COTAHUASI TREK IN AREQUIPA 5D/4N
TOUR ITINERARY
First day: Arequipa - Chuquibamba
We will pick you up very early in the morning (5.00am) at your hotel in Arequipa. With our 4x4 private car we make fot the Corire and Aplao Valley where we will eat breakfast (ca 7.30am). The trip takes about 178 km.
During our trip we can visit the famous PETROGLIFOS DE TORO MUERTO and the MAJES VALLEY. We also have time to visit the HUELLAS DE DINOSAURIOS and the PERFIL DE CRISTO which are very impressive attractions as well. We continue and visit the traditional villages of Corire and Aplao. We are going to have lunch in the village of Aplao which is located in the Majes Valley as well. After lunch we are continuing to Chuquibamba, where we are going to see the famous CASTILLA CASTLE. It is a big rock that looks like an immense castle. We also have a lot of time to walk to the castle and spend a while there.
After the visit we are going to Chuquibamba where we will spend the first night in a hotel.
Second day: Chuquibamba - Cotahuasi
The next day we are going to leave between 4.00 am and 6.00am to Cotahuasi. We have the opportunity to visit the Pallarcocha Laguna from where we can also see the top of the Corpuna Mountain which is set at 6'425 m high. We can also see the whole mountain chain of the Andes and its volcanoes. We will then pass the BOSQUE DE LOS YARETALES (an extinct plant in Peru) and we will also get the chance to observe alpacas, lamas and vicuñas. At around 11.00am we will reach the cruz where we will go for a walk for about forty minutes to the BAÑADERO DE LOS CONDORES. With a bit of luck we can observe different types of condors. We are also going to have lunch here in the nature (lunch box) and then turn back to Allahuay where our car is waiting for us. From this point we can also see the whole Cotahuasi Valley, from the highest to the deepest point. We reach the village of Allahuay, a holy place where they had a lot of sacrifices and where they punished people who didn’t obey to the superiors. After receiving a lot of history of these villages we continue our trip to Cotahuasi where we will arrive at around 5.00pm. We are going to have dinner and will spend the night in a hotel.
Third day: Cotahuasi - village of Alca
We leave again early in the morning (6.00am) and go to the Sipia Waterfalls. At 7.30am we begin with the trekking part for about fifty minutes before we reach the falls. They are 150 meters hich. The way is very impressive with all the huge rocks and stones that form the Canyon. We also cross rope bridges and can enjoy the mild climate and admire the lovely landscape. We afterwards turn back to Cotahuasi where we will take our well deserved lunch. In the afternoon we are going to visit the villages of Tomepampa and Alca, villages that still have their old traditions and lifestyle. We will then visit the Hot Springs in Luicho before we continue to the village of Alca where we have some time to hang around, then eat dinner and eventually spend the second night there.
Fourth day: village of Alca - Cotahuasi
Alter having breakfast we are visiting the village of Puyca. The landscape and the views are just incredibly beautiful. There are still tombs (chullpas) and terraces (for the agriculture) from the pre Inca times, from the Waris and Incas. Outstanding of the whole day are the ruins of Maukallacta, but also the extinct plants called Puyas that only still exist in the higher zones of the Andes. After our very interesting trip we are going back to Cotahuasi. We have time to visit the Hot Springs one more time and then have dinner and then spend the night in a hotel.
Fifth day: Cotahuasi - Arequipa
Early again we are having breakfast and then drive back direction Arequipa. During our trip back we have the opportunity to stop and take pictures. We are also going to have lunch and arrive later in the afternoon in Arequipa. The guide is bringing you back to your hotel.
