The programs below can be changed due to unexpected events beyond our control.
Sample Itinerary: 12 day program - subject to changes
Day 1 (Sunday): Arrival
We will pick you up from Arequipa Airport and lead you the hotel downtown. This is a free day, depending to your arrival time, so you may decide to take a tour of the city and visit the convent of “Santa Catalina” with an English-speaking private guide (optional – extra cost).
Meals are not included on Day 1.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Arequipa.
Day 2 (Monday): Introductory Ride
Departure around 7:00 am in a tourist vehicle in the direction of Colca Valley. You will cross the “Salinas y Aguada Blanca” reserve where alpacas, llamas and vicuñas can be seen. After reaching the spectacular "Mirador de los Volcanes", at an altitude of 4910 meters (16000 ft) above sea level, we descend into the valley which has an average elevation of about 3500 meters (11000 ft). You will settle and lunch at a hotel in Yanque village.
In the afternoon, you will meet our famous Peruvian Paso horses and their “Chalan” (groom and horse guide). Next, you will begin your first horseback ride around the village up to the Colonial Mill and to a Chapel devoted to the Virgin of Chapi.
Riding 2 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay at Hotel in Yanque
Day 3 (Tuesday): Ride around Yanque
In the morning, we begin our ride to Coporaque village and its pre-Inca cemetery where the mummies of Collagua Lords were formerly safeguarded. You will have to dismount and climb a hill for 20min to reach the graves.
The ride continues to the ruins of Uyo-uyo, which was the former capital of the Collagua Natives, who once ruled the Valley. Along the way, you will also see the “Colcas”, a kind of hidden granary that gave the name to the river, and the "amphitheater" (farming terraces highly valued by the Incas to improve cultivation of quinoa, corn…). Afterwards, we go back to Yanque to savor a delicious lunch at the Hotel. Enjoy a relaxing 30min massage (included on this day).
In the evening, you can do some stargazing (subject to weather conditions) with our Dobson type Telescope with a diameter of 45cm (18 inches). This is one of the biggest Telescopes accessible to the public in Peru. It allows you to look at various deep sky objects (globular clusters, nebulae, galaxies…) only visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Before observing the night sky, we screen a short 12min film in our Planetarium.
Riding 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay at Hotel in Yanque
Day 4 (Wednesday): Ride to Madrigal
We leave at 8:00am for a ride along the right bank of the Colca River, passing through beautiful landscapes. Native people achieved a great feat in creating arable lands on the mountain. They did so by inventing terrace cultivation and irrigating those terraces with an ingenious system of water channels. We will cross the villages of Ichupampa and Lari and eat a packed lunch on the way. Having reached Madrigal in the afternoon, our horses and their Chalan will stay there while a vehicle will drive you and your English-speaking guide back to Yanque. After about one hour by car, we will arrive at the Yanque Hot Springs for a relaxing swim.
Riding 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay at Hotel in Yanque
Day 5 (Thursday): Chimpa's Hill Hike & Ride to Pinchollo
This is the start of the itinerant ride, for which you will need to pack a small luggage for 2 days. After an early breakfast (around 5:30 am), we will drive you by car for one hour to Madrigal. You will hike up Chimpa's Hill for 1.5 hours and at the top, you will find the restored ruins of an ancient Fortress of the Collagua Nation. From that vantage point, you will enjoy breathtaking views. It is the only place where one can see both sides of the canyon. If you are lucky, you might even see the majestic Condor in flight.
After descending, you will have lunch and finally get on your horse. You will ride to Pinchollo's Village after having crossed the Colca River across a lovely bridge.
Riding 4 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay in a rustic cabin in Pinchollo (optional upgrade to 3 star Hotel accommodation)
Day 6 (Friday): Hatun Infiernillo & Ride to Cabanaconde
Breakfast 7:00am sets us up for our longest riding day to reach Pinchollo's Geyser. Climbing a hill, we will reach an elevation of 4450 meters (14600 ft) and be amazed by incredible views: high snowy volcanos, waterfalls, and most importantly the "Hatun Infiernillo" Geyser, which is active all year round.
Having ridden back to Pinchollo for lunch, we will change horses to continue our ride to Cabanaconde.
