TOUR DESCRIPTION

DAY ONE

Lima, Arequipa, and City Tour

Arrival and reception at the Arequipa airport.
Morning at leisure to acclimatize to the altitude.
Today’s meals are not included.
Afternoon city tour.

From: 13:30 A.M. to 16:30 P.M.

We start our tour of Peru’s second largest city on the main square, the Plaza de Armas where we will visit the imposing Cathedral. Its facade covers the entire eastern side of the square. The Cathedral was built in 1612, however, due to a fire in 1844 and an 1868 earthquake, some parts of the cathedral have a distinct 19th century feel.

Continuously we will visit La Compania which was built by the Jesuits in 1725 and consists of a beautiful series of white buildings incorporating many decorative design styles including carved flowers, spirals, birds and angels with Indian faces.

Afterwards, we will visit El Convento de Santa Catalina which still is a functioning convent nowadays and is almost a city in itself. The convent is set on a 5 acre complex of Iberian style buildings with open plazas and colorful gardens surrounded by fortress walls. Santa Catalina was once an exclusive retreat for the daughters of the City’s wealthiest inhabitants and regularly housed up to 400 nuns. Today, however, there are only around 30 nuns living in the convent.

From here will visit Iglesia de San Francisco which is a 16th Century church that has survived several earthquakes in its lifetime. Inside the church is the small chapel of the Virgin where the statue of the Virgin Mary is stored until each year on the 8th December when she is paraded around the city during Arequipa’s celebration of the Immaculate Conception.

We will also travel through the Selva Alegre district of San Lazaro and through the typical districts of Cayma and Yanahuara. Yanahuara is an eclectic suburb to the northwest of the City and its elevation gives us incredible views of the city and its back-drop of the towering Misty Volcano.

Overnight at the hotel

DAY TWO

Arequipa, Pampa Cañahuas and Chivay

Our journey starts by collecting you from your hotel at approximately 8:00 A.M. Our tour begins at an altitude of 2363 meters (7798 ft) with impressive views of the most famous volcanoes of the city of Arequipa. We have a 4 hours bus ride to the Colca Canyon with stunning views on the way. We visit the Pampa Cañahuas (Vicuñas reserve). As we are climbing we get to 4000 meters (13200 ft). Around noon we arrive at the village of Chivay at 3500 meters (11550 ft) where we will spend a night and enjoy our lunch as well.

In the afternoon you are free to visit the hot springs and at night we dine at the hotel where we also stay the night.

DAY THREE

Chivay, Colca Canyon, Cruz Del Condor and Arequipa

Our tour starts at 6:00 A.M. with a one and a half hour drive toward the Colca Canyon. Along the way we visit some native villages and their colonial churches. The landscapes are very beautiful and the mountains are very well terraced with Inca farming terraces. We then get to the viewpoint of Cruz Del Condor. It is the best place to watch Condors fly over the Colca Canyon. We have lunch in Chivay and after a guided tour in the native villages we return to the city of Arequipa.

We have dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY FOUR:

Arequipa, Lima

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima. Depending on your flight time optional tours of the city and its museums are available.

ITINERARY GRAND COLCA CANYON

(4 DAYS – 3 NIGHTS)

• PRIVATE TOURS
• DAILY TOURS
• MINIMUM: 2 Passengers
• PRICES: On request

DAY ONE:

• Arrival and reception at Arequipa airport
• Transfer to the hotel and morning at leisure to rest and acclimate
• Today’s meals are not included, afternoon city tour
• Overnight at the hotel

DAY TWO:

• Breakfast
• Full day tour of Colca Canyon
• Lunch in Chivay
• Afternoon at leisure
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel

DAY THREE:

• Breakfast
• Transfer to Colca Canyon and Cruz Del Condor viewpoint
• Visit native villages on the road
• Lunch in Chivay, afternoon return to Arequipa by bus and transfer to the hotel.
• Dinner at a restaurant and overnight at the hotel

DAY FOUR:

• Breakfast
• Transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima
• Flight back to your country

Service Included:

• Transfer Airport – Htl – Airport
• Private Transportation by vehicles
• Tourist Ticket fee to visit historical sites and Colca Canyon
• Private guide and bilingual
• Meals, 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
  
• 2 nights in Arequipa and 1 night in Colca Canyon

Service No Included:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Extras
• Tips
• Taxes
• Additional tours
• Laundry service
• Insurance
• Air tickets