Las Casitas del Colca lies some 165 km from Arequipa. The trip takes less than three hours, but it is an experience in itself.
Upon leaving Arequipa visitors can take in the guardian volcanoes of the city, before climbing the slopes of Mount Chachani until you reach the highland plane of Pampa Cañahus at an altitude of 4,000 to 4,350 meters above sea level.
This area is the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve where visitors will be able to spot herds of vicuñas and the rich bird life of the area. Along the way you will be able to see some of the wonderful plant life that has adapted to the intense solar radiation and the plunging night time temperatures.
The landscape is littered with interesting volcanic rock formations with have been formed over hundreds of years into shapes reminiscent of forests or ghost cities.
After a brief stop at the El Mirador, the perfect location to see the Andean source of the Amazon River, the road travels down through the Ventana del Colca, the Window of the Colca and on to Las Casitas del Colca.
