Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trekking trips of several days' duration can be arranged in Arequipa (
Click here
).
Some can be combined with the Toro Muerto petroglyphs, and, if you ask, they may re-
turn via a collection of dinosaur footprints on the west edge of the canyon.
Sleeping & Eating
HOTEL VALLEHERMOSO $$
( 054-58-1057;
www.hotelvallehermoso.com
;
Calle Tacna 106-108, Cotahuasi; s/d S70/100)
Just what
you probably wanted after a dusty 12-hour bus ride, Cotahuasi's poshest joint offers di-
vine comfort in the middle of nowhere while never straying far from rustic tradition. An
on-site restaurant even tries its spin on
cocina novoandina
(new Andean cuisine).
| Hotel
HOSTAL HATUNHUASI $
( 054-58-1054, in Lima 01-531-0803;
www.hatunhuasi.com
; Centanario 309, Cotahuasi; s/d S25/50)
A
notch above the other options in town, this friendly guesthouse has plenty of rooms situ-
ated around a sunny inner courtyard and hot water most of the time. Food can be made
upon request, and the owners are good sources of hard-to-get travel information.
| Hotel
Getting There & Away
The 420km bus journey from Arequipa, half of which is on unpaved roads, takes 12 hours
(S25). Three-quarters of the way there, the road summits a 4500m pass between the huge
glacier-capped mountains of Coropuna and Solimana (6323m) before dropping down to
Cotahuasi.
Reyna
(
43-0612)
and
Transportes Alex
(
42-4605)
both offer services.
Laguna de Salinas
This lake (4300m above sea level), east of Arequipa below Pichu Pichu and El Misti, is a
salt lake that becomes a white
salt flat
during the dry months of May to December. Its
size and the amount of water in it vary from year to year depending on the weather. Dur-
ing the rainy season it is a good place to see all three flamingo species, as well as myriad
other Andean water birds.
One-day minibus tours from Arequipa cost about S150 per person; mountain-biking
tours are also available.
