Stories: Luxury Travel Peru

One of our favorite places in Peru has got to be the dramatic natural beauty of Colca Canyon in the south of Peru, near to the city of Arequipa. As one of the deepest canyons in the world, Colca carves an impressive line through the mountainous landscape for over 50 kilometres (31 miles). The latest National Geographic Survey sited this as the source of the Amazon river. By all accounts the landscape is vast and majestic and whichever direction you look in, it will take your breath away. Exploring Colca Canyon is easy with the help of luxury tailormade travel Peru specialists, Aracari. Getting There: The Journey From Arequipa to Colca From the 'white city' of Arequipa, the journey to the canyon is about 4 hours by private transfer with Aracari, travelling across the Andean plateau. The landscape and vegetation changes as you gradually gain altitude, transforming the land from an arid scrubland with abundant cacti to the puna highlands, frigid grassland dotted with snow-capped peaks, rare relict woodlands of short trees, and condors flying overhead. One of the highest points along the journey is the Mirador de los Volcanes at 4,800m (15,748ft). From here you can see the incredible iconic volcanoes that dominate the landscape in the region, towering above everything else at more than 6,000 meters (20,600 feet).   Cultural Travel in Colca Canyon There's a very interesting human element to the region, and great opportunity for community based tourism Colca to interact with the locals. Home to the Quechua speaking Cabanas and the Collagua - each wear a distinctive type of traditional hat and the women still wear their traditional voluminous Andean skirts. The area has been inhabited for over 1,000 years and there is evidence of pre-Inca terracing that covers most of the valley forming a giant sculptured landscape. There are fifteen small Spanish villages in the Colca Canyon