
El Misti volcano behind the cathedral of Arequipa

The condor is a sacred bird in many Andean cultures.

Volcano

Base camp at Sabancaya

Beautiful sights

Sabancaya is fuming

Sabancaya

Picnick

Volcanoes in snow
Dear friends, you are welcome to join our team in a pilot trip to Peru in June 2021! Our 12-days itinerary includes visiting of the most beautiful and interesting sights around Arequipa from "volcanic point of view": La Laguna de Salinas natural reserve at the foot of El Misti, Ubinas, Picchu Picchu volcanoes, Andagua Valley of Volcanoes with more than 140 lava domes and scoria cones, formed milliones years ago, Colca Canyon – the second deepest canyon in the world, 3 full days and nights filming active Sabancaya volcano from different points, as well as unspoiled Andian nature with abundant wildlife, local culture and food. Itinerary can be modified on place according to the group physical conditions and the weather.
- The historic center of Arequipa, "The White city", built in volcanic sillar rock – UNESCO World Heritage
- The majestic El Misti volcano – a perfect symmetrical stratovolcano dominating the town of Arequipa with the prominence 1,785 m
- Moon landscapes of the Ubinas volcano - the most active volcano in Peru, possibility to climb the top.
- Amazing scenery of the Volcano valley formed by endless number of lava domes and scoria cones, one of the most interesting geological formations one can see.
- Colca Canyon – the second deepest canyon in the world with condors - the biggest birds.
- 3 full days/nights camping at the foot of active Sabancaya volcano (its name means "tongue of fire" in Quechua Indian language)
- High-mountain natural hot-springs
- Abundant Andian wildlife – flamingo, condors, lamas, alpacas, vicuñas
- Traditional home stay with local people and food
12 days Peru
Note:
This is the planned program for our pilot tour:
Day 1: Arrival in Arequipa
Arrival at the Arequipa airport, transfer to the hotel.
Day 2: Arequipa - Valle de Majes - Toro Muerto - Andagua
Full day trip to Andagua. On the way: visit of Corire - Majes valley and walk around unique the Toro Muerto petroglyphs. Stop at Jurasic park known as Qerulpa, where the tracks of the Dinosaurs were founded. Pass by different small valleys and villages, ascend to the base of the 3rd highest peak in Peru -Paso Coropuna (4930 m) and descend to Andagua (3580 m).
Day 3: Trekking in Andagua valley - Mamacocha lagoon - Ayo valley
Trekking in Andagua valley. Explore 2 small extinct volcanoes “Los Mellizos” (Twins). Trekking through the Valle de los Volcanes. Drive down to valley of Ayo (1950 m) known for its vineyards, where good artisanal vine and Pisco (grape brandy) is produced. Wine tasting in the local shop. Short walk to see the mysterious and blue waters of Mamacocha lagoon (1690 m).
Day 4: Andagua - Orcopampa - Caylloma
Deprture from Andagua. Short uphill trek to “Mirador de Antaymarca” to take good pictures of volcanoes. Drive through cactus forest to the point of 4700 m, then descend to Lorocca lagoon (4500 m) and drive to Caylloma.
Day 5: Caylloma - Mismi Amazon source - Chivay
Drive to Carhuasanta valley (4400M). Nice uphill trekking to the first 900 m of the Amazon River. Downhill drive to upper section of Colca valley with stops in few viewpoints (Tuti & Canocota). Hike to the hot spring in Chivay (optional).
Day 6: Chivay town - Colca Canyon - Mirador Cruz del Condor - Laguna de Mucurca
Transfer to “El Mirador Cruz Del Condor”. A short and alternative trekking along the canyon to arrive to the Condor cross viewpoint - to be able to see the Condors very close. Drive to Cabanaconde (3280 m) and then up to Laguna de Mucurca (4308 m) for nice picture and video of the Sabancaya volcano from the northwest section
Day 7: Laguna Mucura - Patapampa - Sallalli
Drive around to different points to get different views of the Sabancaya volcano.
Day 8: Sabancaya volcano (Southeast side) - Arequipa
Enjoy staying near Sabancaya. Photo sets. Departure to Arequipa.
Day 9: Arequipa - Chiguata village -Salinas lagoon - Ubinas base camp
Drive from Arequipa to Ubinas base camp. There are a lot of beautiful places to see on the way: views from the back of Misti volcano, Chachani and Pichu Pichu Mountain, Misti geological faults, the pre-Inca terraces of Chiguata and Cachamarca sector, Queñuales forest trees and fauna. Visit Salinas Salt Lake to see pink flamingos.
