Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CANYON COUNTRY
Going to Arequipa and missing out on the Colca Canyon is like going to Cuzco and neg-
lecting to visit Machu Picchu. For those with more time there's a whole load of other ex-
cursions that merit attention, including climbing the city's guardian volcano El Misti, raft-
ing in the Majes canyon and visiting the petroglyphs at Toro Muerto, exploring El Valle de
los Volcanes, and trekking down into the world's deepest canyon at Cotahuasi. Most of
these places can be visited by a combination of public bus and hiking. Alternatively, friends
can split the cost of hiring a taxi or 4WD vehicle and driver; a two-day trip will set you
back more than US$150.
Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca
The trouble with all those organized Colca Canyon tours is that they rush through one of
southern Peru's finest protected
reserves
( 054-25-7461; admission free; 24hr)
, a
vast Andean expanse of dozing volcanoes and brawny wildlife forging out an existence
against the odds several kilometers above sea level. Drives here take you up to an oxygen-
deprived 4910m where, in between light-headed gasps for air, you can ponder weird wind-
eroded rock formations, trek on old Inca trails and watch fleet-footed vicuńas run across
the desolate pampa at speeds of up to 85kmh. As a national reserve, Salinas y Aguada
Blanca enjoys better protection than the Colca Canyon, primarily because no one lives here
bar the odd isolated llama-herder. Its job is to protect a rich raft of high- altitude species
such as the vicuñas, tarucas envinados (Andean deer), guanacos and various birds, most
notably flamingos. Both El Misti and Chachani volcanoes are included in the reserve.
AREQUIPA TO CHIVAY
Patahuasi
The only civilization between Arequipa and Chivay, save for a few scattered farmsteads, is
this fork in the road that acts as a kind of truck/bus stop and fill-up point (buses head south-
east for Puno every hour). A few snack shacks pepper the scruffy byway while a kilometer
or so beyond the Puno turning you'll run into
El Chinito
(snacks from S5)
, the favored
breakfast stop for early morning tour buses. Next door to the restaurant sit various handi-
craft stores. Close by and accessible via a short off-piste drive is the
Bosque de Piedras
, a
LANDMARK
