Colca Canyon Arequipa: Condor & Thermal Pools Full Day

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/12

Duration15h–16h

GroupUp to 25

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

The Deepest Canyon in Peru, Seen Before Sunrise

You leave Arequipa at 3am and climb to Patapampa's 4,900-meter viewpoint before sunrise, then move through the Colca Valley stopping at traditional towns, pre-Inca terraces, and the Cruz del Cóndor to watch Andean condors soar above the canyon. Breakfast, lunch, and thermal spring entry are included, with a guide managing all timing and transport so you arrive back by evening without arranging logistics yourself.

15h–16h

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day tour to Colca Canyon

Start excursion at 3:00 am
Stop at Mirador de los Volcanes viewpoint
Arrive in Chivay for breakfast
Tour pre-Inca terraces and native flora
Visit Yanque town and watch Wititi dance
See La Santísima Concepción de Yanque temple
Stop at Huayra Punko and Antahuilque viewpoints
Observe pre-Inca hanging tombs and terraces
Arrive at Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint
Watch Andean condor flight
Stop in Maca to taste Colca Sour drink
Visit hot springs for bathing and relaxation
Enjoy free buffet lunch with Andean dishes
Stop at Toccra Bofedales to see camelids and birds
Final stop at Patahuasi for panoramic views

The Experience

"Three in the morning sounds crazy until you're standing at 4,900 meters watching the light come up over the Volcanes," our guide Marco said on the drive out of Arequipa. The Colca Canyon tour starts before dawn—pickup happens early, and the first stop is Patapampa, a high-altitude viewpoint where the mountain ranges around Arequipa come into focus as the sky shifts from black to grey. You're already at the highest point of the day when most people are still asleep. The air is thin and cold. Bring a jacket.

After that opening, the rhythm settles into something steadier. Breakfast happens in Chivay at 3,630 meters—bread, eggs, jam, coffee, the kind of simple fuel that tastes better at altitude. Then the tour moves through the valley itself: Yanque, where the Wititi dance (the traditional love dance of Colca) plays out in the town square, and the 17th-century temple of La Santísima Concepción. The pre-Inca terraces are everywhere—carved into the mountainsides, still holding water and crops the way they did five hundred years ago. You stop at Huayra Punko and Antahuilque to see the hanging tombs, those impossible graves built into cliff faces. It's the kind of landscape that makes you understand why people built things here, and why they're still here.

The Cruz del Cóndor is the centerpiece—the viewpoint where you actually see the Andean condor, the largest non-marine bird on the planet, riding the thermals up from the canyon floor. It's not guaranteed (the birds don't perform on schedule), but the canyon itself is enough. The drop is real. The scale is real. After that, Maca offers a taste of the traditional Colca Sour, a local drink that tastes like lime and altitude and something you won't find anywhere else. The thermal pools come next—you can bathe if you want, or just sit and let the hot water work on muscles that have been climbing since 3am. Entry is 15 soles.

Lunch is a free buffet at a restaurant in the valley—traditional Andean dishes, everything made from high-altitude products grown in the region. The drive back includes stops at Toccra Bofedales (where you see llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, Andean ducks, flamingos) and Patahuasi, a final viewpoint with stone forests and the Misti and Chachani volcanoes framing the horizon. You're back in Arequipa around 5:30pm. It's a long day—fourteen and a half hours from start to finish—but the guide is official, the vehicle is air-conditioned, and you don't arrange any of it yourself.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup before 3:00am, an official tour guide, air-conditioned transport throughout, breakfast in Chivay, entry to the thermal springs (15 soles paid on-site), a free buffet lunch with traditional Andean products, and stops at ten locations including Patapampa, Yanque, Cruz del Cóndor, Maca, Toccra Bofedales, and Patahuasi. Return to Arequipa is around 5:30pm.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Puriy Perú Expeditions

Is this one for you?This tour works for travelers who want to see the Colca Canyon, condor viewpoint, and thermal pools in a single day without arranging transport, guides, or meals—the early 3am start and high altitude are what make all ten stops possible before evening return.