Arequipa Peru Travel

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.

On the bottom of the Earth’s deepest canyon, a search for legendary Incan treasure unfolds.

On Wednesday, June 17, the team Colca Condor 2009 began their journey by utilizing climbing gear and safety equipment in order to descend more than a kilometer into the earth just to reach the bottom of the canyon. The three phase process took eight hours, and was accompanied by a seventy year old local shaman. Crucial to the safety of the explorers was their support crew that tracked their progress along the bottom of the gorge. Located at the rim of the canyon, the support team aided the canyoneers by maintaining constant contact with them.

We will enter the Colca Canyon, at the same place where we lave it last time in 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Arequipa authorities opened the first stretch of Ayo Huambo road (Ayo-Tingo sector) linking the Valley of Volcanoes in Castilla province and the tourist circuit of Colca Valley located in Caylloma.

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. Read the rest of this entry »