Day 10: Ubinas summit-come back to Arequipa
Climbing Ubinas, visit the second crater, walk to the small volcanic sand hills. Return to the camp and departure to Arequipa
Day 11: Full day in Arequipa
Free day in Arequipa
Day 12: Departure Arequipa
End of the tour. For the tourists who are not staying further on their own, airport transfer will be provided.
Arrival info:
The tour starts and ends in Arequipa, where the first, second and last night of the tour is. Participants arrive to the hotel (on their own expences), where they will be met by the guide.
Tour type: Walking & study tour: nature & culture - active volcanoes
Difficulty: Challenging
Group size: 3-6
Duration: 12 days / 11 nights
Dates:
10-21 Jun 2021
Price (per person): 3490 €
Included:
- Accommodation.
- Private 4x4 transportation.
- English-speaking guide.
- Camping gear (tents & sleeping mats).
- Entrance to archaeological sites and national parks.
- Food on the mountains according tour itinerary.
- Drinking water for whole trip.
- Cook service on the mountains only.
- Cooking and dine tent.
- Table and camping tables for Ubinas and Sabancaya.
Tour guide:
A volcanologist from our team will accompany the group during this tour.
12 days Peru
Note:
This is the planned program for our pilot tour:
Day 1: Arrival in Arequipa
Arrival at the Arequipa airport, transfer to the hotel.
Day 2: Arequipa - Valle de Majes - Toro Muerto - Andagua
We will start from your hotel in Arequipa at 6 am and travel to the west for an impressive desert with full view of all Arequipa’s volcanoes: El Misti, El Chachani, El Ampato and Coropuna. We will arrive at Corire (the Majes valley), which is about 170 km from Arequipa. There we will see the famous Toro Muerto Petroglyphs. This volcanic rock area covering over 5 square km is probably the result of violent eruptions of Coropuna and Chachani. More than a thousand rocks of all sizes and shapes are crudely yet strikingly engraved with a variety of distinct representations. The rock art of Toro Muerto dates from 500 to 1000 AD and is largely attributed to the Wari culture, with possible additions during Chuquibamba and Inca periods. The petroglyphs show images of humans, snakes, llamas, deer, parrots, sun discs and simple geometric motifs. Some of the figures appear to be dancing, while others look like astronauts with large round helmets. You will have about two hours to walk around the petroglyphs, after which we will continue with a visit to pre-Incan tombs in the valley.
The next stop will be at a small “Jurassic park” known as Querullpa. This place became famous owing to the tracks of dinosaurs discovered in a sand hill next to the road between Corire and Aplao (700 m).
Around midday there will be lunch in a restaurant, where we may be offered a dish prepared with the local river shrimp (available in season only).
Around 1 pm we will continue to drive along an asphalt road passing several small valleys such as Andamayo (928 m), Tipan (1928 m), Tagre (2190 m), Viraco and Machaguay (3200 m). There are agriculture terraces in these places owing to the water supply from the peak of Coropuna (6377 m). A bumpy dirt road leads from Viraco to Andagua, where we will be rewarded by great views of mountains, canyons and valleys.
After driving we will reach the highest place of the day, Paso Coropuna (4930 m). This pass is the base of the 3rd highest Peruvian peak, considered a sacred mountain by local farmers. On the way down we will pass small villages and see large groups of llamas and alpacas, some vicuñas and other Andean wildlife.
Close to 6 pm we arrive at Andagua (3580 m), a town surrounded by small volcanoes. Dinner made according to traditional recipes will be supplied by a local family.
Day 3: Trekking in Andagua valley - Mamacocha lagoon - Ayo valley
We will start the day at 6 am with the exploration of two small extinct volcanoes known as Los Mellizos (the Twins). The trek takes about two hours. A clear path leads to the top of one of the cones offering spectacular views of the town and the valley of Andagua. We will return to the hostel around 8.30 am for a country breakfast.
