Guarded by three dramatic volcanoes, the city's resplendent setting makes an obvious launchpad for trekking, rafting and visiting the Cañón del Colca. The Unesco World Heritage listed city center is dressed in baroque buildings carved from sillar (white volcanic rock) stone, giving Arequipa the nickname 'Ciudad Blanca' (White City). Its centerpiece, a majestic cathedral with the ethereal El Misti rising behind it, is worth a visit alone. Pretty cityscapes aside, Arequipa has played a fundamental role in Peru’s gastronomic renaissance and dining here in communal picantería eateries or tastebud-provoking fusion restaurants is a highlight.

Behold the most accessible and popular segment of the Cañón del Colca, a landscape dominated by agriculture and characterized by some of the most intensely terraced hillsides on earth. The greenery and accessibility has led to this becoming the canyon’s busiest region, with the bulk of the business centered in the small town of Chivay. The canyon’s unashamedly disheveled nexus, this traditional town has embraced tourism without (so far) losing its unkempt high country identity. Long may it continue!

Of the Cañón del Colca's dozen or so villages, Yanque, 7km west of Chivay, has the prettiest and liveliest main square, and sports its finest church (from the exterior, at least): the Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción, whose ornate baroque doorway has a look that's almost churrigueresque (an elaborate and intricately decorated Spanish style). Local children in traditional costume dance to music in the main square most mornings at around 7am for tips, catching tourists on their way to the Cruz del Cóndor.

This famed viewpoint is for many the highlight of their trip to the Cañón del Colca. A large family of Andean condors nests by the rocky outcrop and, with lots of luck, they can occasionally be seen gliding effortlessly on thermal air currents rising from the canyon, swooping low over onlookers’ heads. It’s a mesmerizing scene, heightened by the spectacular 1200m drop to the river below and the sight of Nevado Mismi on the other side of the ravine.

The narrow lower canyon that runs roughly from Cabanaconde down to Huambo is the Colca at its deepest. Only approximately 20% of Cañón del Colca visitors get as far as ramshackle Cabanaconde (most organized itineraries turn around at the Cruz del Cóndor). For those who make it, the attractions are obvious – fewer people, more authenticity and greater tranquility. Welcome to the true canyon experience.

Sangalle is a little town located in the deepest part of the canyon and it's also the place where we sleep during the 2 day 1 night trek.