Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
attractions. The
Mirador Cruz del Condor
is the most popular viewing point - the
canyon is around 1600m deep at this
point - from where you can almost
guarantee seeing condors circling up from
the depths against breathtaking scenery
(best spotted 7-9am; in May, June and
July sightings are best 9-11am).
The entry point for the Colca Canyon is
the market town of
Chivay
, 150km north
of Arequipa (3-4hr by bus). The pleasant
little town of
Cabanaconde
(3300m)
serves as an excellent base to descend into
the canyon, and is about 10km further
down the road.
You'll need a couple of days to begin
exploring the area and three or four to do
it any justice, but several tour companies
offer punishing one-day tours as well as
extended trips with overnight stops.
When you enter the canyon, you need to
purchase the Boleto Turístico (Tourist
Ticket; S70) from the control point just
before the entrance to Chivay. Only buy
tickets from Autocolca authorities, as
counterfeit tickets do exist.
CROSSING INTO CHILE
The
border with Chile
(Mon-Fri
8am-midnight, Sat & Sun 24hr) is about
40km south of Tacna (a 6-7hr bus ride
from Arequipa). Regular buses and
colectivos
to
Arica
(see p.419) leave from
the modern bus terminal on Hipolito
Unanue in Tacna; the
colectivos
(S20) are a
particularly quick and easy way to cross
the border. For a small tip, the drivers will
assist you with border formalities.
Coming
back into Peru
from Arica is as simple as
getting there;
colectivos
run throughout
the day from the Terminal Internacional de
Buses on Diego Portales 1002.
Retro
San Francisco 317. Located in the Casona Forum,
this is Arequipa's only bar hosting bands early on in the
week. Rock groups hit the stage Tues through to Sat at
10pm, occasionally backed up by some salsa, reggaeton,
and 1970s, 80s and 90s combos. Mon-Sat 7pm-2am.
DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange
BCP at San Juan de Dios 125 and
Scotia Bank on Moral, at San Francisco, have ATMs and
can change/dispense US dollars. There are
cambios
on the
Plaza de Armas, on Jerusalén and on San Juan de Dios.
Hospital
Clínica Arequipa, Av Bolognesi con Puente Grau
(
T
054 599 000).
Internet
Try Cyber Espacio at Rivero corner Melgar (Mon-
Sat 7am-9pm; S1/hr) or Internet Señor de Huanca at
Jerusalén 201G (Mon-Sat 9.30am-8pm; S1/hr).
Laundry
Lavandería Santa Catalina at Santa Catalina 302
(Mon-Sat 8am-8pm; S3/kg); Laundry at Peru Trek,
Jerusalén 302B (Mon-Sat 7.30am-7pm; S3/kg).
Pharmacy
Mifarma on C Arequipa 121, at Moral (daily
7am-11pm).
Police
The tourist police is at Jerusalén 315 (
T
054 201 258).
Post o
ce
Moral 118 (Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-
1pm).
Taxi
Reliable companies include Alo 45 (
T
054 454 545)
and Turismo Arequipa (
T
054 458 888). Make sure to book
over the phone, as there have been reports of drivers using
fake car signs purporting to work for taxi companies.
Chivay
This is the largest village in the canyon,
located by its entrance. Its attractions
include the hot springs, 3km northeast of
town (4am-7pm; S15), with a zip-line
(
W
colcaziplining.com) next to it.
Colectivos
run from the Plaza de Armas (S1; 7min).
here are also several hiking trails here,
although as
CHIVAY
is not so attractive,
most visitors continue on to the laidback
village of Cabanaconde.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus
Regular buses connect Chivay with Arequipa (every
2hr or so; 3hr) and Cabanaconde (6 daily; 2hr 30min). The
bus companies 4MM and Sillustani have daily departures to
Puno (6hr) leaving around lunchtime.
ACCOMMODATION
Hostal El Caminante
Av Siglo XX s/n
T
959 464 783.
A good option with eleven clean rooms in a concrete block
just a short walk from the main squa
re. A
ll have cable TV
and private bath and there's wi-fi too.
S40
La Pascana
A pleasant respite from the endless concrete
blocks,
La Pascana
has rooms giving onto a central flowering
courtyard, although these could do with a splash of
pain
t
and a quick revamp. Rates include breakfast. Free wi-fi.
S70
THE COLCA CANYON
The sharp terraces of the
COLCA CANYON
,
the world's deepest at more than 4km
from cliff edge to river bottom, are still
home to more-or-less traditional Indian
villages, despite the canyon's growth
into one of Peru's most popular tourist
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