Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
performing cranial deformations, but nowadays use distinctively shaped hats and intric-
ately embroidered traditional clothing to denote their ancestry. In the Chivay area at the
east end of the canyon, the white hats worn by women are usually woven from straw and
are embellished with lace, sequins and medallions. At the west end of the canyon, the hats
have rounded tops and are made of painstakingly embroidered cotton.
For guided tours of the canyon leaving from Arequipa,
Click here
.
Upper Canyon
The Upper Canyon (really still a valley at this stage) has a colder and harsher landscape
than the terraced fields around Chivay and Yanque, and is only lightly visited. Pierced by
a single road which plies northeast through the village of Tuti to Sibayo, the grassy terrain
is inhabited by livestock while the still young river is ideal for rafting and trout-fishing.
SIBAYO
Sitting at an altitude of 3900m at the head of the canyon, Sibayo is a traditional rural vil-
lage little touched by tourism. Many of the adobe houses still have old-fashioned straw
roofs while the diminutive main plaza is framed by the recently restored
Iglesia San Juan
Bautista
. Northeast of the town a quiet spot by the river has been embellished by a small
suspension bridge crossing the Colca called the
Puente Colgante Portillo
, and a lookout,
the
Mirador de Largarta
, named for a lizard-shaped mountain up the valley. It is pos-
sible to hike southwest down the canyon to Tuti and, ultimately, Chivay from here.
Sibayo has a handful of very basic homestays available in traditional houses. One such
place is
Samana Wasi
( 990-049-5793; Av Mariscal Castilla; r S25)
where the eager-
to-please owners can rustle up dinner (S14) and take you trout fishing.
TUTI
Tuti is another tourist-lite village situated only 19km northeast of Colca-hub Chivay. With
an economy centered on broad bean cultivation and clothes-making, it is surrounded by
some interesting sights all c onnected by hiking trails. The easiest excursion is to a couple
of caves in the hills to the north clearly visible from the main road and accessible via a
3.5km grunt uphill from the village. From the same starting point, you can also hike 8km
to an old abandoned village dating from the 1600s known colloquially as
Ran Ran
or
'Espinar de Tuti.' Continue beyond Ran Ran and you'll join the trail to the source of the
Amazon on the north side of Nevado Mismi. Down in the valley you can catch a taxi or
colectivo
from Chivay to Tuti and hike back to Chivay on a well-marked trail alongside
the Río Colca. This stretch of the river is popular with rafters.
