Activities in Arequipa & Canyon Country
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CEICA
It charges S400 for 20 hours of private lessons per week and can arrange family homestays including/excluding meals for S265/173 a week. Call in advance and they’ll pick you up from the airport or bus terminal.
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Naturaleza Activa
A favorite of those seeking adventure tours, and offering a full range of trekking, climbing and mountain-biking options. One popular tour is a three- to four-hour bike trip down El Misti (US$45) including transportation and bike, helmet, guide and snacks. It’s also possible to rent mountain bikes for S9 per hour. Guides speak English, French and German.
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Cañón del Colca
Easier treks in the Cañón del Colca can be more beautifully lush during the wet season, however more remote trails, especially those in the Cañón del Cotahuasi become inaccessible during the wet season. Our best advice is that if you're already an experienced trekker and you're trekking in a well-traveled area like the Cañón del Colca, you don't need to go with a guide at all. Hiking from village to village is the simplest DIY trekking option.
In the Cañón del Colca, the main roads are scenic routes, though there are dozens of more challenging trails. The roads are a good, easy way to experience village life at a slower pace, although they are dusty and passing traf…
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Río Chili
The Río Chili is the most frequently run local river, with a half-day trip suitable for beginners leaving almost daily from April to November.
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El Misti
Looming 5822m (19,101ft) above Arequipa, the city's guardian volcano El Misti is the most popular climb in the area. At the top is a 10m (33ft) iron cross, which was erected in 1901. Below the summit is a sulfurous yellow crater with volcanic fumaroles hissing gas, and there are spectacular views down to the Laguna de Salinas and back to the city.
El Misti is technically one of the easiest ascents of any mountain of this size in the world, but it's hard work nonetheless and you normally need an ice ax and, sometimes, crampons. It's best climbed between July and November, with the later months being the least cold. There are several routes, but none are clearly marked and…
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Arequipa Canyon Trekking
The spectacular canyons offer many excellent hiking options. Trekking agencies can arrange a whole array of off-the-beaten-track routes to suit your timescale and fitness level. Although you can trek year-round, the best (ie driest) time is from May to November. There is more danger of rockfalls in the canyons during the wet season (between December and April).
If you're nervous about hiking solo or want to tackle more untrammeled routes, there are dozens of tour companies based in Arequipa that can arrange guided treks. Be sure you book with a reputable company, never exchange money with touts on the street and always ask to see your guide's guiding card and booklet list…
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Arequipa Mountain Trekking
Superb mountains for climbing surround Arequipa. Adequate acclimatization for this area is essential and it's best to have spent some time in Cuzco or Puno immediately before a high-altitude expedition. Lack of water can also be a problem, as can the icy temperatures, which sometimes drop to -29ºC at the highest camps. The best months for mountain climbing are between April and December.
Though many climbs in the area are not technically difficult, they should never be undertaken lightly. Watch for the symptoms of altitude sickness and if in doubt, go back down. You should be well-informed about medical and wilderness-survival issues, as many guides are dangerously untra…
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Carlos Zárate Adventures
This company was founded in 1954 by Carlos Zárate, the great-grandfather of climbing in Arequipa. His son, Carlos Zárate Flores, is also an experienced guide. Guides generally speak Spanish or English, but are available in French when prearranged. The company offers all manner of treks and climbs all the local peaks. Prices vary depending on group size and method of transportation; they charge around S150 per person for a group of four to climb El Misti, and S365 for a three-day trek in the Cañón del Colca with private transport. They also rent all kinds of gear to independent climbers and hikers including ice axes, crampons and hiking boots.
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Casa de Mauro
This convenient base camp for rafting the Río Majes is in the village of Ongoro, 190km by road west of Arequipa. The lodge offers one- to three-hour trips for beginner to experienced rafters (S70 to S140 per person). They can also organize multiple-day trips in the upper Río Colca (from S900 per person) and treks to nearby ruins (from S600 per person). The lodge offers camping (S10 per person) or rooms with private bathrooms (S30 per person). It is cheapest to take a Transportes del Carpio bus from Arequipa’s terminal terrestre to Aplao (S10, three hours, hourly) and then a combi (S1.50) or a taxi (S12) to Ongoro.
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La Calera Hot Springs
Chivay’s famous La Calera hot springs are 3.5km to the northeast of the village by road. There are large, clean pools, showers, changing rooms, a snack shop and a tiny ethnographic museum. The mineral-laden water leaves the ground at 85°C and is said to have curative properties. There are frequent colectivos (S1) from around the main plaza in Chivay to the springs, or you can walk or cycle by following the road downhill past the market and taking a left. Colectivos stop running at 6pm.
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Pablo Tour
Consistently recommended, Pablo Tour’s guides are experts in trekking and cultural tours in the region, and can furnish trekkers with all the necessary equipment and topographical maps. They are happy to customize tours depending on clients’ needs or offer professional advice to those hoping to go it alone. The owner, Edwin, speaks English and French. Can also help travelers communicate with the Hostal Valle del Fuego in Cabanaconde, or Oasis Bungalows at the base of the Cañón del Colca.
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Pablo Tour
Consistently recommended, Pablo Tour’s guides are experts in trekking and cultural tours in the region, and can furnish trekkers with all the necessary equipment and topographical maps. They are happy to customize tours depending on clients’ needs or offer professional advice to those hoping to go it alone. The owner, Edwin, speaks English and French. Can also help travelers communicate with the Hostal Valle del Fuego in Cabanaconde, or Oasis Bungalows at the base of the Cañón del Colca.
reviewed
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Sabancaya
Sabancaya (5976m) is part of a massif on the south rim of the Cañón del Colca that also includes extinct Hualca Hualca (6025m) and Nevado Ampato (6310m). Sabancaya is currently the most active of the region's volcanoes and has erupted in recent years. The crater can be approached between eruptions if you have an experienced guide, but neighboring Ampato is a fairly straightforward, if strenuous, three-day ascent, and you get safer views of the active Sabancaya from here.
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Chachani mountain
One of the easiest 6000m peaks in the world is Chachani mountain (6075m). You need crampons, an ice ax and good equipment. There are various routes up the mountain, one of which involves going by 4WD to Campamento de Azufrera at 4950m. From there you can reach the summit in about nine hours and return in under four. Alternatively, for a two-day trip, there is a good spot to camp at 5200m. Other routes take three days but are easier to get to by 4WD.
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Majes River Lodge
Offers easy one-hour rafting trips (S60) or more challenging three-hour trips that pass through class IV rapids (S110) on the Río Majes. Overnight accommodations in bungalows with solar hot-water showers cost S40 per person; camping, meals of fresh river shrimp, and tours to the nearby Toro Muerto petroglyphs are also available. Take a taxi (S10) or a combi (S1.50) from Aplao to the Majes River Lodge.
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Río Cotahuasi
Another more off-the-beaten-track possibility is the remote Río Cotahuasi, a relatively new whitewater discovery reaching into the deepest sections of the world's deepest known canyon. Expeditions here are infrequent and only for the experienced, usually taking nine days and passing through several class IV and V rapids.
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Cusipata
Cusipata leads recommended white-water and kayaking trips to all major rivers, including the Ríos Colca and Cotahuasi (US$2000, seven days), with the English-speaking Vellutino brothers, Gian Marco and Piero. They also organize introductory three-day kayaking courses (US$150).
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Nevado Mismi
Nevado Mismi (5597m) is a fairly easy three- or four-day climb on the north side of the Cañón del Colca. You can approach it on public transportation and, with a guide, find the lake that is reputedly the source of the Amazon.
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EDEAQ
This is a Peruvian- and Swiss-managed school. It’s more expensive, but also more intensive than most, costing from S582 per week for lessons plus homestay or hotel accommodations with breakfast.
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Club Internacional
A 15-minute walk north of the Puente Grau bridge, Club Internacional has two swimming pools, a soccer field, tennis courts and a bowling alley by the river. It's popular with local families.
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ACI
Offers individual courses for US$10 per hour, or group classes starting at US$75 for 10 hours, and can arrange accommodation in a homestay.
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Juanjo
Recommended by travelers, it arranges individual, small-group classes from S72 per week. Homestays and volunteer work can also be arranged.
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Ubinas
Other mountains of interest near Arequipa include Ubinas (5675m), which is a gentler two-day climb and has a lot of geothermal activity.
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BiciSport
Mountain bikes in varying condition can be readily hired from BiciSport behind the market for about S5 per day.
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ROCIO
Charges S14 per hour for an individual class, while small group lessons cost S270 per 40-hour week. Classes start every Monday.
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