EASY TREKS AROUND CABANACONDE
If you just want to stay in Cabanaconde and don’t want to trek into the canyon (or want to stay more time and do something different) there are a number of easy treks with amazing views like trek to Condor cross,Achachihua viewpoint,mocurca lake and other activities in and around Cabanaconde. These include the following.

Visit the Cruz del Condor and walk back to Cabanaconde
Take an early local bus or combis fom the main plaza of Cabanaconde to the Condor cross (15-20 minutes) After seeing the condors, return to Cabanaconde by the highway. After walking 30-40 minutes you will see to your right the lookout point of Tapay. Continue walking for 10 minutes more and you will see the village of Cabanaconde to your right. You will pass a small water reservoir (dam) After 3-5 minutes more you will see a small pathway with stone walls on both sides (it’s like a street). Follow this pathway and you will arrive to the San Miguel pampa, where there are superb views of the canyon. From there head back to the main highway and continue to the main plaza of Cabanaconde.
Duration of the trek: approximately 3 hours. Most of the way is downhill, from 3,700 metres to 3,300 metres.

Take a walk through the countryside of Cabanaconde with its pre-Incan terraces
This circuit is on the other side of the Colca Canyon, winding along pre-Incan trails through pre-Incan terraces. You will see local people carrying out their daily activities. You can follow these trails for 1-3 hours. Ask in our hotel and we will give you directions. 

Walk to the ruins of Kallimarca
This archeological site is located to the southeast of Cabanaconde, on top of a hill. The trek begins from Cabanaconde, at 3,300 metres. The first part is flat, then there is a climb to the top of the hill at 3,600 metres: a total of 1-2 hours walk.
At the summit there are ruins including a group of houses, streets, and a ceremonial plaza of Incan origin.
Note that the current village of Cabanaconde was designed and constructed by the Spanish. Before the Spanish arrived to the Colca, the Cabana culture lived in the place currently known as Kallimarca.
From the summit there are unbeatable views of the valley where Cabanaconde is located, the Andes mountain range and its volcanoes.
We then head back to Cabanaconde. Luego volvemos a  Cabanaconde.
Duration of the tour: approximately ½ day.

Achachihua viewpoint point and trek along the rim of the Colca canyon (The best easy trek in colca canyon)
This is the easiest walk of all: it follows the southwest rim of the Colca Canyon and passes by several natural lookout points.
The walk is mostly flat with a few light uphill and downhill stretches, and it takes about 30 minutes (one way). However you can spend up to two hours trekking along the canyon enjoying the views and surroundings. No guide is necessary: just ask for directions in La Casa de Santiago.  

Mucurca Lake by 4WD
This provides an excellent opportunity to observe Andean wildlife. The Mucurca lagoon is located at 4,300 metres above sea level. You can see vegetation such as the famous yareta (azórela compacta), ichu (Andean straw grass) and animals including llamas and alpacas, alongside the beautiful lagoon that lies in the shadow of the Ampato volcano where the ‘mummy Juanita’ was discovered in 1995. This is a wild and untouched place seldom visited by tourists.

You can also see lots of birds such as flamingos, Andean ducks, Andean gulls and others (Bird waching)
Truly the most fantastic thing about this tour is the tranquility, the pure air, the views of the lagoon and the snow-capped mountains and volcanoes.
Duration of the tour: approximately 4 hours.

 

The 3 best viewpoints
Visit on foot the 3 viewpoints of the Colca canyon.
The 3 best viewpoints are, El Mirador de Achachihua, Mirador de San Miguel and Mirador de Cejana Pata.
Of all these viewpoints, the best is the Achachihua Viewpoint, which is why we leave it to visit at the end. From the Mirador de Achachigua you can see the Huaruro waterfall that is on the other side of the canyon, El Oasis de Sangalle, the towns that are suspended in the mountains like the town of Malata and Tapay.
Of these 3 viewpoints, the one we recommend least is the Mirador de San Miguel because currently there are construction of houses very close to the viewpoint and the worst of all is that the houses have been built without respecting the natural environment. The only positive thing about this place is that you will find the Juanita mummy museum. where you can appreciate the local flora and fauna. You can also see some small mummies and ceramic remains.
The Mirador de Cejana pata is interesting because you walk in the middle of the pre-Inca terraces.
To visit these 3 viewpoints it takes between 3-4 hours of walking and visits.
From our hotel we will give you a map so you can do this tour.

Countryside visits (experiential tourism)
Our clients consider this tour to be one of the most interesting.
It involves visiting the countryside around Cabanaconde with a local guide (6-8 hours) to get to know local people and their work in the fields.
The experience begins when you are picked up from your hotel by the local guide after breakfast. You will visit the fields around Cabanaconde and accompany the local people in their daily activities. The local people and guide can also tell you an amazing range of things about local customs, history and other details such as the properties of medicinal plants. Depending on the season you can observe and participate in the following activities:
January-April: harvesting of green maize (choclo)
May: main maize (corn) harvest
June-July: irrigation, natural fertilization and preparation of the soil for planting
August-September: the main planting season, with many ceremonies and festivities
October-December: various activities to help the new maize plants grow
This is one of the best ways to discover and understand daily life in Peru.

Also you can hire bikes from our hotel