Riding 8 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Dinner and overnight stay in a 3 star Hotel in Cabanaconde
Day 7 (Saturday): Cabanaconde to Llahuar
Breakfast at 7:00am and departure for our ride to Llahuar, where you will get down into the world's deepest Canyon. Today covers an overall vertical descent of 1200m (4000 ft). We will have to dismount and guide our horses at points before joining Llahuar village where we will dine and spend the night.
Riding 4 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight in an authentic family-run lodge
Day 8 (Sunday): Villages Ride
After breakfast (around 6:00am), you will follow the canyon to discover the villages of Corsninhua, Malata and San Juan de Chucho.
Riding 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight in San Juan
Day 9 (Monday): Ride to Sangalle
After breakfast, you will ride to Sangalle. Riding along Colca River, you can admire some impressive cliffside landscapes. You may sometimes have to get off your horse in order to cross a few small streams. We might have the opportunity to bathe into warm hot springs.
Riding 3 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight in a rustic lodge in Sangalle
Day 10 (Tuesday): Ride back to Cabanaconde
The ascent of the canyon begins early morning (5:00am). For the security of both riders and horses, we climb mostly at a walk, often leading the horses on foot. The ascension takes about 3 hours. Upon your arrival at Cabanaconde, a car will pick you up to take you back to Yanque (2 hours’ drive) where you will retrieve your luggage and rest at your hotel for one final night.
Riding 3 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at Hotel in Yanque
Day 11 (Wednesday): Transfer to Chivay
The morning is free for rest, with lunch (included) served at 11:30am at the hotel. At 12:30pm we will transfer to Chivay to catch a bus for a 6-hour journey through the Andes with an English-speaking guide.
Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight in hotel in Puno
Day 12 (Thursday): Lake Titicaca & Departure
Breakfast is served at 7:00am and followed by a boat trip (with an English-speaking guide) across Lake Titicaca for a visit to the magnificent Taquile island. From there you will continue your journey across the lake towards the famous floating islands of the Uros, one of the first inhabitants of Peru. Finally, we will return to Puno around 4:00pm (hotel and meals not included). We suggest you take your return flight (not before 6pm) from Juliaca, which is 1 hour from Puno, in order to make the most of your last day. Return transfer to Arequipa is extra and depending on your departure time, you might not be able to visit Lake Titicaca.
Meals included: Breakfast
Sample Itinerary: 8 day program - subject to changes
Day 1 (Sunday): Arrival
We will pick you up from Arequipa Airport and lead you the hotel downtown. This is a free day, depending to your arrival time, so you may decide to take a tour of the city and visit the convent of “Santa Catalina” with an English-speaking private guide (optional – extra cost).
Meals are not included on Day 1.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Arequipa
Day 2 (Monday): Introductory Ride
Departure around 7:00 am in a tourist vehicle in the direction of Colca Valley. You will cross the “Salinas y Aguada Blanca” reserve where alpacas, llamas and vicuñas can be seen. After reaching the spectacular "Mirador de los Volcanes", at an altitude of 4910 meters (16000 ft) above sea level, we descend into the valley which has an average elevation of about 3500 meters (11000 ft). You will settle and lunch at a hotel in Yanque village.
In the afternoon, you will meet our famous Peruvian Paso horses and their “Chalan” (groom and horse guide). Next, you will begin your first horseback ride around the village up to the Colonial Mill and to a Chapel devoted to the Virgin of Chapi.
Riding 2 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay at Hotel in Yanque
Day 3 (Tuesday): Ride around Yanque
In the morning, we start our ride to Coporaque village and its pre-Inca cemetery where the mummies of Collagua Lords were formerly safeguarded. You will have to dismount and climb a hill for 20min to reach the graves.
The ride continues to the ruins of Uyo-uyo, which was the former capital of the Collagua Natives, who once ruled the Valley. Along the way, you will also see the “Colcas”, a kind of hidden granary that gave the name to the river, and the "amphitheater" (farming terraces highly valued by the Incas to improve cultivation of quinoa, corn…). Afterwards, we go back to Yanque to savor a delicious lunch at the Hotel. Enjoy a relaxing 30min massage (included on this day). In the evening, you can do some stargazing (subject to weather conditions) with our Dobson type Telescope with a diameter of 45cm (18 inches). This is one of the biggest Telescopes accessible to the public in Peru. It allows you to look at various deep sky objects (globular clusters, nebulae, galaxies…) only visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Before observing the night sky, we screen a short 12min film in our Planetarium.
