Peru · The southern Andes
Set in the Andes about 100 miles northwest of Arequipa, Colca Canyon is one of the deepest canyons on earth, reaching a maximum depth of around 3,400 meters (11,150 feet), more than twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. The Colca River carves through it for roughly 100 kilometers.
Colca is known as the Kingdom of the Condor, and it is one of the best places in the world to watch the massive Andean condor in flight, a bird with a wingspan reaching 3.3 meters that rides the morning thermals out of the canyon at the famous Cruz del Cóndor lookout. We like to have you there early, coffee in hand, before the first great wings appear.
Beyond the wildlife, the canyon's terraced slopes (farmed continuously since pre-Inca times), whitewashed villages like Yanque and Chivay, and natural hot springs make this one of the most rewarding multi-day escapes in southern Peru. We pair it with a couple of nights in the white city of Arequipa so you arrive rested and well acclimatized.
