Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WHEN TO GO
Although you can trek year-round, the best (ie driest) time is from April to December.
MAPS
Maps of the area can be obtained from
Colca Trek
( 20-6217, 9-60-0170;
www.colcatrek.com.pe
;
Jerusalén 401-B)
in Arequipa or the Instituto Geográfico Nacion-
al (
Click here
)
and South American Explorers Club (see boxed text,
Click here
)
in Lima.
EQUIPMENT & RENTALS
www.zarateadventures.com
;
Santa Catalina 204)
and
Peru Camping Shop
Offline map
Google map
( 22-1658;
www.perucampingshop.com
;
Jerusalén 410)
rent tents, ice axes,
crampons, stoves and boots.
River Running
Arequipa is one of Peru's premier bases for river running and kayaking. Many trips are
unavailable during the rainy season (between December and March), when water levels
can be dangerously high. For more information and advice, surf
The
Río Chili
, about 7km from Arequipa, is the most frequently run local river, with a
half-day trip suitable for beginners leaving almost daily from April to November (from
US$35). Further afield, you can also do relatively easy trips on the
Río Majes
, into which
the Río Colca flows. The most commonly run stretches pass class II and III rapids.
A more off-the-beaten-track possibility is the remote
Río Cotahuasi
, a white-water ad-
venture - not for the fainthearted - that reaches into the deepest sections of what is per-
haps the world's deepest known canyon. Expeditions here are infrequent and only for the
experienced, usually taking nine days and passing through class IV and V rapids. The
Río
Colca
was first run back in 1981, but this is a dangerous, difficult trip, not to be under-
taken lightly. A few outfitters will do infrequent and expensive rafting trips, and easier
sections can be found upriver from the canyon.
Mountain Biking
The Arequipa area has many mountain-biking possibilities. Many of the same companies
that offer trekking or mountain-climbing trips (see earlier) also organize downhill volcano
mountain-biking trips at Chachani and El Misti or can arrange tailor-made tours. If you
have the experience and wherewithal, these agencies can rent you high-end bikes and of-
fer expert trip-planning advice to help get you started on your own. For more basic ma-
