Colca Canyon Peru

The Colca Valley, in Arequipa, received between January and October some 124,264 tourists, number that shows a 7% increase regarding the same period last year, sources from the Colca Autonomous Authority (Autocolca) have reported.

Although the percentage of tourist increase is not the expected, the organization said that it is important considering that the global crisis and the influenza AH1N1 made some tourists give up their visits.

Despite the global problems, Autocolca expects to close the 2009 with over 150.000 tourists, number that would surpass by 10% the number of tourists that visited the Colca Valley last year.

According to some information provided by the organization, the tourists that visit the Colca Valley come from European countries such as Spain, France, Italy, England and Germany.

While most of the Latin American visitors come from Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador, among others.

The Colca Valley is locate din the Caylloma province, 4 hours away from the city of Arequipa.

Polish expedition ‘Colca Condor 2008 & 2009’ found more than 30 waterfalls in their trip through an unexplored stretch in Colca Canyon in Arequipa region, expedition leader Jerzy Yurek Majcherczyk said Friday.

He said that one of these waterfalls was called “Cascada de la Muerte” (The Waterfall of Death), due to the shape and slope, and huge rocks below, which complicated the descent.

They found four waterfalls from 30 to 60 meters high, located between the stretch of Cruz del Cura and Cruz del Condor.

The Polish expedition was surprised by “Colcas” or little caves used as warehouses of food by ancient civilizations in this area, located in the canyon walls.

Majcherczyk said that in two months they will publish the geological report of Colca Canyon, as well as the map with the entire information of distances, altitudes, photo and video gallery.

Waterfalls and colcas registered up to now were presented on Friday in a press conference with the participation of Mayor of Caylloma Jorge Cueva, and authorities from the Autonomous Authority of Colca (Autocolca).

Ayo-Canco stretch (Ayo-Tingo sub-sector located in the district of Ayo at 1.830 meters above sea level in the province of Castilla) has a length of 7 kilometers and is part of the 44.65-kilometer road construction.

This stretch required an investment 3 million 200,000 soles and a total investment of 43 million soles to make the whole road; funds were obtained from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the regional government of Arequipa, Municipalities of the Valley of Volcanoes Association: Ayo, Andagua, Chachas and Orcopampa, located in the province of Castilla, and Huambo, in the province of Caylloma.

The private sector, such as Compañía de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A., is directly involved in the construction of this project, financing studies worth about one million dollars, among other important contributions, stipulated in the public-private partnership agreement signed in 2006.

The Colca Canyon together with the Amazon River and Lake Titicaca are among 261 natural attractions from 222 countries that moved to the second phase of an Internet-based global poll to list the “New 7 Wonders of Nature.”

Minister Aráoz leads tomorrow a press conference acompanied by second vice president of Peru, Lourdes Mendoza, the mayor of the province of Caylloma, Jorge Cueva, and the representative of the Autonomous Authority of Colca (Autocolca), Juan Talavera.

The municipality of Caylloma and AutoColca organized the “Great Marathon of Chasquis (Inca messengers)” from Arequipa to Lima, in order to promote the Colca Canyon’s nomination.

The Chasquis were runners of the Inca Empire who traveled several kilometers carrying letters or messages from one place to another.

A group of 50 chasquis departed from Arequipa’s Main Square on January 13 at 10:00 hours (15:00 GMT) and after running 1,020 km arrived in Lima last weekend, on the occasion of Lima’s 474th foundation anniversary.

Colca Canyon Peru - Visit the Colca

Colca Valley, tourist attraction located in Caylloma province (Arequipa), received 120,000 tourists from January to October this year, a 12.8 percent increase over compared to the same period of last year, announced Friday the general manager of Colca Autonomous Authority, José Luis Talavera Suárez.

From the total visitors , who arrived in Arequipa’s valley, 22 percent corresponds to inbound tourism, while 78 percent to domestic tourism, he stated.

Domestic tourism is gradually increasing because people from Arequipa and other departments of Peru are interested to know this part of the country, he said.

Regarding inbound tourism, he highlighted the arrival of tourists from Germany, Holland, Italy, France, United States and Canada.

In adittion, he referred to Asian and Brazilian arrivals, which represented four percent of foreign tourists arriving in the Colca valley this year.

The Colca Canyon was thought to be the world’s deepest canyon until it was discovered that nearby Cotahuasi Canyon is in fact deeper still. Nevertheless, a visit to the Colca Canyon is an incredible experience, not just for the spectacular setting, but also to see the giant condors. These birds, with a wingspan of over 3m and weighing up to 12kg, glide past on the thermals only meters away.

For those wishing to leave the gringo trail, the Cotahuasi Canyon offers some beautiful scenery and superb trekking, and the Valley of the Volcanoes provides a landscape unlike any other. The petroglyphs of Toro Muerto, over 2,000 carved rocks under the desert sun, is an incredible archaeological site visited by few tourists.

Adventure in Arequipa is also easy to find, with plenty of 6,000m-plus mountains and volcanoes easily accessible for climbing, and excellent trekking in the Colca Canyon and in the Cotahuasi Canyon. For those seeking greater thrills, some of the world’s best white-water rafting is possible in the region, through the Colca and Cotahuasi Canyons. For those wanting to ride the rapids without so much danger, good rafting is also found in Majes.

The Colca Canyon runs for over 100km, and the average distance from the peaks of the mountains to the river below is 3,400m. Until recently, it was thought that it was the deepest canyon in the world, although it is now generally accepted that the Cotahuasi Canyon, also in the department of Arequipa, is deeper. The depth of the canyon from the Cruz del Condor to the river is approximately 1,500m. The deepest point of the canyon is beyond Cabanaconde, close to the Valley of the Volcanoes.

In addition to the canyon, the area is one of the most volcanically active in Peru, and Sabancay, which erupted in the 1980s, can usually be seem smoking, as can Ubinas.

The Colca Canyon was largely inaccessible until the 1970s, when a road from Arequipa was built as part of the Majes irrigation project, which diverts water from the Colca River to the agricultural area of Majes. In fact, the valley was largely forgotten throughout the Republican period, and the inhabitants lived in almost total isolation. The villages, which have changed little since Toledo’s decree, are now in regular contact with the rest of Peru, and the area is visited by many thousands of tourists every year.

Gallery: Sangalle Oasis – Colca Canyon Trekking