The Colca Canyon is an impressive geological formation carved out by the river as it has descended between the mountains (made of largely volcanic materials) over million years.
The area of greatest interest to tourists begins at the town of Chivay and continues north west for more than 60 km until reaching the lookout known as the Cruz del Condor near the town Cabanaconde. From here, the valley narrows significantly, giving origin to the fame of the Colca Canyon as one of the deepest in the world.
The deepest part of the Colca has been calculated at 3,680m or 12,074ft (almost twice as deep as Colorado’s Grand Canyon) from the highest points at Mount Yajirhua (5,212m or 17,100ft) and Mount Lucerna (4245m or 13,928ft) to the riverbed. Its deep walls begin on the heights of Chila range, on the right bank of the Colca River, and continue almost vertical for 40km to the confluence with Andamayo River (900m or 2,953ft), where the Colca Canyon becomes the Majes river valley. |