Chivay & Colca Canyon
Chivay is a town in Peru's Colca Valley and it is located behind the Volcanoes near Arequipa. It is about a 3 to 4 hour drive and the road takes you over a 16,000 ft (4877 meters) pass. It's the gateway to the deep Colca Canyon, comprising a green valley and remote traditional villages with terraced agriculture that pre-dates the Incas. The canyon is said to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon of the United States and it has Andean condors circling above and below the rim. There are many hot springs throughout the valley and one can see an active volcano spewing smoke and ash in the air. The town of Chivay is at an elevation of 3635 meters or about 12,000 ft. and just above the city is the Volcano Mismi and marks the headwaters of the Amazon River. Chivay has one branch for which President Chipman oversees and it has four missionaries serving there at this time.
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Chivay es una ciudad del Valle del Colca, en Perú, situada detrás de los volcanes, cerca de Arequipa. Está a unas 3 o 4 horas en coche y la carretera lleva por un paso de 4.877 metros (16.000 pies). Es la puerta de entrada al profundo Cañón del Colca, que comprende un valle verde y remotos pueblos tradicionales con una agricultura en terrazas anterior a los incas. Se dice que el cañón es dos veces más profundo que el Gran Cañón de Estados Unidos y que los cóndores andinos vuelan en círculos por encima y por debajo del borde. Hay muchas fuentes termales por todo el valle y se puede ver un volcán activo que expulsa humo y ceniza al aire. La ciudad de Chivay se encuentra a una altitud de 3.635 metros o unos 4.000 metros y justo encima de la ciudad está el volcán Mismi, que marca la cabecera del río Amazonas. Chivay tiene una sucursal que supervisa el Presidente Chipman y tiene cuatro misioneros sirviendo allí en este momento.
Travel information: We normally stay at the Killawasi Lodge in Yanque. It is so pleasant and the people bend over backwards to make things work for us. When we bring family with us, we stay here. They have a safe and good restaurant with beautiful views. There is also the Colca Lodge in Yanque that caters to international tourists. It is a step nicer with a spa, thermal hot pools along the river, and gardens with alpaca roaming. It has a very good restaurant and if you stay at the lodge, two meals a day are included. It is much more expensive and we normally stay there off season if we want to enjoy the hot pools due to the rains. We have also enjoyed staying at the Casa Andina in the town of Chivay itself. It has a safe and very good restaurant that we enjoy.
Note: If you look at most tourist reviews, you will hear often that people get food poisoning. Be especially careful of the restaurants around the plaza in Chivay. The three restaurants in the hotels that I mentioned are the only ones we have tried and we have never had a problem.
MUST SEE: You must go to Chivay during the festival to the Virgin Immaculate Conception held around December 8. It is spectacular with traditional dancing. It is a very authentic holiday not geared to the tourists and it will knock your socks off! It is usually cold in December due to the rains and the mountains are often shrouded in clouds, but the scenery is lush and green and spectacular with the snow capped peaks. Chivay is always beautiful, no matter the season. It is a very special place.
