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| CABANACONDE |
| Cabanaconde belongs to the Department of Arequipa in the Province of Caylloma. It is situated 2,378 meters above sea level (which is higher than Arequipa at 2,300 meters above sea level), on the left side of the Colca Canyon. The town of Cabanaconde is one of the towns buried deepest inside the Colca Valley and one of the least visited spots by tourists, leaving its cultural heritage strongly in place. It has beautiful views of the canyon, pre-Incan farming terraces still in use today and spectacular viewpoints such as the Cruz del Condor (the Condor Crossing) which is only 20 minutes away in bus. |
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The town of Cabanaconde has approximately 3,000 inhabitants, the majority of which earn their living from livestock and agriculture. In fact, Cabanaconde corn is famous throughout all of Peru. This signature corn is grown on the farming terraces between the months of December and March, during the rainy season. |
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The local women wear their traditional clothing with pride. They adorn themselves with bright colors and embroidered shapes that represent the local flora and fauna of the canyon, such as the humming bird, condor and cantuta (a local flower).
Cabanaconde is the starting point for all the hikes in the canyon |
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| Cabanaconde is the principle entrance into the Colca Canyon -- ALL of the hikes leave from here. Cabanaconde is without a doubt the best place to acclimatize yourself to the altitude and learn about the area before embarking on a hike. Cabanaconde also offers a plethora of activities, such as downhill biking, mountain biking, horseback riding, extreme hiking to the snow-covered peaks of Hualca-Hualca (6025 meters above sea level) and hiking Ampato, the highest peak in all of southern Peru. |
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| HOW TO GET TO CABANACONDE? |
We are 5 hours from the city of Arequipa
Tourist Transportation – Aliberry
The Aliberry bus will pick you up from your hostel in Arequipa at approximately 3:30am (however they will only pick people up from hostels in the center of town). They will stop in the Cruz del Condor for one hour and then arrive in Cabanaconde at around 10:30am.
The bus to return to Arequipa from Cabanaconde leaves from the plaza at 10:30 am. It stops in Chivay for two hours to have lunch in a delicious buffet restaurant and enjoy the steaming, natural hot springs. At 3:00, you will arrive at the highest point in the canyon, Patapampa, and arrive in Arequipa around 6pm.
The cost of the bus is 35 soles. To make a reservation, send us an email at: colca@pachamamahome.com |
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WHEN TO VISIT CABANACONDE |
You can visit CABANACONDE all the year.
December to March is the raining season so bring your equipemnt for the rain if you trek. The landscape is very beautiful and the mountains are green and snow in some peaks. Not many Condors are seen in these months. |
| April to November.- it is the dry season, very hot in the morning and cold at night. |
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| HOW TO GET TO CABABACONDE |
Cabanaconde is 5 hrs from Arequipa, there are several buses from the terminal. They cost about $5.00 Here we give the name of the bus companies:
There are departures at any time:
600am - 1130am – 130pm – 3.00pm – 130am - 2.00am – 3.00am
TOURIST BUS ALIBERRY. Departure at 400am, pick up from your hostel(only in the center)
Cabanaconde to Arequipa: you can book your bus ticket in our place. Departure at 10.00am.
Empresa Transporte Reyna
Empresa Transporte Andalucia
Empresa Transporte Milagro
CONEXION FROM CABANACONDE TO PUNO
Take the bus from Cabanaconde to Pampa Canahuas (3hrs). In Pampa Canahuas you can get a connecting bus to Puno. |
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Public Buses
AREQUIPA – CABANACONDE |
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Bus Andalucia |
| Parte Arequipa Leaves Arequipa |
Llega aprox. in Cabanaconde Arrives in Cab |
01u30 A.M. |
06u30 A.M. |
06u00 A.M. |
12u30 P.M. |
11u45 A.M. |
18u00 P.M. |
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Bus SR. De MILAGROS |
| Parte de Arequipa |
Llega aprox.a Cabanaconde |
03u00 A.M. |
09u00 A.M. |
14u00 P.M. |
19u00 P.M. |
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Bus REYNA |
Parte de Arequipa |
Llega aprox.a Cabanaconde |
16u00 P.M. |
22u00 P.M. |
01u30 A.M. |
07u00 A.M. |
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CABANACONDE – AREQUIPA |
Bus Andalucia |
Parte de Cabanaconde |
Lllega aprox. a Arequipa |
09u00 A.M. |
18u00 P.M. |
14u00 P.M. |
19u00 P.M. |
21u00 P.M. |
05u00 A.M. |
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Bus SR. De MILAGROS. |
Parte de Cabanaconde |
Llega a aprox. A Arequipa |
11u15 A.M. |
17u00 P.M. |
22u00 P.M. |
09u00 A.M. |
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Bus REYNA |
Parte de Cabanaconde |
Llega aprox.a Arequipa |
| 10u00 A.M. |
18u00 P.M. |
01u30 A.M. |
07u00 A.M. |
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The price is 15 soles (or 4 euros or $5) each way
During local celebrations and the high season (from April to October), it’s recommended to buy your tickets in advance.
The buses leave from the TERMINAL TERRESTRE
The departure times can vary slightly, but not too much. |
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Private rental cars
Anyone with a driver’s license can rent a 4x4 in the city of Arequipa. To arrive in Cabanaconde, take the road to Juliaca-Puno, follow the detour towards Chivay and continue until Cabanaconde. |
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CABANACONDE TO PUNO
Unfortunately there is no bus that goes directly from Cabanaconde to Puno. However the best way to get to Puno is to take one of the first buses out of Cabanaconde, towards Arequipa at 7am, 9am, 10am or 11:15am and get off in PAMPA CANAHUAS (a small town located at 4000 meters above sea level). Pampa Canahuas is the point of connection between Arequipa, Cusco and Puno and the buses that come from Arequipa stop here in order to go through a police checkpoint.
You will save 4 hours of travel. This town is not dangerous but it’s still not a good idea to arrive there at night. Buses pass every 20 minutes and cost between 15 and 30 soles |
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CHIVAY TO PUNO
There are buses that leave Chivay every day at 1:30 and go directly to Puno. However the cost is $35.
Recommendations before coming to Cabanaconde
- Instead of buying a tour in Arequipa, it’s better to come independently to Cabanaconde. It’s less expensive and you will have more time and flexibility during your stay here.
- We recommend you reserve your hostel via email or phone before arriving
- We also recommend you stay in Cabanaconde before hiking into the canyon to adjust to the climate and learn about the canyon before embarking on a hike. The following day, if you’ve adjusted to the altitude, you can start hiking to the small towns such as San Juan de Chuccho, Sangalle, Llahaur, Tapay, et.
- Sometimes people get on the bus in Chivay offering their hostels to tourists and say that Pachamama is very expensive or always full – don’t pay them any attention. We always have space and we offer the best information about the canyon.
- The tourist ticket needs to be bought on the bus or in Cabanaconde, but only from official AutoColca representatives.
- Don’t hike in the canyon without first having gotten information from us about the safe and unsafe places to walk
- There is no ATM in Cabanaconde so please bring enough money for all the days that you’re thinking about staying in Cabanaconde and the canyon. There’s an ATM in Chivay.
- It’s never recommended to hike ALONE. If you are alone, the best idea is to join a group of people who are hiking down the same day. In Pachamama you can always find people to hike with.
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