What’s the COLCA CANYON Full Day Tour Like?

Colca Canyon Full Day Tour Reading time: 16 minutes

This blog post will describe my experience with doing the Colca Canyon Full Day Tour from Arequipa, Peru. In this post, I will discuss how I found the door, how long the tour lasted, what we saw, and what I thought about it!

I arrived in Arequipa in April 2022 without having done any investigation on what to do. I figured I would wing it once I got there.

Immediately I noticed everyone talking about Colca Canyon (Cañon de Colca), with an emphasis on the condors that can be seen there. I love nature, but I’m more into the flora than the fauna. I didn’t want to go just for birds. Ultimately, I decided to go for it to test my body in higher altitudes before climbing the Misti Volcano.

Read more: Climbing Volcano Misti

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Finding a Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour

I went to the company hostel recommended, Waiky Adventours, to ask about the several types of trips in the area. The Arequipa to Colca Canyon Tour had two options: Full Day Tour, or Colca Canyon 2 day tour with trekking. The Full Day Tour cost 70 soles. Because I was planning another trek a few days later, I opted for the full day tour. It was a little unclear about everything that would be included, but I’m an adaptable person, so I went with it. I can now lay out for you what was and was not included in the trip.

There are several tour companies all around Arequipa. Many of them are in the Plaza de Armas in the center of town. You can organize a tour with any of these companies, and all the experiences will be essentially the same, and at similar price points.

What is included in the Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour

• Transportation
• Guide
• Breakfast

What is NOT included in the Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour

• Colca Canyon entrance fee – 70 soles (19 USD)
• Thermal baths (optional) – 15 soles (4 USD)
• Colca Pisco – 6 soles (1.60 USD)
• Buffet Lunch – 35 soles (10 USD, and drinks are additional)

Read more: What to do in Arequipa

The Tour Begins: Morning Wake-Up and Breakfast

The next day I woke up to my alarm at 2:30 am, and the bus picked me up outside my hostel at 3 am. The bus was big and there were already several sleepy people on it. We drove to a few more hostels and hotels to pick up the remaining guests.

Not all of these people had reserved the tour from the same place as me, Waiky Adventures. It functions like a funnel. We all organized with different tour companies who then funneled us on to the company that runs the buses and guides. I imagine each individual tour company gets a cut for selling the tour.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 1

We drove 3 hours to our first mini-stop in Chivay. It was very peaceful here because it was so early in the morning. Chivay is a small town. There were a few small fields and a couple of buildings where we went to eat. When I walked into the building, several tables were set with plates and glasses. You can choose wherever you want to sit in a communal environment. This was a great way to meet other people on the trip. I met a group of comical university students from Germany.

We had just 30 minutes to eat a quick breakfast of bread, marmalade, scrambled eggs, juice, and tea. After breakfast, we all loaded back onto the bus to continue the drive.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 2

After breakfast, we continued the drive. An hour later, the bus stopped for 10 minutes to admire the view of a small canyon. There were several women selling trinkets, sweaters, gloves, etc. We were able to get a few good photos of the beautiful scenery behind us. You could see green farming terraces in the distance.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 3

The next stop was the main event: Colca Canyon. Unfortunately, we were only allowed one hour at this stop. It should be much longer since that is the main reason for the tour. This is really what I wanted to see, and one hour was just not long enough. But the scenery and views at this canyon were absolutely stunning.

The Colca Canyon is three times deeper than the Grand Canyon, but not as long. I was constantly in awe at every turn. I would have loved to spend several more hours here. We could not go down into the canyon. All our views were from the top rim of the canyon. The area was filled with wildflowers and condors flying above. There was a path that paralleled the edge of the canyon, with several platforms built out over the edge to get a better view.

There is a platform near the main road that has a large condor statue. In this area, you can see the largest concentration of condors circling above. It gets crowded in this area because everyone wants to see the condors, and they all have their big cameras out.