At 10 am we will start a trek through the Valle de los Volcanes, where we will see agricultural fields, cactus forests, some pre-Inca remains, a region resembling the lunar landscape as well as the abundant regional flora. The trekking, lasting about 3 hours, will be mostly downhill along a dusty trail. We recommend you to bring along sturdy hiking boots, water, a sun hat and sunscreen.
At 1 pm we will rejoin our vehicle and drive along a dirt road down to the valley of Ayo (1950 m) near the confluence of the Andagua and the Colca River. This valley is famous for its vineyards. Artisanal wine and grape brandy called Pisco are produced there. You can taste these products in a local shop. We will bring lunch boxes with us and have a picnic next to the confluence of the two rivers. There is a small restaurant in Ayo where, if we are lucky, we might have the river shrimp again.
After lunch we will have a short walk to the mysterious blue waters of Mamacocha lagoon (1690 m) surrounded by volcanic lava. Time permitting, we can watch the river otter and other wildlife near the lagoon. At 5 pm we will drive back to Andagua for dinner.
Day 4: Andagua - Orcopampa - Caylloma
This is the last day of our stay in el Valle de Andahua. Before breakfast we will take a 10-minute drive to the southwest of the town and go along a trail between the cactus forest and pre-Inca constructions. We will make a short uphill trek to Mirador de Antaymarca and admire the views of many volcanoes. Then we will return to our car and drive back to the town for a country breakfast. After that, we will drive for two hours through a cactus forest in the upper part of the valley passing lagoons, canyons and small Andean towns on the way. We will reach the highest point of the day (4700 m) with amazing views of the mountain range and a lot of vicuñas grazing around. We will arrive at Lorocca lagoon (4500 m) at 2 pm for a picnic with a superb view of the Limapampa Valley and then drive to a mining town of Caylloma (4350 m).
Day 5: Caylloma - Mismi Amazon source - Chivay
At 7AM After breakfast in a local restaurant we will drive along from Caylloma to Carhuasanta valley (4400M) - There is a dirt/muddy road through high mountains, wetlands, small rivers and lagoons a long with chance to watch some pink flamingos and other Andean birds around . The challenge drive from Caylloma to the bottom of nevado Mismi (5597M) takes between 3 and 4 hours with amazing panorama.
Around 11AM we will arrive to slopes of nevado Mismi and then have a short easy hike from the end of the road to vertical walls of granite, where is the water fountain coming out from the rock and this is recognized as "Source of the Amazon River" as known as the largest river in the world and flows to Atlantic Ocean - free time (1 hour) to explore/walk around and then downhill to drive to upper section of Colca valley with stops in few viewpoints (Tuti & Canocota) . We have a picnic in one of the Mirador watching the magnificient of agriculture terraces in both bank of Colca River. If time permit OPTIONAL hike for about 2 hours to reach the thermal baths of La Calera (45°C - $5 USD eacg admission). Late afternoon transfer to hotel in Chivay.
Day 6: Chivay town - Colca Canyon - Mirador Cruz del Condor - Laguna de Mucurca
Breakfast in the hotel at 6 am, transfer (two hours) to El Mirador Cruz Del Condor. We will drive on the left bank of the Colca River passing small towns with colonial churches and spectacular highlights such as snow-capped peaks, hanging tombs and a cactus forest. We will also see a lot flora and fauna, for which the Colca Valley is famous. We will stop to look at agriculture terracing on both sides of the valley.
Around 8 am we will start a short alternative trek along the canyon (Private Service only). We will arrive at the Condor cross viewpoint to watch the largest birds in the world fly. You can see condors very close, at a distance of about 10 meters. Sometimes they sit on huge rocks next to the cliffs facing the canyon. Free time to relax and enjoy a spectacular view of the canyon.
At 10 am we will drive to one of the nicest countryside section, Cabanaconde (3280 m), and then continue driving for about two hours and get to Laguna de Mucurca (4308 m) for pictures of the Sabancaya Volcano from the northwest section. We will camp next to the lagoon.
Day 7: Laguna Mucura - Patapampa - Sallalli
