overwhelming as to what to prioritise. As a first time traveller, I would be thinking about the 3 main clusters of Lima, Cusco and Arequipa (in blue):

 

 

And I would prioritise the key activities this way:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail
43km hike that snakes its way majestically through a combination of dramatic Andes mountains and peaceful Peruvian countryside.  You’ll see perfectly maintained Inca ruins, thick misty cloud forest and end at the Sun Gate, the mountain entrance to the world famous ruins of Machu Picchu.  It is one of those rare travel experiences that really lives up to the hype and should be the focal point of your Peru trip. Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lima
The food is world-class and the coastal neighbourhoods beautiful.  You’ll be passing through Lima on any Peru trip, so make sure to give yourself 2 days.  Lima – a weekend of world class restaurants, super cool neighbourhoods and rapid paragliding.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hiking the Colca Canyon 
A great 3/4 day trip from Arequipa.  Stunning scenery as the canyon is the second deepest in the world (twice the depth of the Grand Canyon) with majestic condors flying overhead, plenty of traces of the old Inca construction and a fraction of the tourists of the Inca Trail.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Driving through the Sacred Valley 
Gorgeous Inca sites such as Pisac, Moray and Ollantaytambo, stunning surrounding scenery and picturesque Peruvian villages.  Driving this is a beautiful thing to do before hitting Machu Pichu and the Inca Trail, but hire a driver rather than doing a tour. Driving through the Sacred Valley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Machu Pichu 
A Wonder of the World and it lives up to the hype.  Wow views, constant gawping and easy to get to from Cusco. Its downside is the crowds, which are intense.  This is why the approach from the Inca Trail makes sense as you have the higher points largely to yourself and your fellow hikers. Machu Picchu.

 

⭐️⭐️ Arequipa 
Super pretty UNESCO World Heritage listed old town with beautifully maintained streets and white stone Baroque buildings.  Entry point for the Colca Canyon and surrounded by three majestic, dramatic, perfectly coned volcanoes.  Arequipa old town.

⭐️⭐️ Cusco 
Great sites abound as you walk around the Plaza de Armas, the grand Christian Churches and generally walking through the narrow cobbled streets.  Plus some of the smaller sites just to the north, which come as a really pleasant surprise for more Inca ruins.  You’ll pass through here on the way to Machu Pichu, the Inca Trail and the Sacred Valley, and its worth a day or so. A walk around some of the key Inca sites near Cusco.

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Other Canyon experiences around the world

Looking across the Grand Canyon
⭐⭐⭐

Camping in otherworldly Karijini National Park
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cycling down the Taroko Gorge
⭐⭐⭐

Hiking the 4 day / 3 night Inca Trail
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hiking through the Charyn Canyon and staying overnight in yurts
⭐⭐

The Blue Mountains on a train from Sydney
⭐⭐⭐

A day walking through Arches National Park
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hiking Zhangjiajie National Park
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hiking and swimming Wadi Shab
⭐⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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