But alas, being part of a tour comes with a schedule, and we had to be ready and waiting for the bus at the top of the road by 9:40 am. The bus was a couple of minutes late, and we all piled back on. The people who had elected to do a 2-day tour of Colca Canyon split off here. Those who were going to spend the night stayed. Those who spent the night the day before joined us.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 4

We drove for another 30-40 minutes. The next stop was to admire the views again. This area really is beautiful, and the scenery in Peru is stunning. However, these random quick stops start to wear you out. Constant getting on and off. I understand they want to pack a lot into the Colca Canyon Full Day Tour, and wow, is it FULL!

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Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 5

The next stop was the Colca Sour stop. It is like a pisco sour. We had 15-20 minutes at this stop. Most people tried the Colca sour (6 soles), which was quite delicious. There was a small stand set up where a few guys were preparing drinks for the people on our tour bus. It got pretty busy as we all lined up waiting to try this famous Colca Sour. It was sour and a little bitter and had seeds inside. I enjoyed it. By this point it was very sunny, so it felt nice to sit in the sun, try the Colca sour, and meet new people.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 6

Our next stop was the adventure stop. We had one hour at this stop with 4 options: ziplining, 4×4, thermal baths, or sit around and wait. Nobody in our entire group was interested in doing the ziplining or 4×4. I think everyone was getting pretty tired and hungry at this point.

Entering the thermal baths was optional (15 soles), and only about 5 people from our bus went down. The rest of the group just sat in the shade under a tent waiting out the hour. I opted to hike up to the top of the hill that loomed over the baths. It was quite hot in the sun, but I preferred to spend my time hiking than sitting around. This stop was the most pointless in my opinion.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 7

The next stop was for lunch. The buffet, 35 soles, offered lots of options for local cuisine, buffet style. Several people opted to sit outside the restaurant and not eat, some brought their own food, and a couple of others walked to a different restaurant around the town. I was really tired and not in the mood to search for something else, so I stayed and ate at the buffet. The food was good and I got really full. It was a great chance to both try local food and make new friends from the bus. I sat with some Peruvians visiting fro other cities around the country.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 8

Back on, back off. Next stop: looking at stacked piles of rocks over a large area, with the surrounding volcanoes off into the distance. The piles of rocks are meant as offerings. We stayed here for just 5-10 minutes. There were people here selling hats, socks, scarves, etc. It was quite beautiful, but the energy of the group was diminishing. Under different circumstances, I think I would have had more energy to see something like this, but by now, these extra stops started to feel superfluous.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 9

We made yet another stop about 30 minutes later to admire the alpaca wandering along the side of the road. It really was breathtaking to see these alpacas in their habitat, eating the grass, and passing through the shallow ponds. In this moment I was truly awed by the beauty of Peru.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour: STOP 10

We made yet another stop, the last stop we were told, which I think made everyone quite happy as we were all exhausted after such a full day. This stop was solely for bathrooms, as we had two hours left before reaching Arequipa.

The Return to Arequipa

As we neared the Arequipa airport, the traffic began. The already exhausted group of full day’ers (as well as the group who did the Colca trekking the day before), were getting quite antsy. Most people’s phones were dead, and we were all tired of sitting on the bus for so long.

Finally, the traffic broke, and we made it back into town. We were all dropped off at the bus depot, about 4 blocks from Plaza de Armas. It was dark and a little cold when we arrived back in Arequipa, but I was really happy to finally be off the bus and on my feet walking towards my hostel, ready to sleep.

Read more: What to do in Arequipa

What to Bring to the Colca Canyon

This is a long and full day, so you should be prepared!

• Bring a backpack. I brought my Cotopaxi Allpa 28L, which was the perfect size to carry everything.
• Bring a water bottle or a hydration pack in your backpack.
• Snacks– it’s a long day!
• SPF– it can get very sunny. I prefer the Alba face sunscreen.
• Bring a sweater/fleece inner layer. I love the Cotopaxi fleeces.
• A jacket. Mornings and evenings get cold. I like the Cotopaxi down jacket.
• A beanie or a cap. Mornings are cold, afternoons are hot and sunny.
• A swimsuit in case you go in the thermal baths.
• A travel towel in case you go in the thermal baths.
• Money– for lunch, thermal baths, souvenirs, Colca Sour, etc.
• Earbuds or headphones for the long drives.
• Kindle if you can read on a moving bus.