Riding 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay at Hotel in Yanque
Day 4 (Wednesday): Ride to Madrigal
We leave at 8:00am for a ride along the right bank of the Colca River, passing through beautiful landscapes. Native people achieved a great feat in creating arable lands on the mountain. They did so by inventing terrace cultivation and irrigating those terraces with an ingenious system of water channels. We will cross the villages of Ichupampa and Lari and eat a packed lunch on the way. Having reached Madrigal in the afternoon, our horses and their Chalan will stay there while a vehicle will drive you and your English-speaking guide back to Yanque. After about one hour by car, we will arrive at the Yanque Hot Springs for a relaxing swim.
Riding 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay at Hotel in Yanque
Day 5 (Thursday): Chimpa's Hill Hike & Ride to Pinchollo
This is the start of the itinerant ride, for which you will need to pack a small luggage for 2 days. After an early breakfast (around 5:30 am), we will drive you by car for one hour to Madrigal. You will hike up Chimpa's Hill for 1.5 hours and at the top, you will find the restored ruins of an ancient Fortress of the Collagua Nation. From that vantage point, you will enjoy breathtaking views. It is the only place where one can see both sides of the canyon. If you are lucky, you might even see the majestic Condor in flight.
After descending, you will have lunch and finally get on your horse. You will ride to Pinchollo's Village after having crossed the Colca River across a lovely bridge.
Riding 4 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay in a rustic cabin in Pinchollo (optional upgrade to 3 star Hotel accommodation)
Day 6 (Friday): Hatun Infiernillo Ride
Breakfast 7:00am sets us up for our longest riding day to reach Pinchollo's Geyser. Climbing a hill, we will reach an elevation of 4450 meters (14600 ft) and be amazed by incredible views: high snowy volcanos, waterfalls, and most importantly the "Hatun Infiernillo" Geyser, which is active all year round.
Having ridden back to Pinchollo for lunch. You will have free time in the afternoon to rest and enjoy the indoor pool and Jacuzzi.
Riding 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight stay at Hotel in Yanque
Day 7 (Saturday): Transfer to Chivay
The morning is free for rest, with lunch (included) served at 11:30am at the hotel. At 12:30pm we will transfer to Chivay to catch a bus for a 6-hour journey through the Andes with an English-speaking guide.
Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight at Hotel in Puno
Day 8 (Sunday): Lake Titicaca & Departure
Breakfast is served at 7:00am and followed by a boat trip (with an English-speaking guide) across Lake Titicaca for a visit to the magnificent Taquile island. From there you will continue your journey across the lake towards the famous floating islands of the Uros, one of the first inhabitants of Peru. Finally, we will return to Puno around 4:00pm (hotel and meals not included).
Meals included: Breakfast
2020 Available Extension to Cusco & Machu Picchu:
Day 1: Hotel in Puno (coming back from Lake Titicaca Tour)
Day 2: Transfer Puno-Cusco and visits (grouped in tourist bus) with accommodation in Cusco
Day 3: City tour of Cusco at 8am or 1pm (private tour) with accommodation in Cusco
Day 4: Visit of the Sacred Valley at 8am or 3pm (private tour) with accommodation in Aguas Calientes
Day 5: Free day, visit of Machu Picchu (on your own). Transport, guides and meals are not included. Only includes: round trip train journey, Machu Picchu entrance fee, and the last Hotel night in Cusco)
Day 6: end of services after breakfast with transfer to airport included
Included: Bus Puno-Cusco, Entrance fees, private city tour and private valley tour, Return train ticket from Ollantaytambo-Aguas Caliente, 3 nights Hotel in Cusco (3 stars with breakfast), and 1 night in Puno and Aguas Caliente, transfer Bus Station Ollantaytambo Cusco and transfer to the airport
Not included: lunches and dinners, bus from Aguas Caliente to Machu Picchu and back & guide in Machu Picchu.
Non-Riders are welcome to join! Please inquire for more information.