Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
The main access town is appropriately named
Cotahuasi
(population 3800) and is at
2620m above sea level on the southeast side of the canyon. Northeast of Cotahuasi and
further up the canyon are the villages of
Tomepampa
(10km away; elevation 2500m) and
Alca
(20km away; 2660m), which also have basic accommodations. En route you'll pass
a couple of
thermal baths
(admission S2)
.
Buses to the Sipia bridge (S3, one hour) leave the main plaza of Cotahuasi daily at
6:30am, from where you can begin a number of interesting hikes into the deepest parts of
the canyon. Forty-five minutes up the trail, the
Sipia waterfall
is formed where the Río
Cotahuasi takes an impressive 100m tumble. Another 1½ hours on a well-trodden track
brings you to
Chaupo
, an oasis of towering cacti and remnants of pre-Incan dwellings.
Camping is possible here. From here a dusty path leads either up to
Velinga
and other re-
mote communities where sleeping accommodations are available, or down to
Mallu
, a
patch of verdant farmland at the river's edge where the owner, Ignacio, will allow you to
pitch tents and borrow his stove for S10 per night. To get back to Cotahuasi, a return bus
leaves the Sipia bridge around 11:30am daily.
Another possible day trip from Cotahuasi is to the hillside community of
Pampamarca
. From here, a two-hour hike up a steep switchbacking trail will bring you to an interesting
group of rock formations, where locals have likened shapes in the rocks to mystical fig-
ures. A short walk from town brings you to a viewpoint with a view of the rushing 80m
high
Uscune falls
. To get to Pampamarca,
combis
leave the main square in Cotahuasi
twice daily in the early morning and afternoon (S5, two hours), and return shortly after ar-
riving.
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 return
via a collection of dinosaur footprints on the west edge of the canyon.
Sleeping & Eating
In Pampamarca, ask around for basic family
guesthouses
(per person S10)
that provide
travelers with beds and meals.
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
HOTEL
