Trip overview
This is the route we recommend if you’re continuing to Lake Titicaca. After a day in the white city, you do the Colca full day, but instead of driving four hours back to Arequipa you stay the night in Chivay, with time for the hot springs. The next morning a shared tourist van takes you across the altiplano to Puno. You see everything and save a day of backtracking.
Historic center UNESCO World Heritage
Condors Cruz del Cóndor
Night in Chivay Hot springs, no backtracking
Altiplano Scenic road to Puno
Day by day
Day 1
Day 1: Historic center and Santa Catalina
See the city tour →
09:00 Walking tour of the historic center: the Plaza de Armas and cathedral, the Jesuit church, the San Ignacio chapel and colonial sillar mansions. Meeting point half a block from the Plaza.
11:00 Optional: the Santa Catalina Monastery, about one extra hour.
13:00 Lunch at a picantería (not included). Try rocoto relleno or chupe de camarones.
Sunset Free time. Walk to the Yanahuara viewpoint to see the Misti behind the arches. Night in Arequipa
Day 2
Day 2: Colca full day, ending in Chivay
See the Colca full day tour →
03:00 Pickup at your hotel and a 3-hour drive to Chivay. Breakfast on the way.
08:30 Cruz del Cóndor: 40 to 60 minutes watching the condors over the canyon.
10:00 Choquetico viewpoint, Inca terraces and the colonial villages of Maca and Yanque.
13:00 Lunch in the valley (not included).
17:00 Instead of driving back to Arequipa, you stay in Chivay. Evening free for the hot springs. Hotel pickup Transport and guide Breakfast Drop-off in Chivay Night in Chivay (hotel not included)
Day 3
Day 3: Chivay to Puno
Morning Shared tourist van from Chivay to Puno, about 6 hours across the altiplano, with stops at high-altitude lakes and viewpoints.
Afternoon Arrival at your hotel in Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Shared transfer Chivay – Puno Night in Puno
Make it yours Every plan is a starting point. Pick what you’d change and we’ll include it in your quote.
+ Go private + Hotels 3★ – 5★ + Add Lake Titicaca tours + Add Cusco & Machu Picchu
Get a quote for this trip
Times are the usual schedule of each tour and are confirmed with your final itinerary. Colca tours pick you up at your hotel in the historic center.
What’s included Arequipa historic center walking tour with guide Colca Canyon full day with hotel pickup in Arequipa and drop-off in Chivay Bilingual guide in Colca and breakfast on the Colca day Shared tourist transfer from Chivay to your hotel in Puno Not included Colca tourist ticket: S/ 70 for foreign visitors, cash Lunches (buffet in Colca about S/ 35) Hot springs: S/ 15 Santa Catalina ticket and site guide Hotels in Arequipa and Chivay (quoted on request) Airport or bus station transfers (quoted with your trip) Tips and travel insurance
Prices
Tours and transfer Per person, group tours and shared transfer to Puno. Same price if you travel solo.
From $124 Hotels Arequipa, Chivay and Puno: 3★, 4★ or 5★.
On request Private version Your own guide and vehicle in Colca.
On request Want hotels included? Choose “Include hotels in my quote” in the form and pick 3★, 4★ or 5★.
Questions about this trip
Why stay in Chivay instead of returning to Arequipa? Because Chivay is on the way to Puno. Going back to Arequipa means four more hours on the road and a longer trip to Lake Titicaca the next day.
Is the hotel in Chivay included? No. Tell us your budget and we quote it with your trip, or book it yourself; we just need to know where to drop you off and pick you up.
And if I’m not going to Puno? Then the 2-day plan is for you: the city and the Colca full day, returning to Arequipa, or the 2-day Colca tour.
