Arequipa Residency
Hotel
Days 1, 2, 6
Arequipa & Colca — 7 days (Salinas, Chivay, Cruz del Condor, Cabanaconde & Sangalle)
Seven days, with 1,100 metres down and back up. Seven days with the acclimatisation night at Chivay, a guide on both canyon days and the oasis bungalow.
Pumice & Pine
Runs this trip
Trekking
Seven days, with 1,100 metres down and back up
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Plaza de ArmasSeven days from a white city at 2,335 m into a canyon twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. Santa CatalinaSanta Catalina housed a hundred and fifty nuns and their servants behind its own streets for three centuries.
Itinerary
Seven days from a white city at 2,335 m into a canyon twice the depth of the Grand Canyon.
ArequipaHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer into the centre
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationArequipa Residency
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Plaza de Armas Sillar architecture El Misti Start point Arequipa, Rodríguez Ballón Airport (AQP), Arequipa 00:00 - 23:59Santa Catalina housed a hundred and fifty nuns and their servants behind its own streets for three centuries. Juanita is an Inca girl found frozen on Ampato.
ArequipaHow the day runs
- 4 hrs9:00 AM — Santa Catalina, the cathedral and the Juanita mummy
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationArequipa Residency
Included Activities
- All entries
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Santa Catalina Museo Santuarios Andinos Sillar quarries The road crosses Patapampa at about 4,900 m before dropping to Chivay at 3,635. That hour at the top is the highest most people on this trip will go.
Arequipa, Salinas, ChivayHow the day runs
- 3 hrs8:00 AM — up past the vicuña reserve
- 2 hrs12:00 PM — over the Patapampa pass and down to Chivay
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationChivay House
Included Activities
- Reserve fees
- Guesthouse at Chivay
- Coca tea
LANDMARKS Salinas reserve Vicuña Patapampa pass Chivay Condors ride the morning thermals out of the canyon between about eight and nine. Later in the day there is nothing to see and the coaches have gone.
Chivay, Cruz del Condor, CabanacondeHow the day runs
- 2 hrs6:30 AM — west along the canyon rim
- 1 hrs10:00 AM — on to the trailhead village
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationCabanaconde Retreat
Included Activities
- Colca tourist ticket
- Guesthouse at Cabanaconde
LANDMARKS Cruz del Cóndor Andean condor Colca canyon Eleven hundred metres of descent on loose switchbacks. It is the going down that wrecks knees; the climb out is honest work.
Cabanaconde, SangalleHow the day runs
- 5 hrs6:00 AM — the descent to the Sangalle oasis
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- AccommodationSangalle Inn
Included Activities
- Guide
- Oasis bungalow with all meals
LANDMARKS Colca canyon floor Sangalle Palm oasis Everyone starts at five because the wall is in full sun by nine and the climb is 1,100 m at 3,000 m altitude. Mules are available and there is no shame in one.
Sangalle, Cabanaconde, ArequipaHow the day runs
- 4 hrs5:00 AM — the climb out before the sun hits it
- 5 hrs11:00 AM — back over the pass
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationArequipa Residency
Included Activities
- Guide
- Hotel in Arequipa
Optional Activities
- A mule up, which most people take and nobody minds
LANDMARKS Canyon wall Patapampa Arequipa Arequipa flies to Lima and Cusco several times a day.
ArequipaHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer to the airport
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Hotel night
- Day 2All entries
- Day 3Reserve fees
- Day 3Guesthouse at Chivay
- Day 3Coca tea
- Day 4Colca tourist ticket
- Day 4Guesthouse at Cabanaconde
- Day 5Guide
- Day 5Oasis bungalow with all meals
- Day 6Hotel in Arequipa
- Day 6A mule up, which most people take and nobody mindsCosts extra
- Day 1 · 2 nightsArequipa Residency
- Day 3 · 1 nightChivay House
- Day 4 · 1 nightCabanaconde Retreat
- Day 5 · 1 nightSangalle Inn
- Day 6 · 1 nightArequipa Residency
- Day 1Arequipa to ArequipaTransfer into the centre
- Day 3Arequipa to Salinas8:00 AM — up past the vicuña reserve
- Day 3Salinas to Chivay12:00 PM — over the Patapampa pass and down to Chivay
- Day 4Chivay to Cruz del Condor6:30 AM — west along the canyon rim
- Day 4Cruz del Condor to Cabanaconde10:00 AM — on to the trailhead village
- Day 6Cabanaconde to Arequipa11:00 AM — back over the pass
- Day 7Arequipa to ArequipaTransfer to the airport
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Chivay House
Hotel
Day 3
Cabanaconde Retreat
Hotel
Day 4
Sangalle Inn
Hotel
Day 5
What you'll eat
6 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 4 dinners across 7 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 7.
- DinnerServed on days 1, 3, 4, 5
- BreakfastServed on days 2–7
- LunchServed on day 5
11 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.8/5
Based on 4 reviews
Review summary
Food4.8/5
Guide4.5/5
Itinerary5.0/5
Transport4.0/5
Accommodation4.3/5
Tour operator4.0/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
J
James Whelan – Singapore2026-02-05 · Verified booking
Did this over 7 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Simple food, well made, and enough of it.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Thank you. We've taken the point about the transfer and are reviewing it.
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5
M
Manav Sethi – Kolkata2026-02-05 · Verified booking
Did this over 7 days and it was the best walking I've done in years.
Was this helpful?
5
S
Sofia Marchetti – Auckland2026-02-05 · Verified booking
The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Recommended.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Thanks for writing this up. We've passed your note to the team.
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4
R
Rahul Menon – Pune2026-02-05 · Verified booking
Did this over 7 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Solid operator.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Thank you. We've taken the point about the transfer and are reviewing it.
Was this helpful?
Questions people ask
One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →