|
|
| Other sites of interest |
|
|
|
 Valley
of the Volcanoes
Located
at a height of 3 587 m
or 11,837 ft.a.s.l.,
the Valley of the
Volcanoes was the
center of thunderous
tremors of the Volcano
chain. We can see that
presumably as a result
of one or two
eruptions of Mt.
Coropuna and other
similar volcanoes that
have been destroyed,
there is a blanket of
volcanic lava from
which about 86 small
dead volcanoes have
thrust up, like
blisters caused by the
degasifying of the
lava itself or direct
eruptions from the
magma. They rise up to
300 meters or 990 feet
and are approximately
two hundred thousand
years old.
|
|
 Tapay
Outlook
This
is a natural
observation point on
the left bank of the
Colca River at a
height of
approximately 3 600 m
or 11 889 ft.a.s.l.
From here, visitors
can make out the depth
of the Colca Canyon,
as well as the Chila
Range and the
archeological sites of
Kakatapuy, Otupara y
Kosñirhua and can
also distinguish the
town of Tapay,
together with its
annexes or smaller
villages.
|
| *Photographs: PromPerú |
|
|
|
 |
|
The
basin of the Colca River lies at the
northeastern end of the Arequipa region, with
Mt. Ampato as its highest point (6,300 m or
20,790 ft.a.s.l.). The almost 100 km (62
mile)-long Colca Valley occupies only a part
of the Colca River Basin, that located between
the Districts of Callalli y Huambo. There are
16 villages in the area inhabited by
descendents of the Collahua and Cabana ethnic
groups, from whom they inherited a rich
cultural tradition. The Colca Valley is part
of the South American crustal plate, making it
a very geologically rich and active zone. It
contains an active volcano, Mt. Sabancaya,
located between the Hualca Hualca volcanic
massif and the Ampato volcano.
|
 |
Access |
 |
|
The
164 km (102 mile) trip from the city of
Arequipa to the Colca Valley takes about 3 and
half hours by road.
|
|
Tourist Attractions |
|
|
 The
Condor’s Cross Lookout
This
is a privileged site from which to observe the
deepness of the canyon, its vegetation and,
above all, the flight of the condors, the
region’s most representative bird. This
lookout is a natural spectacle and an
interesting experience for the visitor. A
large cross and a small stone wall have been
built at a height of 3,287 m or 10,847
ft.a.s.l. for the convenience of visitors.
Condors can generally be spied from 10:00 a.m.
to noon.
|
|
 Window
of the Colca
This
geological formation at 4,300 m or 14,190
ft.a.s.l. has assumed the shape of a window
due to wind and rain-induced erosion. There is
a clear view from this natural lookout of the
road leading into the upper Colca Valley and
the confluence of the La Pulpera and Colca
Rivers.
|
|
 The
Colca Canyon
This
is one of Peru’s deepest and most beautiful
canyons. Its deepest point (3 400 m. or 11,220
ft.a.s.l) is to be found in Canco, almost on
the border between the provinces of Cailloma y
Castilla. The canyon is a geological formation
produced by a fault in the earth’s crust,
where the waters of the Colca continue their
thousand-year-old erosion. The entire zone is
surrounded by volcanoes, such as Mt. Coropuna,
Mt. Ampato and Mt. Sabancaya.
|
|
|
