Peru Complete Travel Guide
Sometimes you have big plans for a fun trip, but it just doesn’t go according to plan. My big plan was some fun independent travel by moped from the town of Chivay to Colca Canyon.
Getting to Chivay
The town Chivay is a 3.5 hour ride from Arequipa, and the base to visit Colca Canyon and its surroundings.
The best way to get to Chivay is by colectivo, a minivan that departs every hour, or when it’s full. From downtown Arequipa I first took a taxi/uber to the Centella station. For 20 soles (€5) I took the 8:00 transportation, made a stop in Northern Arequipa and arrived at noon in Chivay. Chivay is at an altitude of 3700 metres with a strong sun during the daytime.
Let the plan unravel
On arrival, the first point of action was to find a scooter/motorcycle rental shop. I asked around and some more, but there was no place in Chivay that rents motorbikes of some sort. Now what? This was actually my whole plan coming here.
Another option was doing a 2 day trekking through Colca Canyon. I informed with an agency that doing a trekking might be a problem with the high altitude. They assured me that the canyon is at a lower elevation and it should be fine. Ok, it sure sounds like a beautiful trek. As preparation I bought a hat for the sun, insect repellent for the mosquitos, and an extra pair of socks for the unexpected extra day.
Altitude sickness
That evening a lingering headache from the day was getting worse, I wasn’t feeling well at all at this altitude. But the absolute strangest thing was that every time I touched my blanket I saw bolts of light coming from my fingers. This was freaking me out.
I messaged the agency that I would like to swap my tour to the regular day tour to Cruz del Condor. If there is something I despise while travelling, it is taking regular tours with loads of other tourists. But at this moment it’s my only option.
Let the Colca Canyon tour begin
The next day I decided to make the most out of my tour and to enjoy it. I got picked up and joined a bus coming from Arequipa. Immediately I got into a nice conversation with an American guy named Christoper who was on vacation with his grandma Carla. It felt good being able to speak English and have a laugh and a joke. Shortly after, another guy suddenly spoke Dutch to me. The Dutchy Patrick was travelling with his wife and her Peruvian family. I suddenly felt like I was part of the family too.
After an hour into the tour, we stopped at the Cruz del Condor, a viewpoint where Condors gather every morning around 8:00. The selling point of the excursion.
I walk down for a change of scenery and as I come back up, I notice an extreme shortage of breath due to the altitude. I’m thinking to myself it’s a good thing I didn’t do that trekking with an ascent of 1000 metres.
We check out a few other viewpoints and stop at a place with various Peruvian women in traditional attire and their dressed up alpacas, all more than eager to receive a small tip for a photo with their alpaca.
Next stop is a choice between ziplining, hot springs, kayaking or ATV ride. Patrick and his family go on the ATV and ask if I come too. Yeah, that’s always fun. And for only 40 soles (€10) it’s quite the steal for 40 minutes of pure joy.
On the way back we have a last stop at a field full of alpacas before arriving back at Arequipa.
I had a fun day! Doing things differently, I would’ve rented a motorcycle from MotoAndes in Arequipa and driven the beautiful road to Chivay by myself. I just love being able to stop anywhere I like and have that freedom of my own wheels.
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