Cotahuasi for Walkers

Departure time from arequipa: 06:00pm (one day before)

Duration: 03 days

Place departure from arequipa: Bus station

Type of service: Shared

• Lunches and dinners
• Extra expenses

One day before at 6:00pm we will depart from the land terminal of the city of Arequipa towards Cotahuasi (2683 msnm), arriving at 3:00am approx. Upon arrival, a person will be waiting for them to transfer them to the Hotel so they can rest for a few hours.

FIRST DAY

After breakfast we will leave Cotahuasi heading to the town of Taurisma, there we will visit old cedars, its colonial church, broom forest, etc. Then we will visit the town of Tomepampa to see its traditional Church where we can take photos; continuing with the tour we will visit Alca, a town with rich agriculture where we will observe its typical balconies, colonial houses, old cedars, etc.

Then we will ascend by a pedestrian path of 75 ° slope in a zigzag way composed of more than 500 Inca steps to the community of Cahuana (3068 msnm), a town rich in pre-Inca terraces, in this walk we will observe the flora and wild fauna, in addition to beautiful landscapes made up of hills, towns, terraces, rivers, etc. Optionally if you wish, we can continue ascending to visit the Archaeological Site of Ccalla (3335 masl), where we will find steps and pyramidal walls up to five meters high in Inca and pre-Inca style.

Later we will descend towards the Luicho thermal baths where we will have lunch typical dishes of the area based on trout that is extracted from the Cotahuasi river. After lunch we can enjoy a relaxing bath in the Luicho Hot Springs, which are highly appreciated for their therapeutic properties.

SECOND DAY

After breakfast we will take the mobility towards the deepest part of the Cotahuasi Canyon, on the way we will observe the Colcan and Piro fields that stand out for their agriculture; in this tour the geological richness is observed, therefore it is very warm and very low above sea level. . Later we will visit the Sipia Waterfall (2684 msnm) symbol of the Cotahuasi Landscape Reserve with a height of 150 meters in three falls, it is here where the infernal fight between water and rock is heard. Then we will start our walk passing through beautiful landscapes of the canyon, picturesque towns such as Chaupa and Rosariopampa, to reach the Judiopampa Cactus Forest (1936 msnm) where we will find columnar cacti that measure up to 10 meters high; countless species of birds inhabit the site. Finally we will arrive at the town of Velinga (1972 msnm) where we will have lunch; Here you can visit the ruins of Ayahuasi, Mirador de la Cruz, we can see the variety of fruits (40 types) that are grown, the eco-museum and winery "Valle bello" to taste the rich organic wine and know its production process in places very old. If your physical condition is favorable, in the afternoon we will descend to the thermal baths of Niñochaca (1729 msnm) characterized by having an adequate temperature to enjoy a relaxing bath. Then we will return to Velinga to have dinner and spend the night.

THIRD DAY

After breakfast in the town of Velinga, there will be a 30-minute walk to board the mobility that will take us back to Cotahuasi.

Return to Cotahuasi for lunch and in the afternoon we will visit the main attractions of the town: Laguna Chaquicocha, Inmaculada Concepción and La Matriz church, Campanario Santa Ana.

6:00pm Transfer to the bus terminal to return to the city of Arequipa arriving at 3:00am the next day. End of our services.

• Warm clothes
• Suitable sneakers for short walks
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Little suitcase
• Bathing suit for hot springs