Add Colca Canyon to the list of Peruvian destinations

The rich & famous, not-so-rich and even not-famous-at-all, go there. The ancient abandoned city of Machu Picchu attracts many kinds of travelers from around the world. Luxury travelers ride the Perurail 1st class Hiram Bingham train and backpackers hike the Inca Trail. They go by the thousands. Thousands of people per day will travel to Peru to explore the Machu Picchu ruins.

Visitors to Machu Picchu often ignore the other destinations in Peru, including Colca Canyon. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is the geography. You cannot fly or go by train to Colca Canyon. The only way to get there is to drive by bus or by hiring a vehicle and driver in Cusco or Puno, and traveling over the barren highlands of Peru, across a 16,000 ft mountain pass and into an area that has only been opened to outsiders since the 1980s!

Paved roads are limited and the last 35 km to the end of the canyon is on dirt and gravel. But the views are worth the effort and the landscape is unmarred by billboards, gas stations and other symbols of modern convenience. The most efficient route is to fly to Arequipa and hook up with small group tours to the canyon and nearby Chivay, a charming village nestled in the Colca Valley. There are hot springs, hotels and the quaintest little indigenous dinner theater you ever saw! Whatever your motivation, the effort to go to the Colca Canyon will be rewarded with views of valleys & mountains that few will see and if you're lucky, a glimpse of the mighty, majestic Andean Condor.