After breakfast we will look for a place to get closer to the volcano in order to get a better view of explosions. At midday we will drive for about four hours to another place for a view of the Sallalli volcano (4480 m). We will camp next to Sabancaya Volcano.
Day 8: Sabancaya volcano (Southeast side) - Arequipa
Breakfast, free time until midday (you can walk or drive around). We advise you to wake up early to make the best pictures of sunrise over the volcano. After lunch we will drive for about four hours to Arequipa making several stops along the way for taking pictures of the backside of Nevado Chachani.
Day 9: Arequipa - Chiguata village -Salinas lagoon - Ubinas base camp
We start from our hotel at 8 am and drive in 4WD vehicles for about three hours to the Salinas Salt Lake. On the way we pass Chiguata Village located between Misti and Pichu Pichu mountains. During the trip we will see the Misti geological faults, the pre-Inca terraces of Chiguata and Cachamarca sector and Queñuales forest with its fauna. Then we cross the Simbral tunnel and enter the Reserva Nacional de Aguada Blanca y Salinas. We admire the views from the back of the Misti volcano, Chachani and Pichu Pichu Mountain and stop to see the Salinas Salt Lake and to watch llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and flamingos.
At 10 am we arrive at Salinas Salt Lake (over 4400 m). We walk around it for about two hours for the sake of acclimatization. Lots of pink flamingos can be seen on the lake from January to August. We finally come to Moche Village and lunch there. After that, we drive for a couple of hours to the base of an active volcano Ubinas.
Day 10: Ubinas summit-come back to Arequipa
After a good early breakfast around 3 am we leave the tents and climb up to the collapse caldera of Ubinas (5670 m), which is historically the most active volcano in southern Peru. It takes four hours to climb to the major crater, from where one can see other volcanoes and summits in the south of the Peruvian Cordillera volcanica. It is an easy way from the summit down into a small second crater. There we peep into the depths of this active volcano and walk to the small volcanic sand hills.
After two hours of resting in the crater and exploring the area, we climb up to reach the major crater. Then we descend to the base camp, have lunch, pack our gear and make a five hour journey back to Arequipa with our 4WD.
Day 11: Full day in Arequipa
Free day in Arequipa. Today you will be free to relax, walk around and explore this beautiful city. Arequipa is situated in the south-west of Peru. It lies at an altitude of 2325 m between the coastal desert and the western slopes of the Andes. Several volcanic cones such as El Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu dominate its skyline. Arequipa is mostly built of sillar, a white volcanic stone, which earned it a nickname la ciudad blanca, the White City. Arequipa is a magnificent example of colonial architecture, and its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Farewell dinner.
Day 12: Departure Arequipa
End of the tour. For the tourists who are not staying further on their own, airport transfer will be provided.
Dates |
Status |
Price per person (€) |
SRS (*) |
Group size |
10-21 Jun 2021 |
space available |
3490 € |
160 € |
3-6 |
(*) Single room supplement |
Prices for tours at custom dates: on request
Included:
- Accommodation.
- Private 4x4 transportation.
- English-speaking guide.
- Camping gear (tents & sleeping mats).
- Entrance to archaeological sites and national parks.
- Food on the mountains according tour itinerary.
- Drinking water for whole trip.
- Cook service on the mountains only.
- Cooking and dine tent.
- Table and camping tables for Ubinas and Sabancaya.
Not included:
- Travel insurance.
- Flights tickets.
- Laundry service.
- Alcholic drinks.
- Personal trekking gear (backpacks, poles, etc)
Discounts:
Returning customers receive 5% (or 8% - if you have been on at least 3 trips with us) discount on the base tour price.
Group booking discount: If at least 4 people together book this trip, 5% (additional) discount is given, combineable to a maximum of 10%.
Additional info:
Arrival info:
The tour starts and ends in Arequipa, where the first, second and last night of the tour is. Participants arrive to the hotel (on their own expences), where they will be met by the guide.