Colca Canyon Weather

I did the Colca Canyon full-day tour in April 2022. The mornings and evenings were very cold and I needed a hat, sweater, and jacket. In the afternoons, it got very sunny and hot. I started to strip down the layers to just my T-shirt and jeans. You should be prepared for all types of weather. You can leave your backpack on the bus at each stop, so you don’t need to worry about carrying everything with you at all times.

Is the Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour Worth it?

Am I glad I went? Yes.
Were there too many stops? Absolutely yes!
Would I recommend this trip to others? Maybe, as long as you’re prepared for what comes along with it.

I think the Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour was worth it in retrospect because I was able to see so much of this area of Peru in such a short time. But it was a very long and exhausting day. If I were in charge of organizing the tour, I would cut out some of the superfluous stops like looking at a viewpoint for 5 minutes, and give extra time to enjoy Colca Canyon.

Other Colca Canyon Options

Go to Colca Canyon on Your Own

I met a girl in my hostel who went to Colca Canyon without a tour group, and I think she did it the right way. If I were to do it again, I would do the same. She, along with some new friends, took a bus to the town of Cabanaconde. From there, they walked over to the Canyon and spent as much time as they wanted, on their own schedule. They slept one night in Cabanaconde, and then headed back to Arequipa the next day.

This is probably the best bet if you want to do Colca Canyon hiking at a more leisurely pace. You can easily do a Colca Canyon day hike from Cabanaconde.

Private and Group Tours to Colca Canyon

Here are a few Colca Canyon Tours from Arequipa and Colca Canyon tour packages:

Full-Day Colca Canyon Tour from Arequipa

If you prefer to book in advance instead of finding an agency in Arequipa, you can definitely do that. There are several options. This tour is a 14-hr tour that includes Hotel pickup and drop-off, transportation, professional guide, breakfast in Chivay, and lunch in Chivay.

From Arequipa: 2 Day Colca Canyon Tour with Transfer to Puno

This is a 2-day tour that includes the entrance fee to the Colca Canyon (if option selected), lunch on the 1st and 2nd day (if option selected), a professional tour guide (English/Spanish), and hotel pick up in Arequipa and drop off in Puno city (only hotels located in downtown in Puno). This is a great tour to do if you want to see the Colca Canyon and plan to continue to Lake Titicaca or Bolivia afterward.

Where to Stay in Arequipa

If you are planning to do the Colca Canyon full-day tour, then you are most likely staying in Arequipa. Here are a few great places to stay near the center of town.

Los Andes Bed & Breakfast

This hostel is located just a few steps away from the main plaza in town. They have shared rooms as well as private rooms available, and they serve an American breakfast every morning. The place is clean and has several communal areas where you can meet new people.

Hotel Los Angeles

This is one of the more affordable options in the city center. The hotel is simple and modest, but clean and perfectly situated a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas. Breakfast is included.

Ariquepay Hotel

Treat yourself to a stay in this stunning building with a rooftop terrace overlooking the city, with views of Volcano Misti in the background. Breakfast is included every morning. Rooms are clean and modern.

Colca Canyon Full-Day Tour Final Thoughts

The extra stops were pretty, but I could have done without them. Personally, I was only really interested in seeing Colca Canyon, and would have loved to spend more time there on my own terms. I’m glad I did it, but when I signed up for a Colca Canyon tour, I thought I would be seeing the Colca Canyon. Instead, I had a very tiny window to see the canyon, and the rest of the day was full of what felt like tourist gimmicks.

Looking for more hikes in Peru? View all of my Peru blog posts here.

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