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Tour code: PER_VOP
Tour type: Walking & study tour: nature & culture - active volcanoes
Difficulty: Challenging
Group size: 3-6
Duration: 12 days / 11 nights

Dates:

3-14 Apr 2020

Price (p.p.): 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.

Arrival at the Arequipa airport, transfer to the hotel.

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.

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.

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.

We will start from your hotel in Arequipa at 6 am and travel to the west for three hours by the Pan American highway across 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 four hours of 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.

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.

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).

After breakfast in a local restaurant we will drive along a dirt road to the upper section of the Colca Canyon and for two more hours along dirt/muddy road from Sibayo up to 5000 m. Then we will trek uphill (200 m) for about 2 hours along a small river, which is considered as headwaters of the Amazon River. The views of the mountains and highlands are wonderful there. At the end of the trek you will arrive at the source of the Amazon River, where the water is coming out from a massive rock cliff facing the Carhuasanta valley.

After a country breakfast near the source of the Amazon River there will be some free time for relaxing and walking around. Around 11 am we will go downhill off-road for about 2 hours to the hot spring in Chivay, where we will have a late lunch followed by transfer to a comfortable hotel.

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.

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.

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. Farewell dinner.

End of the tour. For the tourists who are not staying further on their own, airport transfer will be provided.

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.